The draft order of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine «On approval of the Concept of the state program for the restoration and construction of dormitories for students of higher education institutions for 2021–2025» is proposed for public discussion.
Currently, there are more than 1,200 dormitories on the balance of higher education institutions under the Ministry of Education and Science. It is estimated that up to 90% of these dormitories need major or current repairs, about 10% are in disrepair. Most of the dormitories were built in the 1960s and 1970s and do not meet modern housing quality standards.
The document identifies the following list of key issues that need to be addressed:
- insufficient provision of students of higher education institutions, in particular, university centers with places in dormitories according to their needs;
- non-compliance of the main number of dormitory premises with modern housing quality standards;
- worn-out and outdated dormitory infrastructure;
- lack of energy-saving technologies for dormitory operation;
- missing or outdated fire safety systems at dormitories;
- lack of provision of dormitories in accordance with building standards to enable persons with disabilities to access and use a facility;
- insufficient equipment of dormitories with new and modern furniture;
- lack of conditions for distance and online learning (access to the Internet, respectively equipped premises) in dormitories;
- lack of conditions for quality leisure of students in dormitories;
- lack of the necessary conditions for students (young) families to live in the vast majority of dormitories;
- lack of proper provision of dormitories with meters for students to pay for utilities.
The objective causes of these problems are:
- the inertial influence of the Soviet approach to the organization of student dormitories, which includes low living standards, neglect of private space;
- limited number of resources in higher education institutions for the construction and maintenance of dormitories;
- long-term application of economically unreasonable tariffs for living in dormitories;
- lack of dormitories in relocated higher education institutions.
The Ministry of Education and Science plans to gradually reconstruct the existing dormitories, as well as build new ones. Comments and suggestions to the draft Concept are accepted until September 1, 2020 to the e-mail address panych@mon.gov.ua