Kindergartens in Mykolaiv: shelters are being made in 14 institutions, one more will be opened soon

In Mykolaiv, out of 73 preschool educational institutions, only 22 are functioning today, in which 5,046 children study. They have already finished repairing the shelter in another kindergarten, it should be operational in the near future. Work continues in another 14 kindergartens.

This was announced today, November 6, by the head of the education department of the Mykolaiv City Council, Hanna Lychko, correspondent NikVesti reports.

«In 2021, we had 74 preschool education institutions, but today, in 2024, their number has decreased to 73 — one institution had to be liquidated. I really want this to be the last liquidation... At present, there are 22 preschool education institutions in Mykolaiv, which already have shelters approved by the commission, which allow the educational process to be carried out under martial law,» Hanna Lychko reported.

According to the statistics presented by Hanna Lychko, the number of children attending kindergartens decreased by three times compared to 2021. If in 2021 15,000 children attended preschools, now their number is only 5,000. At the same time, the city has a total of up to 10,000 children of preschool age.

«The numbers speak for themselves, and they show that we don't have time to wait for some changes to start acting. The task is already in front of us, and we are already working on their solution,» said Hanna Lychko.

Hanna Lychko reported that next week it is planned to «accept» a renovated shelter in one kindergarten, work is still ongoing at 2 p.m.

«Next week, we plan to accept a protective shelter in one kindergarten, and we have work going on in another 14. There are 6 more preschool education institutions: 4 will be renovated at the expense of benefactors, and two more at the expense of the local budget in 2025. Currently, the Department of Capital Construction is developing projects for three anti-radiation shelters, which we want to build on the territory of kindergartens,» said Hanna Lychko.

Hanna Lychko also noted that birth statistics in Mykolaiv began to fall as early as 2021.

«Considering the number of newborns, we understand that the maximum number of children that can be born this year in the city will be no more than 2.5 thousand. This, in turn, can be regarded as positive news, as it means that our preschools will not be overloaded, and we will be able to provide appropriate conditions for each child in the groups,» stressed Hanna Lychko.

According to the director of the regional department of education and science, Alla Velikhovska, in total, 90 kindergarten buildings were damaged in the Mykolaiv region during the full-scale war, 10 were completely destroyed. Out of 465 kindergartens, 385 are currently working and more than 90 are idle.

«This is a sad situation, because women who want to work do not always have such an opportunity, even if there are vacant jobs. The reason is that it is often impossible to place a child in kindergarten,» Alla Velikhovska said.

There are 22 kindergartens in Mykolaiv, where 4,800 children study. Another 9,000 children are waiting in line to attend kindergartens.

We will remind, in Mykolaiv, due to the outflow of schoolchildren, they decided to combine classes in educational institutions that will work remotely. Because of this, some teachers will have to be laid off.

Earlier, the head of the Department of Education and Science of the Mykolaiv Oblast Alla Velikhovska reported that there is a shortage of teachers of various subjects in the Mykolaiv region. Educational institutions are most in need of teachers of chemistry, physics and biology.