There are already 31 full-time schools in Mykolaiv

A classroom in the damaged Mykola Arkas First Ukrainian Gymnasium in Mykolaiv. Archive photo NikVesti

As of October, there are already 31 secondary education institutions operating in full-time/mixed format.

This was announced by the mayor of Mykolaiv Oleksandr Sienkeevych.

According to him, 11 more educational institutions plan to work part-time/mixed after the completion of repair work in shelters and buildings.

In addition, the simplest shelters are being arranged in another 15 institutions.

The mayor noted that there are currently three forms of education for schoolchildren in the city: distance, face-to-face and mixed. Parents decide what is best for their children.

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 Mykolaiv 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.

Previously, the head of Mykolaiv RMA Vitalii Kim explained why schools in Mykolaiv still work online: educational institutions are targets for the Russian army, since at the beginning of a full-scale war, they usually housed military personnel.

It is worth noting that earlier in response to an information request by NikVesti regarding the criteria that educational institutions of Mykolaiv must meet in order to resume full-time work in the 2023-2024 academic year, the city's education department reported: schools will work in accordance with the recommendations of the State Emergency Situations and Sanitary Regulations, approved by the Ministry of Health. The first is the availability of shelter, and the second is drinking water at school.

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

In general, the outflow of students was recorded in Mykolaiv schools this year. Compared to the last academic year, the number of students decreased by 3,300.

Lithuania plans to build a shelter school in the Mykolaiv region by the end of 2024. Similar underground institutions should appear in 5 regions of Ukraine.

As of February 2024, shelters were installed in 31% of schools in Mykolaiv. There are 21 institutions of general secondary education: 10 lyceums and 11 gymnasiums.