“We are proud of the staff of our educational institutions. Almost none of the teachers chose to collaborate with the occupiers,” says the head of the Department of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports of the Tavriisk City Council, Volodymyr Barsuk.
Because Tavriisk in Kakhovka Raion is occupied, his department has been operating remotely for more than four years.
Before the full-scale invasion, the city had six general secondary schools, four preschools and twelve cultural institutions. After February 24, 2022, they were moved to “distance learning”, and now most institutions are at a standstill. The directors of the subordinate institutions managed to quickly relocate to government-controlled territory.
“We kept all employees until the last moment. Only from January 1 of this year did we stop paying salaries to teachers who are in Ukraine but are not actually working,” notes Volodymyr Barsuk.
Currently only one educational institution operates in the community — Tavriisk Lyceum No. 2. It has united students from all six local schools, as well as displaced children. In the first year of the large-scale war about 1,200 students studied here. However, due to the prolonged occupation the number of children is rapidly decreasing: the new 2026–2027 academic year the lyceum will begin with only 400 students.
“Despite the fact that we are an occupied community, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine often places the same requirements on us as on everyone else. These include licensing issues, participation in various educational events, reporting, etc. It is becoming increasingly difficult financially. At the same time, we try to provide all children with textbooks, teachers with modern laptops. We are also working to ensure that staff have power banks and charging stations in case of unstable electricity supply,” says the head of the Department.
To avoid interrupting the children’s education, in 2024 the Department opened an online group of the “Sonechko” kindergarten. It is currently attended by 16 children at the city’s expense. Despite the online format, educators organize flash mobs, contests and celebrations for the children.
In the occupied area there is only one Russian institution — Chornyansky Lyceum, opened by the Russians in 2024. Around 150 children were forced to go there through blackmail and intimidation. Students travel from nearby villages on their own, and they are placed two grades lower: an 11th grade graduate may find themselves in the 9th grade.
“The institution is headed by Viktoriia Zhdanova, a former foreign language teacher. Thirteen people work there, most of whom have nothing to do with education, mostly newcomers. At the same time, children are forced to study in a virtually half-destroyed building. After the strikes and the deployment of Russian military there, the occupiers did not even bother to replace the windows or carry out repairs. Parents are not allowed into the educational institution, and pupils are not let out into the yard after classes begin. That is the so‑called ‘Russian world’ in all its glory,” notes Volodymyr Barsuk.
After the deoccupation of the community, the head of the Department considers the most important task to be the rapid restoration of quality education. Volodymyr Barsuk is convinced that up to 80% of the community’s residents will return home. A plan to transform the network of educational institutions has already been developed. At the same time, it will not be possible to restore the operation of all institutions at once. It is planned that upon the end of hostilities one lyceum will operate in the community, and other institutions will function either as gymnasiums or as primary schools.
“Of course, it is still very difficult to plan all this now. After the victory, cultural institutions will also face a great deal of work. After all, it will be no less important to work on the community’s internal cohesion. Education not only responds to challenges — it seeks alternative paths of development. We have already come through the most difficult situations, and I am confident that after deoccupation we will overcome all challenges,” says Volodymyr Barsuk.