The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine, with financial support from the European Union (EU), has rebuilt a forty-second educational facility under the “EU4UASchools: Build Back Better” project, aimed at restoring war-damaged schools across Ukraine. Serhiivskyi Lyceum is the first of three educational facilities in Odesa Oblast planned for retrofitting as part of the project.

While schools in nearby villages were forced to close due to the security situation, Serhiivskyi Lyceum, equipped with a shelter, has been providing in-person learning during the whole period since the full-scale invasion. Currently, more than 40 children from 11 neighbouring communities, deprived of access to education, are enrolled at the Lyceum.

Since 2022, the school has suffered several times from blast waves and shelling affecting the roof, walls and third-floor classrooms. As a result, the students were studying in half-destroyed premises.

The work to reconstruct Serhiivskyi Lyceum has included partially replacing the roof, windows and doors, and retrofitting the porch and facade. Classrooms, cabinets and toilets in one wing of the third floor have been fully repaired. The heating system has been renovated and LED lighting has been installed all over the school.

All these efforts were conducted following the Build Back Better principle. This approach pays close attention to safety, inclusivity, environmental sustainability and energy efficiency standards. In addition to the repairs, Serhiivskyi Lyceum was re-equipped with new desks, chairs, blackboards and bookcases.

“The European Union is deeply committed to ensuring access to education for children, especially in countries affected by war. For Ukraine and its young people, ensuring children's access to education is crucial for a better future. That is why the EU is continuing its humanitarian support to rehabilitate schools damaged by Russian attacks, creating safe and supportive spaces where Ukrainian children can continue to learn and thrive,” Marianna Franco, Head of the EU Humanitarian Aid Office in Ukraine, stressed.

Jaco Cilliers, UNDP Resident Representative in Ukraine, has highlighted the core principle for UNDP of leaving no one behind and the project priority of ensuring that children in Ukraine have access to education. “Our joint efforts under the EU4UASchools project have already returned more than 14,000 students and teachers to school. It is always a great delight to see how happy children, parents and educators are when entering refurbished facilities,” he said.

Background

The school was renovated as part of the “EU4UASchools: Build Back Better” project, which is being implemented by UNDP in Ukraine, with financial support from the EU.

The project is intended to facilitate light repairs of 66 and re-equip 112 educational facilities in 11 oblasts of Ukraine: Zhytomyr, Dnipro, Mykolaiv, Rivne, Odesa, Zakarpattia, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, Lviv, Kirovohrad and Poltava.

Specific repairs are being made to damaged buildings – selected in consultation with Ukraine’s Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development – including light and medium repair works at schools with damage rates of or below 60 percent. Renovations include installation of new windows, repairs of roofs and sanitary facilities, reconstruction of shelters, and other urgent and critical work.