From the new academic year, the program of primary military training for high school students will start in Ukrainian schools. In fact, this is an updated “Defense of Ukraine” item. Currently, the training of teachers in this direction is ongoing. Some of them are veterans of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
22 military personnel have already been trained to teach “Defense of Ukraine”, according to the Ministry of Veterans Affairs. The course for ex-servicemen will give schoolchildren the opportunity to gain skills and experience from direct participants in the war. For the veterans themselves, this is an opportunity to get a job and fully return to social life.
If teachers will be trained by trainers who have passed a special course in Kyiv and will share their experience in the regions, then a professional development program has been created to train veterans. It was developed by the Ministry of Veterans Affairs and the National University of Defense of Ukraine.
The program was named “Course to improve the methodological skills of teaching staff of general secondary education institutions who conduct initial combined military training and have the status of war veterans.”
Military personnel take this course precisely on the basis of the university. In the future, it is also planned to carry out training in the regions. By the new academic year, the program plans to train 100 veterans.
“Congratulations to the 22 graduating veterans who successfully completed training in Kyiv. However, in order to increase the number of war veterans who will prepare Ukrainians for combined military training and national resistance, the Ministry of Veterans is expanding the training program to all regions of Ukraine. In total, in 2024, we plan to graduate about 100 veterans and war veterans”, – noted the Deputy Minister of Veteran Affairs of Ukraine Maxim Kushnir.
This year, 1.74 billion hryvnias were allocated from the state budget for the retraining of teachers and the purchase of equipment for the updated “Defense of Ukraine” course. The subject will be taught in the 10th and 11th grades.
During the classes, students will learn basic first aid skills, learn how to handle weapons, recognize and safely handle explosive devices, and learn how to properly respond to emergencies and other hazards.
To improve the qualifications of teachers it is planned to allocate 100 million hryvnias. The Ministry of Education and Science will use the balance of UAH 1.64 billion to purchase materials and equipment for schools. In particular, first-aid kits, cardiopulmonary resuscitation simulators, equipment for teaching drone control and equipping training shooting ranges will be purchased for educational institutions.
