During a working trip to the Mykolaiv region, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the Mykolaiv secondary sanatory boarding school of I-III degrees № 4, where children with scoliosis study and undergo rehabilitation.
"You have a wonderful institution. I'm just proud of you. I am grateful that it is possible to see it with my own eyes," the President of Ukraine said, addressing principal of the institution Anzhela Hurina.
At the same time, Anzhela Hurina said that the school may disappear, because according to the law "On Complete General Secondary Education" sanatory schools must change their type to a general secondary education institution or be liquidated.
"First of all, we provide high-quality education. We are not a medical institution, we do not treat - we support these children, we teach them to live with it," she said.
The President assured that the institution would not be closed.
"Everything will be ensured. Nobody will let anyone close anything, believe me. We understand what is happening," he said.
Acting Minister of Education and Science Serhiy Shkarlet said that there are a total of 67 such boarding schools in Ukraine, and at least 50 of them are in good material and technical condition.
Therefore, there is a proposal to supplement the Law of Ukraine "On Complete General Secondary Education" with a norm according to which general secondary education can also be provided by sanatory schools with an appropriate profile for children in need of long-term treatment.
The school principal also noted that children have to get to a sanatory school every day, as they do not have the right to stay overnight in this education institution.
"I have children from the region studying here. It is impossible for them to get here every day - they are sick children. And today the institution does not provide me with services for a child to live here. Because a child has to live in a family,” Anzhela Hurina noted.
The Acting Minister of Education contacted Minister of Social Policy Maryna Lazebna to resolve this issue.
Serhiy Shkarlet noted that changes are being prepared to the relevant order of the Ministry of Social Policy № 586 and proposals are being made to exclude sanatory schools from the Procedure for enrolling children in round-the-clock stay due to the fact that children stay in institutions exclusively due to health conditions.
