27 nurseries in Mykolaiv are closed due to a lack of shelter — the education department has promised that this is only temporary
-
- Yuliia BoichenkoReporter
Nursery School No. 138 in Balabanivka, which was closed down by the city council. Photo by NikVestiIn Mykolaiv, 27 nurseries are still not accepting children due to a lack of suitable premises. However, the city has no plans to close these establishments for the time being: they remain part of the education system, and their buildings are owned by the local authority.
The Mykolaiv City Council’s Department of Education reported this in response to an information request from NikVesti.
The Education Department emphasises that these 27 nurseries have not been closed down.
«The suspension of the educational process is temporary and is linked to the need to ensure appropriate and safe conditions for those involved in the educational process,» they stated.
There are also no plans to sell the buildings themselves or reallocate them for other purposes, according to the Education Department. They remain the property of the city and are on the balance sheets of the respective institutions. The directors and technical staff continue to monitor their condition: they are responsible for looking after the premises, grounds and utilities.
Response from the Mykolaiv City Council’s Department of Education to an information request from NikVesti
Response from the Mykolaiv City Council’s Department of Education to an information request from NikVestiThe city council has not yet decided what exactly will happen to these buildings next. All 27 institutions continue to exist legally as nurseries.
Separately, the Education Department clarified that during 2025–2026, only one nursery school — №138 — was closed in Mykolaiv. The city council adopted the decision on 30 April 2026. The building, grounds and property were transferred to another pre-school education institution, they added.
Currently, 43 kindergartens and pre-school groups at the Mykolaiv Special School for Children with Visual Impairments are operating in person.
It was previously reported that there were proposals to reduce the number of staff at kindergartens in Mykolaiv that are not operating during the war. In fact, they will not reopen in the near future, as they lack basements and, consequently, shelters. The proposal concerned 29 pre-school education establishments. To date, 442 staff posts have been cut.
However, following discussions, members of the Mykolaiv City Council voted to close just one nursery school — №138 on Oleh Kravets Street in Balabanivka. The votes on the other two — Nos. 104 and 128 — did not secure the required number of votes.
On the same day, NikVesti visited the nursery and inspected its condition.
Subsequently, the public prosecutor’s office opened criminal proceedings regarding the Mykolaiv City Council’s decision to close pre-school educational establishments, specifically nursery school №138.
Why does Mykolaiv want to close three nurseries?
The Mykolaiv Education Department initiated a decision to close three nurseries: №104 (a crèche and nursery on Torhova Street in the Korabelnyi district), №128 (a nursery-kindergarten at the junction of Mariupolska and Pavlo Skoropadskyi Streets (formerly Admiral Makarov Street)) and No. 138 (a nursery-kindergarten on Oleh Kravets Street in Balabanivka). The official reason is the lack of, and the impossibility of installing, civil defence shelters. This means that, should the motion be passed at the session, there will no longer be such educational establishments in Mykolaiv, and their total number will decrease.
During the committee meeting, the chair of the education committee, Hanna Nord, stated that it is the institutions themselves that are being proposed for closure , whilst the buildings will remain the property of the city.
Following the closure of the three pre-school educational establishments, initiated by the Mykolaiv Department of Education, the Department of Municipal Property and the City Council will decide how to utilise them.
What do city councillors think about the closure?
Councillor Olena Kiseliova supported the closure of the pre-school institutions, stating that it is not cost-effective for the city to maintain them. She says that there is a broader issue behind the closure than simply the fact that they lack shelters and that it is impossible to install them there. Throughout the war, the centres have been closed, but the buildings and staff have had to be maintained all this time.
Councillor Artem Iliuk stated that he could support the legal closure of the three nurseries, but added that he would not support the subsequent privatisation of these buildings.
Tamila Buhaienko, former deputy mayor of Mykolaiv, also commented on the Education Department’s proposal to close the three nurseries. She believes this could lead to a shortage of places in pre-school institutions once the war ends.
Yurii Hranaturov, Mayor of Mykolaiv from 2014 to 2016, stated that the issue of nurseries is of critical importance to the city, particularly given the changing demographics and the renewed growth in demand for pre-school education. According to him, the situation regarding nurseries in Mykolaiv has already gone through various phases on numerous occasions — from a surplus to a shortage of places.
Hanna Remennikova, a councillor on the Mykolaiv City Council, believes that should some of the kindergartens be closed down and subsequently privatised, the proceeds from this should be channelled towards modernising existing facilities.
