Sienkevych on the closure of three nurseries in Mykolaiv: «Privatisation is not on the agenda»

Mayor of Mykolaiv, Oleksandr Sienkevych. Photo: NikVesti

In Mykolaiv, there is currently no question of privatising the city’s three kindergartens — Nos. 104, 128 and 138 — which are proposed for closure. Councillors are to dissolve only the legal entity, whilst the buildings are to be preserved.

This was stated during today’s session on 30 April by Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych, according to NikVesti.

At the start of the meeting, the mayor noted that councillors had previously raised the issue of optimising schools and nurseries that were closed during the war. They are currently in a state of uncertainty.

«In order to work rather than just talk, we need to discuss this. Tetiana Dombrovska once said, when the budget came up, why are we keeping these closed schools and nurseries: they need to be optimised. We worked on this, looking specifically at those nurseries and schools that are unable to operate and where it is not possible to build bomb shelters. But, as they say, we are keeping them in limbo (in a state of uncertainty, — note). Whilst we can still teach children remotely in schools, we cannot teach children in nurseries remotely. Children need to be in nursery,» noted the mayor.

According to Oleksandr Sienkevych, the city continues to develop kindergartens where teaching can be organised.

Later, during the discussion of the proposal to close the nurseries, Oleksandr Sienkevych noted that at present, councillors only need to dissolve the legal entities. The buildings will be mothballed.

«There were times when we were looking for premises for nurseries. In 2018 and 2017, we even considered purchasing buildings for nurseries. There was a need, there were waiting lists, and the groups were overcrowded. It may well be that the war will end in the near future, people will start returning, and in 2–3 years there will be children who need to be sent to nurseries. Or the number of IDPs living in Mykolaiv will increase. The issue of privatisation is not on the table at the moment. We are not addressing this issue right now. We are winding up legal entities which, in effect, currently employ people who receive salaries,» the mayor noted.

Why does Mykolaiv want to close three nurseries?

The Mykolaiv Education Department has initiated a decision to close three nurseries: №104 (a nursery on Torhova Street in the Korabelnyi district), №128 (a nursery-kindergarten at the junction of Mariupolska and Pavlo Skoropadskyi Streets (formerly Admiral Makarov Street)) and №138 (a nursery-kindergarten on Oleh Kravets Street in Balabanivka). The official reason is the lack of and impossibility of installing shelters. This means that if the motion is passed at the session, such educational establishments will no longer exist in Mykolaiv, and their total number will decrease.

During the committee meeting, the chair of the education committee, Hanna Nord, stated that it is the institutions themselves that are being proposed for closure , whilst the buildings will remain the property of the city.

And following the closure of the three pre-school educational establishments, initiated by the Mykolaiv Education Department, the Municipal Property Management Department and the City Council will decide how to use them.

What do city councillors think about the closure?

Councillor Olena Kiseliova supported the rationale behind closing the preschools, stating that it is not cost-effective for the city to maintain them. She says that there is a broader issue behind the closure than the fact that they lack shelters and it is impossible to build them there. During the war, the institutions have been idle, but all this time it has been necessary to maintain the buildings and staff.

Councillor Artem Iliuk stated that he could support the legal closure of the three kindergartens, but said he would not support the subsequent privatisation of these buildings.

Tamila Buhaienko, former deputy mayor of Mykolaiv, also commented on the Education Department’s proposal to close the three nurseries. She believes this could lead to a shortage of places in pre-school facilities once the war ends.

Yurii Hranaturov, Mayor of Mykolaiv from 2014 to 2016, stated that the issue of kindergartens is critically important for the city, especially given the changing demographics and the renewed demand for pre-school education. According to him, the situation with kindergartens in Mykolaiv has already gone through various phases on numerous occasions — from a surplus to a shortage of places.

Hanna Remennikova, a member of the Mykolaiv City Council, believes that if some kindergartens are closed down and subsequently privatised, the funds generated should be channelled into modernising existing facilities.