In Kherson, 70 schools and kindergartens stopped working

In the Kherson community, 71 educational institutions have been temporarily suspended due to the security situation and a sharp decrease in the number of children. The city's military administration emphasizes that it is not a matter of liquidation, but of forced optimization of the network.

This was reported by the head of the education department , Natalia Bil, at a briefing on optimizing the network of educational institutions in the Kherson community.

According to her, the key reasons for this decision were the safety of students and teachers, limited financial resources and significant demographic changes. At the same time, she emphasized that none of the institutions are being liquidated - they all remain part of the community's educational system.

Prior to the full-scale invasion, there were 85 kindergartens in the community with more than 11,500 children, as well as 61 schools with almost 35,000 students. In addition, there were 12 out-of-school institutions that enrolled more than 13,000 children in clubs.

However, due to the war, much of the educational infrastructure was destroyed or damaged, and the number of children decreased dramatically due to evacuation and families leaving for other countries. In recent years, the number of preschoolers has decreased by more than four times, and the number of schoolchildren has halved. Currently, only 572 preschool children remain in the community.

In the period from 2022 to 2025, work has already been temporarily suspended in 43 institutions: 24 kindergartens, 16 schools, and three out-of-school institutions.

Taking into account the new realities, the authorities have revised the structure of the educational network. Next school year, it is planned to provide education for 2,774 preschool children and 16,544 schoolchildren. For this purpose, an updated network will operate, which will include 33 kindergartens, 43 schools and 7 out-of-school institutions.

The city administration also ensures that all personnel decisions are made in accordance with the law. Employees are warned in advance of changes, guaranteed respect for their labor rights, and offered transfers to other positions or statutory compensation.

Also, despite the temporary occupation and difficult security conditions, the educational network of the Oleshky territorial community continues to operate in a full-fledged remote format.

In the 2025/2026 academic year, 1482 students are taking distance learning, with 146 teachers working with them. This format allowed children who have the status of internally displaced persons, are abroad or remain in the temporarily occupied territory to keep in touch with their home schools.

Анна Бальчінос