On November 19, Minister of Education and Science Serhii Shkarlet, together with Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Education, Science and Innovation Serhii Babak and Deputy Chairman of the Committee Serhii Koleboshyn, visited the de-occupied Kherson region, where they examined educational institutions affected by Russian aggression and met with teachers.
The network of institutions of general secondary education in the Kherson region consists of 383 institutions. Until February 24, 2022, these were among the exemplary gymnasiums, lyceums, schools and kindergartens in Ukraine. During the period of military actions, 14 schools were completely destroyed and 81 were damaged. At present, all 469 institutions of preschool education are temporarily closed, 5 of them are destroyed and 50 are damaged. There is almost nothing left of modern innovative equipment.
Despite constant shelling and temporary occupation, children’s rights to education are ensured. Almost 65 thousand students in 157 institutions of general secondary education in the region (of which 26 institutions and 11 branches are located in the de-occupied territory and 131 institutions have been transferred to the controlled territory) continue their studies.
Some of the children are in the temporarily occupied territory, some are abroad and the rest are in the controlled territory. However, the continuation of the educational process would not have been possible if it were not for the teachers. 4,349 teachers from the Kherson region heroically supported the educational front, taught and continue to teach Ukrainian children.
Families living on the territory of the Kherson region need a quick restoration of the usual conditions of life and education. The state has already launched an operational program for the restoration of the de-occupied territory in order to return and restore normal life to the inhabitants of the region.
The Parimatch Foundation joins in the support of educators, children and youth. The focus is on restoring and providing opportunities to engage in sports and physical activity, open sports groups for children and equip educational institutions with sports equipment and inventory to prepare them for the start of safe offline learning.
As part of the signed Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministry of Education and Science and the international charitable foundation Parimatch Foundation, Minister of Education and Science Serhii Shkarlet donated 20 sets of sports equipment for schools in the Kherson region from the foundation under the comprehensive “New Physical Culture” program.
The Foundation is ready to continue to provide assistance to educational institutions, teachers and children, helping to support modern education. Cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine remains to be an important partnership in terms of which the educational process is being reformatted in accordance with the current circumstances.
It is worth noting that before the full-scale invasion, the “Yes, I can!” program for child athletes with disabilities was being implemented in Kherson. Children from 6 to 17 attended basketball classes. A comfortable environment was created for young athletes to play sports and find new friends. The Foundation notes that they have a strong desire to resume sports programs to help children, coaches and teachers restore their mental health and cope with the traumatic experiences of war through sports. As part of the “Help for Ukraine” program, the Fund also plans to finance the organization of children’s camps for the physical and psychological rehabilitation of children from the Kherson region who suffered from Russian military aggression in Ukraine.
The Ministry of Education and Science, together with the Parimatch Foundation, will continue to provide educational institutions with sports equipment and support the training potential of physical education teachers.
As part of the “New Physical Culture” program, the Foundation has already purchased 500 sports kits for a total amount of more than 5 million hryvnias. Most of the kits have already been distributed among Ukrainian educational institutions, located in cities and villages, which most needed help with getting equipment.
Note: The international charitable foundation Parimatch Foundation has been implementing charitable programs and projects in the areas of sports and innovative education since 2019. The Foundation invests in a healthy and conscious future of the generation, as well as promotes sports, a healthy lifestyle, motor and physical activity. The Parimatch Foundation’s activities are aimed at ensuring that every child, regardless of physical characteristics, social restrictions and other possible barriers, has access to education and sports, and their development is physically and mentally healthy.
The comprehensive program “New Physical Culture” is aimed at improving the health and well-being of the country by providing children with equal opportunities for sports, as well as by developing physical culture in schools through the training of physical education teachers.
