Report on Access to Education
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THEMATIC REPORT IMPACT OF THE CONFLICT ON EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES AND CHILDREN’S ACCESS TO EDUCATION IN EASTERN UKRAINE January 2015 — March 2020 July 2020 Published by the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine © OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine 2020 All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may be freely used and copied for non-commercial purposes, provided that any such reproduction is accompanied by an acknowledgement of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine as the source. Available electronically in English, Ukrainian and Russian at: http://www.osce.org/ukraine-smm 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary 4 Introduction 5 SMM monitoring activities of educational facilities 6 Impact of shelling and small-arms fire on educational facilities from 2015 to 2019 8 Civilian casualties in and around educational facilities due to ceasefire violations 9 Damage to educational facilities 10 Repairs to damaged facilities 11 Recommitments to the ceasefire at the start of the school year 12 Dangers posed by mines and other explosive devices 14 Educational facilities close to military or military-type positions and hardware (less than 1km) 15 Hardship faced by children and school staff 17 Civilian freedom of movement and access to educational facilities 18 Schools in government-controlled Marinka and non-government-controlled 19 Dokuchaievsk Impediments to the SMM’s access to educational facilities 21 Conclusion 22 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Since the beginning of 2015, the OSCE Between January 2015 and March 2020, Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) the Mission has confirmed damage to 93 has been monitoring and reporting on the educational facilities in 43 settlements on both impact of the conflict on educational facilities sides of the contact line in Donetsk and and children’s access to education in the Luhansk regions. In some instances, children conflict-affected areas of Donetsk and were inside the educational facilities when Luhansk regions of Ukraine as part of its the incidents occurred. With many educational mandate to gather information and report on facilities rendered non-operational due to the the security situation and monitor and support conflict, many children have to rely on distance the respect for human rights. learning programmes offered by other educational facilities and, at times, have to In this regard, the SMM’s monitoring since cross the contact line to sit exams or meet with 2015 includes observations of damage to instructors. In some instances, children cross educational facilities due to shelling and small- the contact line every day to attend classes. arms fire, the usage of such facilities by the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the armed The SMM remains committed to monitoring formations and their presence within 1km of and reporting on the impact of conflict on educational facilities, as well as the impact of educational facilities and children’s access the conflict on children and school staff. For to education; however, it continues to face children living near the contact line, access to impediments in gathering information, education continues to be hampered by particularly in non-government-controlled security risks posed by shelling, the areas. prevalence of mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) near schools or on their commute to Measures should be taken by the sides to school, as well as school buildings that have enable the continuity of education in a safe been rendered structurally unsafe by shelling environment and to ensure the civilian nature and small arms fire. of educational facilities is preserved, including by intensifying efforts aimed at adhering to Ongoing ceasefire violations along the contact commitments to cease fire; regular mine action line continue to pose a threat to the physical and awareness raising for students and school and psychological well-being of children and staff, and refraining from establishing military educators. The Mission corroborated nine and military-type positions in and within the civilian casualties (seven children and two vicinity of educational facilities. adults) of which four were due to shelling in the immediate vicinity of educational facilities and five civilian casualties were due to UXO or unspent ammunition at educational facilities. The lives of children and school staff (most of whom are women) continue to be put at risk due to the presence of positions and equipment less than 1km from educational facilities, as well as the use of educational facilities by the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the armed formations. 