Graduates waltz to sound of air raid sirens at Kyiv railway station

A group of school graduates have gathered at Kyiv’s central railway station to dance to a beautiful waltz, played by the acclaimed Spanish violinist Leticia Moreno, who was visiting the Ukrainian capital at the invitation of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

Ms. Moreno met this year's graduating class from Irpin Lyceum No. 3, whose school was destroyed by a missile attack in 2022 but later rebuilt by UNICEF. 

"I've been visiting Ukraine for concerts for 15 years,” said Ms. Moreno. “This time, together with UNICEF, we are making a joint effort to give children the opportunity to listen to music, to support and inspire them.”

According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science, nearly 230,000 children across the country will graduate from high school this year. However, amid the ongoing war, only 55 per cent of them had the opportunity to study full-time during their final school year.

Among those who returned to their desks were the students of Irpin Lyceum No. 3. UNICEF rebuilt the school with financial assistance from the European Union and, in September 2023, 1,700 students restarted classes, including the graduates who danced at Kyiv’s railway station.

From 2022 to 2024, UNICEF restored shelters in 147 schools and kindergartens across Ukraine.

Today, more than 900,000 children in Ukraine study online. This negatively impacts the quality of their education, socialization and skills development. According to the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) study, Ukrainian students are 1.5 years behind the required level. UNICEF and its partners aim to restore access to face-to-face education for 300,000 students and preschoolers by the end of 2024, by building shelters in schools and kindergartens.