Teachers are fired and classes are combined three days before the start of school in Mykolaiv

The holiday of the First Bell in one of the schools of Mykolaiv, archival photo of NikVesti

In Mykolaiv, due to the exodus 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.

The head of Mykolaiv City Council Hanna Lychko told about this at a briefing on August 30, answering questions from a NikVesti correspondent.

She said that 37,671 students will study in schools in Mykolaiv this year. Compared to the previous 2023-2024 academic year, the number of schoolchildren decreased by 3,531 children. According to Hanna Lychko, according to the educational subvention formula, at least 30 students should study in remote classes. She explained that due to the outflow of students, the number of students in classes has decreased.

«If children leave us, then, in turn, the number of classrooms decreases. The Ministry of Finance instructed the Ministry of Education to revise the educational subsidy formula, which clearly states that remote classes must have at least 30 people,» she said.

In the material of the Ministry of Education dated June 5, 2024, it is stated that the number of classes studying remotely in the 2024-2025 academic year may be greater than 24 students (for the first grades) and 30 students (for other grades). This norm is valid during martial law. At the same time, the number of classes that are taught face-to-face or in a mixed format should not exceed 24 students in elementary and 30 in other classes.

The editorial office of NikVesti received information that the teachers who lost their jobs were notified of this actually three days before the beginning of the school year.

Commenting on this, the head of the city's education department, Hanna Lychko, said that the heads of educational institutions knew about the possibility of cuts and should have warned the teachers.

«If the class merged, the head of the educational institution had to warn the teachers. We told them that they can expect schools from September 1, because the outflow of children was observed even earlier. Perhaps the manager did not warn. Fewer classes, fewer hours, respectively — and reduction,» said the head of the education department.

Director of the Department of Education of the Mykolaiv City Council, Hanna Lychko. Photo NikVesti

Also, in the message that came to the editorial office, it was said that more than 50 students will study in the combined classes. Hanna Lychko, in fact, did not deny the possibility of teaching such a large number of students in one class. She noted that during the period of martial law, the Ministry of Education removed the class size limit. According to the head of the department, the submission of applications from parents for face-to-face education of children is still ongoing today, which also affects changes in the number of students in classes. Therefore, it will be possible to name the final figures only after the beginning of the school year.

«What we see now, there are no longer 50 students in these classes, because parents come and take their children to other educational institutions. The numbers I mentioned may not be final yet, we are still moving,» said Hanna Lychko.

When asked what will happen to teachers who are subject to layoffs, the director of the administration said that she hopes to place teachers in other educational institutions where there are not enough workers.

«But what I see is that some educational institutions still lack employees, so I hope that we will accommodate everyone. The main thing is that they want to go to another educational institution for work,» she said.

We will remind you that earlier the head of the Department of Education and Science of Mykolayiv Oblast Alla Velikhovska reported that there is a shortage of teachers of various subjects in the Mykolaiv Oblast. Educational institutions are most in need of teachers of chemistry, physics and biology.

It should also be noted that from September 2, 26 schools, which have equipped shelters, will start working in full-time and mixed form in Mykolaiv. Earlier, the city authorities planned to open 40 schools in Mykolaiv for full-time education. But parents will independently choose the format of education for their children.

More than half of Mykolaiv schoolchildren plan to study offline as early as September 2024 — that's more than 22,000 children. However, as of the end of June, there is an outflow of students from Mykolaiv. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, the student contingent has decreased by 13.8% to 6,380 people.