Presentation of the public institution “Superheroes School” in the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine

Since January 1, 2022, the newly established public institution “Superheroes School” will provide education to preschoolers and students who are in inpatient or rehabilitation care in medical facilities. Today, December 3, the institution was presented in the Ministry of Education and Science.

«There can be no children in Ukraine who do not receive general secondary education. At the same time, education should not only be accessible, but also of high quality, it should also meet the individual needs of children, and provide conditions for their development and social engagement. Today we present the “Superheroes School”, which will finally provide education for preschoolers and school-age children who are in hospital or receiving rehabilitation care», – aid Deputy Minister of Education and Science Vira Rogova.

Founded by the Cabinet of Ministers upon the initiative of First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, the public institution “Superheroes School” will organize and provide preschool and general secondary educational services to persons in inpatient or rehabilitation care in health care facilities from January 1, 2022.

Vira Rogova also thanked Evgenia Smirnova (the founder of the NGO “Small Heart with Art” and the curator of the School of Superheroes), and Natalia Moseychuk (the host of 1+1 TV channel and the Right to Education curator) for their efforts in creating the “Superheroes School” and ensuring its work. She also thanked organizations and partners who have supported children in hospitals and their thirst for knowledge.

The school and its team have made the way from the first master classes for HIV-positive children at NDSL “Okhmatdyt” in 2014 to the creation of full-fledged modern classes in children’s hospitals in regional centres of Ukraine and working out the first social franchise.

«Four years of hard teamwork and finally there is the result. From now on, the opening and operation of schools at hospitals across the country will take place at the state level. There were working groups, heated discussions on the organization of the educational process at hospitals, arguments, and research on the experience of other countries where such training has long been introduced. Our goal was the state level of support. We have achieved it. Now it is important to monitor the progress of the reform, and the Board of Trustees should also work. We move on! Thank you to everyone who has helped and is still helping», – said Natalia Moseychuk, the curator of the School of Superheroes and the Right to Education project, and the host of the 1+1 TV channel.

«The US Embassy in Ukraine is proud to support this unique and important project, which aims at providing vulnerable children with their fundamental right to education», – said Michael Clausen, Cultural Attaché at the US Embassy in Ukraine.

The Cabinet of Ministers has already approved the necessary documents for the work of the institution – the statute, the competition regulations for the position of a director, the terms of remuneration of employees, as well as the provision of educational services to persons receiving preschool or general secondary education in inpatient or rehabilitation care in health care facilities.

The governing bodies of the public institution will be:

• director, who will be appointed to the position for a term of 5 years by the founder of the School based on the results of a competitive selection;
• heads of educational centres, who will carry out the general management of educational centres;
• board of directors;
• educational and methodological council;
• board of trustees;
• secretariat.

«This is a significant event for me and our entire team. We were pursuing it for six years. What seemed to be resolved fairly quickly proved to be a long advocacy process. The public institution is, of course, a sign of progress as it meets the needs and challenges. It should be understood that the education of children in hospitals is not the same as education in ordinary schools. Children may feel unwell. A hospital teacher is all about sparking interest, deepening knowledge, and distracting from diseases. This person faces a whole range of expectations and responsibilities. Therefore, the legal and regulatory framework must have regard for it. When we were developing documents, thanks to many specialists our ideas were taken into account and will become a reality in a public institution. More children will have access to quality education as the School of Superheroes is expanding», – said Evgenia Smirnova, founder of the Superheroes School and the NGO “Small Heart with Art”.

The broadcast of the presentation can be viewed on the pages of the Ministry of Education and Science on Facebook and YouTube.

Watch the history of the School of Superheroes on our YouTube channel.