THE BOMBED SCHOOLS OF KHERSON: THE SPATIAL ASPECT OF EDUCATIONAL LOSSES

Abstract

The article analyzes the significant educational losses and structural changes in the general secondaryeducation system of the Kherson city community as a result of the war, covering both students'academic performance and the school infrastructure's physical condition. The study also examines theprimary unevenness of the location of educational institutions, which was confirmed by an analysisusing Voronoi polygons. The problem of reducing the number of students in the Kherson communityis particularly acute. From the beginning of the war to the beginning of the 2024/25 school year, thenumber of students decreased from 32,500 to 21,000. This trend has intensified as a result of theoccupation of the territories, shelling, and psychological factors that have influenced parents' choicesto continue their children's education. Some children from the occupied territories were registeredin Kherson schools, but the overall number of students has declined sharply. The institutions withthe most significant losses are divided into small schools, institutions that have suffered significantdamage, and institutions whose reputations have suffered due to cooperation with the occupiers.Against demographic losses, the decline in academic performance is also significant. A comparisonof the 2021 EIT and 2024 NMT results showed only a conditional increase in average scores due to adecrease in the number of students in high school. For many highly rated schools (school #30, school #36, educational complex #56), a decrease inresults by 5–10% was recorded, indicating a deterioration in the quality of the educational process.At the same time, some institutions have demonstrated an increase in performance due to the transferof students from other schools. The material losses to the educational infrastructure are large-scaleand critical for further recovery. All educational institutions in Kherson were damaged, and the totaldamage to real estate exceeds one billion hryvnias. Five schools were utterly destroyed. Additional losseswere caused by the destruction of equipment, machinery, and school supplies that were looted by theoccupiers or flooded after the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station was blown up. Further restorationof Kherson's educational system requires a comprehensive approach, considering the location of studentsand teachers, many of whom are abroad. Large-scale infrastructure damage and demographic changesexacerbate educational losses, prolonging the time it takes to rebuild the school network.