Access regime and metal detector checks: educational security officers have started working in the schools of the Mykolaiv region

In the schools of the Mykolayiv region, where there is full-time or mixed education, the project «School security officers» was launched.

Alla Velikhovska, the head of the education department of Mykolayiv RMA, told about it, NikVesti writes.

As you know, the project is a pilot project. 38 police officers were selected for educational institutions approved by the administration.

«The last internship took place on Monday. They have already gone to institutions, currently 38 police officers have been identified — they are employees of the National Police. They were selected independently, but we were present at the interviews. A working group was created, in which representatives of the department, psychologists, and the Institute of Postgraduate Pedagogical Education also participated,» Alla Velikhovska said.

Law enforcement officers will perform their duties for six months. According to the official, this term is a trial period, after which adjustments may be made to the work of the police. However, not only policemen will be taken into account in the further selection, says Alla Velikhovska.

«Police officers will be recruited optionally. People will undergo competitive selection, training at institutions that train police officers on a special course. All errors will be taken into account, inconsistencies that may arise in the process of implementing this pilot project will be agreed upon. If everything goes well, the project will continue. It is necessary to create a safe educational environment. Unfortunately, both explosive objects and weapons can be brought into the educational institution. There must be a person who can resist this, has the right to do so and is prepared,» she explained.

38 schools of the Mykolaiv region are currently included in the project. Most of the institutions are lyceums in which students study offline or in a mixed form. One private school and two special schools are also involved.

The security police will check all visitors to the establishments with metal detectors. Alla Velikhovska emphasized that this is a common practice, and therefore no one will encroach on the freedom of children.

«Frames and alarm buttons to call the police will be installed later. We are actively working on their launch. If the officer sees that there is a danger in the school, he will press the button, and immediately the teams that are nearby or that may leave, go to this educational institution to find out the circumstances,» summed up Alla Velikhovska.

We will remind you that it became known about the implementation of this project in the Mykolaiv region in December 2023. Serhii Makhno, head of the Mykolaiv Oblast State Security Service, added that discussions on the issue of carrying weapons are still ongoing.

Where does full-time education take place in the Mykolayiv region?

Currently, 57 educational institutions have been allowed to work offline in the region. Most of them are schools of Voznesensk and Pervomaisk districts. In addition, 94 schools work mixed, that is, children study offline in a certain sequence, for example, one week after another. In addition, 277 educational institutions work online.

There is also a mixed form of training in the front-line Ochakiv, which is still in the zone of damage of the enemy's anti-aircraft missile system.

The authorities stated that starting in 2024, they plan to open face-to-face education in all schools and kindergartens of Mykolaiv Oblast.

In addition, 5 modular schools are going to be built on the de-occupied territories of the Mykolaiv region.

What about children's education in Mykolaiv?

Mykolaiv schoolchildren have been studying online since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation. Although the government, with the help of donors and the state, is actively setting up shelters in educational institutions, which sometimes causes indignation among the townspeople.

The refusal of children to go to school is a guarantee of their personal safety, because Mykolayiv is still in the zone of possible ballistic damage from the Russian military, says Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych. At the same time, he emphasizes the importance of preparing shelters and resuming education in schools when the Armed Forces move the front line.

To launch the new academic year in an offline format in Mykolaiv in the fall of 2024 , the authorities will continue to set up shelters in schools.

Currently, shelters have been installed in 37 educational institutions out of 142 schools and kindergartens in Mykolaiv. At the end of December 2023, the commission recommended the opening of seven more educational institutions with shelters.

In the next few years, the authorities plan to equip 54 shelters in kindergartens, schools and lyceums in Mykolaiv.

We will remind you that the outflow of students was recorded in the schools of Mykolaiv this year. Compared to the last academic year , the number of schoolchildren decreased by 3,300. Vitalii Kim, the head of Mykolaiv RMA, explained that the city's schools work online because they are still targets for the Russian army. Vitalii Kim also explained that the decision on the offline operation of the city's schools will be made by the Office of the President and the Ministry of Education.