Due to an incident involving a staged beating of a so-called TRC
Olha Tymoshenko said that when she watched the episode beforehand, there was a different ending.
She assumed that the teacher-organizer knew about the ending option, where the TRC military would be beaten, because the children rehearsed several options for ending the number. The schoolchildren said that it was their initiative.
The principal said that she takes personal responsibility for the incident as the head of the school and apologizes to "everyone who was hurt or offended by this situation", especially the military.
"This situation is unacceptable, especially in a situation where our country has been resisting Russian aggression for 11 years, and thanks to the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, we have the opportunity to teach children in a relatively peaceful environment," she wrote.
According to her, the school conducted an internal investigation and found that the skit was not part of the script, and teachers did not sufficiently monitor the performances during the event. As for the students who created the act, the principal says that they were unaware of the "deep implications" because they considered it a joke without a negative context.
According to her, it is not enough to simply identify the cause. The situation has shown that it is necessary to work on the information hygiene of students and teachers, because society often promotes "toxic narratives" that devalue the role of the army and state institutions. The school has already planned a cycle of media literacy lessons, meetings with the military, and has also strengthened control over the preparation of educational events.
"We are hurt by this situation, but we do not hide the problems, we do not absolve ourselves of responsibility, but we act so that this does not happen again. Our school has always been and remains an institution where respect for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, patriotism, and gratitude for the peace that our soldiers protect are fostered," said the headmistress.
The principal emphasized that the school is ready to cooperate with parents, the public, and anyone who is willing to "help educate young people in the spirit of patriotism."
Incident with a scene of beating a so-called “TRC military”
In one of the capitalʼs schools, students held a celebration where they acted out a scene of the beating of a military Territorial Recrut Center.
A video recorded from a school holiday shows a student in a military uniform with the words “TRC” on his jacket coming onto the stage, where he is beaten by another participant in the skit. The “military man” is then dragged off the stage by his arms.
The Minister of Education and Science Oksen Lisovyi and the police responded to the incident. Lisovyi called the principal and demanded an internal investigation and to collect explanations from everyone involved.
Juvenile police officers have already begun an investigation into the incident. Juvenile prevention officers from the Darnytsia Police Department are communicating with the administration of the educational institution, as well as the underage "actors."
The Department of Education of the Darnytsia District State Administration has created a commission, based on the results of its work, they will assess this case.
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