The Public Prosecutor's Office has opened an investigation into the Mykolaiv City Council's decision to close down nurseries
-
- Alisa MelikadamianContributing Editor, Reporter
-
10000 +
Right on target! Over 10,000 visitors are interested in this content!
-
Prefer on Google
-
10K
Right on target! Over 10,000 visitors are interested in this content!
-
Prefer on Google
Nursery School No. 138 in Balabanivka, which was closed down by the city council. Photo: NikVestiThe public prosecutor’s office has opened criminal proceedings following the decision by the Mykolaiv City Council to close pre-school educational establishments, including Nursery School No. 138.
This was confirmed to NikVesti by the press office of the Mykolaiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office.
The proceedings were registered on the basis of a complaint by Svitlana Fedorova, a former member of the Mykolaiv Regional Council.
On 4 May, law enforcement officers entered the details into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations on the grounds of a criminal offence under Part 1 of Article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — abuse of power or official position.
The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by the investigation department of Police Station №1 of the Mykolaiv District Police Department of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Mykolaiv region, while procedural supervision is being carried out by prosecutors from the Mykolaiv City District Prosecutor’s Office.
«The pre-trial investigation is currently ongoing. The necessary measures are being taken to ensure a comprehensive, thorough and objective examination of the circumstances of the criminal offence committed,» states the text of the letter from the prosecutor’s office to Svitlana Fedorova.
Extract from the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations, published by Svitlana FedorovaAs is known, at the session on 30 April, following discussions, members of the Mykolaiv City Council voted to close one nursery school — No. 138 on Oleh Kravets Street in Balabanivka. The vote on the other two — №104 and №128 — did not receive the required number of votes.
On the same day, NikVesti visited the nursery and inspected its condition.
Why does Mykolaiv want to close three nurseries?
The Mykolaiv Education Department initiated a decision to close three nurseries: №104 (a nursery on Torgova Street in the Korabelny 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 fitting out shelters. This means that if the motion is passed at the session, there will no longer be such educational establishments 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 with the city.
And following the closure of the three pre-school educational institutions, initiated by the Mykolaiv Department of Education, the Department of Municipal Property and the City Council will decide how to use them.
What do city councillors think about the closure?
Councillor Olena Kiseliova supported the closure of the pre-school institutions, 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 nurseries, 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.
The NGO “Mykolaiv Media Hub” (online media outlet NikVesti) wishes to acknowledge the financial assistance of the European Union through its project “Frontline and Investigative Reporting Media in Ukraine” (FAIR Media Ukraine), implemented by Internews International in partnership with the Media Development Foundation (MDF). The NGO “Mykolaiv Media Hub” (online media outlet NikVesti) retains full editorial independence, and the information presented here does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union, Internews International, or MDF.