4 INTRODUCTION The SMM is mandated, among other tasks, to The SMM has been monitoring the ability of report on the security situation and monitor children on both sides of the contact line in and support respect for human rights and Donetsk and Luhansk regions to attend fundamental freedoms. This includes classes and enjoy a safe and secure school monitoring and reporting on the impact of the environment since 2015. In the report, the conflict on the ability of children to access their SMM presents its observations related to rights, such as their right to an education. For damage to educational buildings due to children living near the contact line, access to shelling and gunfire; dangers posed by mines education continues to be hampered by and UXO; educational facilities used by the security risks posed by shelling, the Ukrainian Armed Forces or the armed prevalence of mines and UXO near schools or formations or where positions and equipment on their commute to school, as well as school are close to educational facilities; hardships buildings that have been rendered structurally faced by children and educational staff; and unsafe by shelling and gunfire. According to impediments to the SMM’s access to the United Nations’ Ukraine Education Cluster, information on educational facilities. The there are over 670,000 schoolchildren across report covers the SMM’s observations from 1,727 schools in government-controlled areas 1 January 2015 until 31 March 2020. and 1,815 in non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions in need of education-related assistance.1 1 United Nations Ukraine Education Cluster, Education Cluster Strategy: Ukraine 2019-2020, October 2019. (https://www.humanitarianresponse.info/sites/www.humanitarianresponse.info/files/documents/files/uec_strategy_final_eng.pdf) 5 SMM MONITORING ACTIVITIES OF EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES Since 2015, the SMM has been monitoring the educational facilities on both side of the security situation around schools and contact line were closed due the COVID-19 educational facilities in Donetsk and Luhansk pandemic. The SMM will resume its follow-up regions, particularly those close to the contact on access to education once facilities are line. In 2015, the SMM’s monitoring was operating and classes have resumed.2 focused on damage to educational facilities due to shelling and small-arms fire. Since 2016, the Mission has progressively widened Figure 1. Educational facilities the scope of its monitoring to include other visited by the SMM 2016 to 2019 issues affecting educational facilities, such as the usage of the educational facilities by 143 Ukrainian Armed Forces and by the armed 112 formations and their presence within 1km of 90 72 73 educational facilities, as well as the impact of 54 61 44 the conflict on children and school staff. In this period, the SMM conducted 649 visits, including follow-up visits to educational 2016 2017 2018 2019 facilities. Three hundred of these visits were in government-controlled areas and 349 in non- Government- Non-government- controlled areas controlled areas government-controlled areas. Forty-one percent of the visits were in Luhansk region and 59 per cent were in Donetsk region. In 2016, the SMM focused on assessing damage caused by shelling and small-arms fire and the Figure 2. Operational status of use of these facilities by military or military- educational facilities visited, type personnel (see figures 1 and 2 for 2016 to 2019 breakdown of facilities visited); in 2017, the Mission included the challenges faced by 213 educators and children, such as the security challenges and reports of the psychological 122 impact of the conflict; in 2018 and 2019, the 109 96 SMM further widened the geographical scope of its monitoring to include schools within 41 42 15km of the contact line. In the first three 17 9 months of 2020, the SMM has been following 2016 2017 2018 2019 up on reports of damage to educational facilities. By the middle of March 2020, Operational Not operational 2 In government-controlled areas, educational facilities were closed as of 12 March. In non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, schools and universities have been operating in ‘distance learning mode’ since 19 March and 30 March respectively. Kindergartens were allowed to remain open in non-government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, though some kindergarten decided to close. 6 7 IMPACT OF SHELLING AND SMALL -ARMS FIRE ON EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES FROM 2015 TO MARCH 2020 Between 2015 and March 2020, the SMM recorded around 300,000 ceasefire recorded nearly 1.5 million ceasefire violations, of which around 10,000 were violations. The SMM started recording within 1km of the schools monitored. In geolocation data for ceasefire violations as of 2020, the SMM recorded around 60,000 14 May 2018. Between 14 May and 31 ceasefire violations of which 2,500 were December 2018, the SMM recorded over within 1km of schools monitored by the SMM 312,000 ceasefire violations in Donetsk and over 2019. This has resulted in civilian Luhansk regions, of which at least 4,600 casualties and damage to educational occurred within 1km of the educational facilities on both sides of the contact line in facilities monitored. In 2019, the Mission Donetsk and Luhansk regions. 8 Civilian casualties in and around educational facilities due to ceasefire violations Since 2015, the SMM has recorded nine On 17 May 2018, the father of a student (43- civilian casualties (six boys, one girl, one man year-old man) was injured near school no.