Mykolaiv Primary Students to Receive Free Meals Until Year-End; High School Plans in Review

Primary school students in Mykolaiv will continue to receive free meals until the end of the school year. The city is also considering providing free lunches for high school students at the expense of the state budget.

This was announced by the head of the Education Department of Mykolaiv City Council, Hanna Lychko, during a briefing.

According to Ms. Lychko, today they are receiving free meals:

- 5,340 primary school students - at the expense of the state subvention.

- 2,409 p upils of grades 5-11 from privileged categories - at the expense of the local budget.

- In total, 7,749 students receive free meals, which is 21% of the total number of students.

- Another 791 children eat at the expense of their parents.

Mykolaiv received UAH 16 million in state subsidies allocated by the Cabinet of Ministers last year. According to Hanna Lychko, these funds will be enough until the end of the school year.

According to Ms. Lychko, the Ministry of Education is considering introducing free meals for high school students. If the decision is approved, students in grades 5-11 will also be able to receive hot lunches for free.

Also in Mykolaiv, the number of students in the city's schools has decreased by 940 over the past six months.

In early February 2025, it was decided to set up special commissions to check the possibility of arranging shelters in the city's out-of-school facilities. The purpose of the inspections is to determine whether these premises meet the requirements for use as shelters.

Meanwhile, in Mykolaiv, due to numerous reports of mining of schools and kindergartens, local authorities decided to strengthen security measures in educational institutions. In particular, it is planned to engage security police officers who will be able to quickly check the premises for danger and allow classes to continue if the threat is not confirmed.

Андрій Колісніченко