Мядельский районный исполнительный комитет

28 August 2025

What will happen to the kindergarten whose closure story reached Lukashenko

The kindergarten in the agrotown of Gorshchevshchina, Tolochin District, Vitebsk Region, will remain open. Earlier, local residents appealed to the head of state through social media, asking not to close the institution even though it is attended by very few children. The issue was studied in detail, and it was ultimately decided to preserve the kindergarten, Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee Chairman Alexander Subbotin told journalists, BELTA’s correspondent reports.

https://youtu.be/HqaGPilkbl4?si=wjc96CgNy0ajfeUm

The head of the region explained that local authorities, together with the Ministry of Education, periodically optimise educational institutions. This is due, among other things, to economic considerations: if the number of pupils becomes very small, maintaining, for example, a school becomes too costly. It is more efficient to organise transport for children to neighbouring localities. For example, in the Vitebsk Region, 15 kindergartens and around 7 schools were closed this way this year. A similar approach is used throughout the country. However, many factors are certainly taken into account, including the interests of children and parents. Strict criteria have been established for making such decisions.

The situation in the agrotown of Gorshchevshchina was similar. In addition to the very small number of children attending the kindergarten, the condition of the building was not entirely satisfactory and required renovation. Therefore, the local authorities and the Ministry of Education initially made a decision that seemed well considered at first glance: to arrange transportation for kindergarten children to another locality. However, this decision did not suit the parents at all, and they appealed to the President through TikTok.

Lukashenko demanded an investigation into the “absurdities” in rural areas, where schools, kindergartens, or shops are thoughtlessly closed

Alexander Lukashenko learned about this appeal and instructed officials to thoroughly investigate the situation. The head of state cited the story of this kindergarten at a meeting on the effectiveness of the public retail service system nationwide as an example of how carefully the optimisation of socially significant rural facilities must be approached. “Will a dairy worker take three- or four-year-old children 7–10 km to kindergarten? Have you gone mad? Can’t you see this? Send your own grandchild or four-year-old child to that kindergarten miles away! It’s unbelievable!” the head of state asked rhetorically.

While transporting schoolchildren is an entirely reasonable and appropriate approach, transporting very young kindergarten-age children is a completely different matter. The President’s position on this issue is understandable to every parent. Speaking of parents, in this case most of them are employees of a local agricultural organisation and highly needed specialists. They can and want to work provided that they are confident their children are under reliable supervision. “When I was a manager, I was interested in having children attend kindergarten, because in this case it frees up seven workers,” Alexander Lukashenko noted during the meeting.

After an additional review of the issue concerning the kindergarten in the agrotown of Gorshchevshchina, it was decided to keep it open. “The President requires a more thorough approach to every case,” Alexander Subbotin pointed out. “After all, we are fighting for staffing policy in rural areas, and where people are working, exceptions must be made and facilities must be preserved. This case is illustrative. The kindergarten will remain open. At the same time, 21 children from this very village are transported to a neighbouring village for school. Therefore, at least the kindergarten will remain in this village, while the school will be in the neighbouring one, in order to preserve these localities.”