Mykolaiv Regional Council Takes Over Seven Vocational Schools

At its 27th extraordinary session, the Mykolaiv Regional Council agreed to take over seven vocational schools from the state to its own balance sheet.

Today, the regional council actually finances the educational process, which is more than UAH 163 million, but is unable to dispose of the property of the institutions.

We are talking about the free transfer of integral property complexes of the institutions:

• Higher Vocational School of Shipbuilding in Mykolaiv;
• Mykolaiv Vocational Shipbuilding Lyceum named after V.O. Grechyshnikov;
• Mykolaiv Professional Industrial Lyceum;
• Mykolaiv Professional Machine-Building Lyceum;
• Higher Vocational School No. 21 in Mykolaiv;
• Mykolaiv Center for Vocational Education and Training; Mykolaiv Vocational Education Center;
• State Educational Institution "Mykolaiv Higher Vocational School of Technology and Design".

According to Alla Velikhovska, director of the Department of Education and Science of the regional military administration, the institutions should be taken over by the regional council, as this is the state's policy.

"In accordance with the reform of the vocational education system, all vocational schools should be transferred from the state balance sheet to the regional one," the official explained.

In support of her words, she cited the example of educational institutions in district centers, the transfer process of which took place in 2021 and is already entering its final stage.

"Four of the eight vocational education institutions will soon officially become the property of the region," Velikhovska said.

MPs Andriy Volkov and Tetiana Demchenko proposed to postpone consideration of this project for some time. In their opinion, the institutions should be transferred to the balance sheet of the city, not the region. The director of the Department of Education assured them that this would happen over time, but according to the law, the region must first take them on the balance sheet. This is the procedure.

"After receiving the consent of the deputy corps, the transfer process should begin, which can take 2-3 years," Velikhovska added.

The decision on this issue was positive. However, not everyone agreed with it: 3 MPs were against it, 6 abstained, and 33 voted in favor.

Today, there are many international programs that help develop vocational education. For example, the 21st vocational school has set up a modern laboratory for training electricians, and graduates are immediately offered jobs. In addition, sponsors and international organizations, such as the UN, are now actively involved. Some businesses also support the institutions by contributing funds for their development and maintenance.

Snihurivka Vocational School, which suffered significant damage during the occupation, has a similar experience. International donors, including the Danish Refugee Council, are providing financial support for the restoration of the dormitory.

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