UNICEF Funds Heating Repairs at Mykolaiv School Amid Challenges

There is no heating in the Mishkovo-Pohorilove sanatorium boarding school, but UNICEF is ready to finance its repair in the spring of 2025. At the same time, the premises of the institution are still occupied by IDPs, which complicates the work and normal functioning of the school.

This issue was discussed at a meeting of the regional council's specialized commission on science and education of the Mykolaiv Regional Council.

According to the commission, UNICEF will provide funding for emergency repairs to the heating system in the amount of UAH 1.5 million. Due to the lack of heating, mold has already appeared in some buildings. Work to restore heating is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2025. At the same time, the preparation of design and estimate documentation is not included in the UNICEF funding, and it must be included in the regional budget.

Another problem is the presence of internally displaced persons in the orphanage. Currently, there are about 70 people there. Because of this, the institution cannot function properly. The city authorities promised to relocate these people in September 2024, but the process has not yet been completed. The deputies recommended speeding up the resolution of this issue, avoiding further destruction of the buildings and providing comfortable conditions for students.

The Commission has taken the issue under control and plans to monitor the implementation of the decisions to ensure that all planned work begins without delay.

It is expected that the final decision on funding will be approved by the time the regional budget for 2025 is formed at the regional council session.

Also, Mishkovo-Pogorelovsk sanatorium boarding school, which previously belonged to sanatorium educational institutions, will be reorganized into the Ingulsky Academic Lyceum. This decision was made as part of the government reform, according to which all sanatorium institutions are to cease operations by July 25, 2025. This transformation will help to preserve the educational institution, its staff and upgrade its outdated infrastructure. After the changes, the lyceum will be able to enroll children from the most affected areas of Mykolaiv region.

In October, the Mishkovo-Pogorilovsk sanatorium boarding school was ranked 52nd in the ranking of schools in the South of Ukraine. Schools in the ranking are distributed by points based on the average result of the National Multisubject Test (NMT) and the total number of tests taken by graduates of each institution. In 2024, 185 schools in Mykolaiv region were included in the overall ranking.

Анна Бальчінос