Millions for shelter: will Mykolaiv overcome one of the worst indicators of school security in Ukraine
In the conditions of the ongoing war, the safety of children during education is one of the most important topics, especially in the frontline cities of Ukraine. The creation of reliable shelters in schools and kindergartens allows to ensure the protection of schoolchildren and preschoolers during air raids and emergency situations. In Mykolaiv, which suffered from numerous shellings, the issue of the security of educational institutions became particularly acute. As the Mykolaiv City Council declares, it is actively working on projects for the arrangement and repair of shelters, having planned significant funding for the implementation of the “Education” program for 2025-2027.
Investments in the security of educational institutions
According to the project of the “Education” program for 2025-2027, Mykolaiv city council plans to allocate 245.5 million hryvnias for the equipment of shelters in the city’s educational institutions. By information from the published decisions, these funds will be directed to the creation and modernization of storage facilities in schools and kindergartens to ensure safety conditions during the educational process.
The following expenses are planned as part of the program:
2025 — 75 million hryvnias;
2026 — 82.8 million hryvnias;
2027 — 87.6 million hryvnias.
First of all, the funds will be directed to shelters for gymnasiums No. 10 and No. 18, Lyceum No. 8 and the Academy of Children’s Creativity. This decision was made in connection with the urgent need to protect students who attend classes face-to-face or in a mixed format.
In 2022-2024, in Mykolaiv, significant work on the arrangement of shelters was already carried out in 27 educational institutions, which is approximately 42% of the total number of schools in the city. In addition, work on the creation of simpler shelters in 15 more schools and an anti-radiation type shelter in Lyceum No. 38 is currently ongoing. The local authorities also report that the renovation of another kindergarten has already been completed, and it will be open for pupils in the near future.
It should be noted that today in Mykolaiv the educational process includes 2,115 students who study face-to-face, 17,172 students in a mixed form, and 18,527 – remotely. At the same time, 372 students receive their education individually.
Low availability of safe places for children
Despite the active efforts of the city authorities, the situation with shelters remains difficult. Only 22 out of 73 preschools operate in Mykolaiv, which indicates serious problems with the availability of safe spaces for young children. In general, existing shelters are used inefficiently due to the lack of accessibility features such as ramps or gentle slopes. This creates a danger for children with disabilities and reduces the overall level of safety.
In 2024, there were cases where residents could not get to shelters during air raids. For example, shelters were closed in Kazka children’s town and other areas of the city when people needed to evacuate. After such cases, the mayor of the city, Oleksandr Sienkovych, called on residents to contact the police if the shelter is closed during an alarm, in order to ensure that they are open to everyone.
Unfortunately, Mykolaiv remains among the cities with the lowest readiness of shelters for use in Ukraine. After the inspections carried out by the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, it turned out that most of the storage facilities in the city do not meet the necessary standards. As a result, the head of the Department of Emergency Situations and Civil Protection of the Population Oleksandr Gerasimenko was dismissed, and his deputy was reprimanded. Also, the head of Mykolayiv OVA Vitaly Kim noted that 69% of shelters in the region are abandoned and need immediate repair.
Mykolaiv City Council decided to allocate 16.2 billion hryvnias for the period 2025-2027 to the “Education” program. This is twice as much as the budget of the previous program, which amounted to 8.6 billion hryvnias. From this amount, 10.3 billion hryvnias will be allocated from the city budget, which emphasizes the importance of investments in the security of educational institutions.
In light of the ongoing threats, Mykolaiv City Council is working to create a safe environment for children to learn. Investing in shelters is a step towards ensuring their protection, especially in times of war. However, there are still many challenges, among which the main ones are: low readiness of storage facilities for use, problems with accessibility, insufficient control over the performance of repair works. Provision of reliable shelters is not just a requirement of time, but a vital condition for preserving the life and health of children in the frontline regions.
To implement the program in its entirety, it is necessary to strengthen control over the execution of repair works, ensure the availability of shelters for children with special needs, and also raise the level of awareness of parents and educators regarding the use of protective premises.
