site.btaHardly Day Passes without Air Raid Alert - Bolhrad High School Principal

Minutes after an air raid alert interrupted the second panel of the 19th World Meeting of Bulgarian Media in the Ukrainian city of Bolhrad on Thursday, the principal of the Georgi Sava Rakovski Bolhrad High School, Snezhana Skorich, said that hardly a day passes without an air raid warning.

She addressed the participants in the meeting from the school’s bomb shelter as they all waited for the alert to be lifted.

"Air-raid alerts have recently decreased in frequency and duration. There were days in the past when alerts would sound three, four, or even seven times a day. There were also many alerts at night," she added.

"We're losing out on study time," Skorich said, adding that they have adopted a hybrid model of learning - some students attend classes in-person while others join online – because their bomb shelter cannot fit all pupils.

"Children have gotten used to this system since the pandemic. They have studied remotely for a long time," she said.

Skorich added that a new bomb shelter has been built. "We expect to have the new bomb shelter completed by September 1, 2024. It is almost finished. Some details just have to be sorted out. Then we will all be able to have in-person classes and, if necessary, take shelter," she said.

"We all wish, pray, and ask for peace," Skorich noted.

"The war has changed our lives greatly. Many parents left Ukraine with their children. Many children continue to study remotely and abroad. Children experience psychological discomfort. We, teachers, are human beings too, but we try to stick it out, support the children, and reassure them that everything will be fine. Our priority today is the health and lives of our children," she said.

BTA organizes the 19th World Meeting of Bulgarian Media in Odesa, Bolhrad and Izmail (Ukraine) from June 18 until June 21, 2024 with the assistance of Aurubis Bulgaria, A1 Bulgaria, Glavbolgarstroy Holding, Euroins Insurance Group, SOF Connect - the operator of Sofia Airport, 13 Centuries Bulgaria National Endowment Fund.