By Serhii Dyatlenko, educational expert of the Central Reform Office under MinRegion

Recently, there has been a message in the media that a sports school near Lutsk is being closed because of decentralisation – as if the rayon council no longer has the funds to maintain the school, since all the money “was taken” by amalgamated hromadas of the rayon...

This information is provided as a disadvantage of decentralisation in general and hromadas’ amalgamation in particular. So, what is the real story about?

In fact, this is a really good sports school with a strong sports base. Approximately 25% of its pupils come from Lutsk, since the school is located on the outskirts of the city. About 75% of children come from the surrounding villages.

Indeed, some villages, where sports school pupils live, are subordinate to councils of amalgamated hromadas, some – to the rayon council. Consequently, under decentralisation, when most powers and funds are transferred to capable hromadas (AHs and cities of oblast significance), it is necessary to change the mechanism of funding such schools. It is logical for the facility to be now funded from several local budgets: the city of Lutsk and hromadas, where the schoolchildren live.

There are discussions currently underway on the transfer of the sports school to the balance of one of the hromadas and the format of its funding. It is not about the closure of the institution. There is a normal process of working out the mechanisms of cooperation. The Volyn Oblast State Administration keeps this process under control.

Most likely, the sports school will be transferred to the valance of the Zaborolska AH, while others will co-finance it according to the proportion of pupils, who attend it.

The full version is available in Ukrainian – please click HERE