Mykolaiv Region Investigates Inhumane Conditions in Special Schools

In Mykolaiv region, investigations are ongoing into the appalling conditions in the educational institutions that were subject to the monitoring inspection. In one of the special schools, many violations were found regarding the conditions of children's stay, including the lack of a proper toilet, showers and equipped classrooms.

According to the press service, the Department of Education and Science of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration received reports from representatives of the Ukrainian Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights on inspections in two educational institutions in the region.

The monitoring was carried out at the Lysohirsk Special School in Pervomaiskyi district and at the Antonivskyi Art Lyceum.

PHOTO: Instagram of Inna Miroshnychenko

In order to respond promptly to the comments made in the reports, the department created a multidisciplinary working group. It was headed by Olena Kravets, Deputy Director of the Department. The commission includes representatives of the Department, the Service for Children, the State Emergency Service, the National Police, doctors and members of two NGOs. By the end of the week, this group will inspect the educational institutions and analyze the facts presented in the reports.

Recently, Inna Miroshnychenko, a member of the Ombudsman's Office monitoring group and human rights activist, shared pictures of the public inspection of the Lysohirsk Special School in Mykolaiv region. They clearly show signs of the terrible conditions in which children live.

The institution lacks basic hygiene conditions: the bathroom is not properly equipped, and the showers are separated by concrete partitions without doors. The children are forced to use a restroom without toilets, where instead there are holes in the floor in a separate room.

PHOTO: Instagram of Inna Miroshnychenko

A scandal erupted after the report of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights on the monitoring inspection of the institution was published. The deputy director of the institution stated that the inspection was a paid-for inspection aimed at discrediting the school and was conducted "for the sake of hype and likes of individual members of the monitoring team."

In response, the human rights activist emphasized that their visit was called a "raider attack" or even the actions of the National Guard. Inna Miroshnychenko recalled that the school administration initially tried to create a positive picture by taking joint photos, but after the problems were discovered, they suddenly changed their rhetoric.

PHOTO: Instagram of Inna Miroshnychenko

The public is urged to assess the situation on their own. According to the human rights activist, the school's budget is 22 million hryvnias, 156 children study there, and 98 employees work there.

After the monitoring, they also decided to check the Center for Medical Rehabilitation and Palliative Care for Children. Lawyer Inna Miroshnychenko called the conditions "inhuman," noting that children are tied up, not allowed to walk, and hygiene and safety issues are ignored. Criminal proceedings have been initiated under the article on torture. The Ombudsman's team is ready to apply to the European Court of Human Rights.

Анна Бальчінос