EDUCATION, SCIENCE, CULTURE, HEALTHCARE, SPORTS

Promotion and further development of science, education, culture, publishing activity, and health care has great significance for the life and sustainable development of the city and its community.

Nikolaev is the acknowledged center of higher education and science. Thousands highly qualified specialists graduate from institutes and universities annually, and about half of them have qualifications that are unique for the country.

Nine colleges and technical schools, and four higher training schools are functioning in the Nikolaev, among them the Polytechnic, Construction technical schools, Nikolaev branch of Odessa Electrical Technical College of Ukrainian State Communications Academy named after O. Popov, Music Training Schools.

There are 78 infant and 60 general schools functioning in Nikolaev. Within recent years the secondary education system has been reformed with the intention to provide appropriate studying conditions for the gifted children. With this purpose a pedagogical and two humanitarian gymnasiums, informational-mathematics, physics-mathematical and two economic lyceums were created. The system of the specialized classes with extensive learning of physics, mathematics, economics, law, foreign languages or computer science are developed.

Out-of-school establishments are the essential link which ensures the continuity of education, creates conditions for additional education, training f the creative, intelligently - developed person. They work on the following directions: art and aesthetic, engineering creativity, tourism and local lore study, naturalistic, professional skill, pupils’ creative rest. There are 548 hobby groups at 7 out-of-school educational establishments.

Programs “Education – 2003 – 2006”, “Personnel”, “National education”, etc. are realized by Municipal Education department for further development of education branch.

Secondary schools’ closer cooperation with universities and colleges also promotes the ‘specialization’ of secondary education. Thus many schools have agreements on cooperation with universities. After graduation from secondary school, students have chance to continue their education in a wide range of higher education facilities.

The relevant conditions for learning of national and national minorities languages of Ukraine are created in the city. Thus in the city there are 39 schools with teaching in Ukrainian, 18 – in Russian and Ukrainian, 13 – in Russian. Classes with learning of Bulgarian language, Sunday schools are arranged in the city.

The contents of secondary education have been developed, the advanced educational methods are being introduced, modern computer technologies and Internet are more used in the educational process.

Nikolaev has accumulated rich spiritual and cultural potential. There are 61 cultural facilities functioning in the city. Among them: 10 schools for aesthetic education, 2 Palaces of Culture, 10 Houses of Culture, that host various professional and amateur singing, dancing and other ensembles, clubs, parks, wonderful play-town “Fairy tail” for children’s leisure, Municipal performance studio, Municipal cultural center, Municipal Chamber Orchestra, the Zoo, theatres, cinemas, the network of 36 libraries and others. The financing of cultural sphere from the city budget has increased over the recent years.

The oldest in Nikolaev Russian Drama Theatre, the Theatre for Ukrainian Drama and Musical Comedy, Regional puppet theatre as well as the Regional Philharmonics are very popular among the spectators.
Museums of Nikolaev submitted exhibitions about the history of the city and region:
The Nikolaev Region – Study Museum, founded in 1913 by the decision of the Nikolaev Municipal Duma (town council), today is a significant regional museum association. The Museum’s collection contains more than 160 thousand units, including unique collections of antique books, items of archeology, numismatics, natural history and ethnography.
The Museum of Shipbuilding and Fleet, opened in 1978, is a city’s “visit card” and is the only museum of shipbuilding in the country. The exposition shows the stages of shipbuilding development in the Northern Black-Sea Region starting from ancient times till nowadays, illustrates the foundation of Nikolaev as a shipyard in the context of the Black Sea Fleet creation, represents the pages of shipbuilders’ history. In front of the Museum one can see the memorial busts of famous admirals - naval commanders, admiralty anchors and shipborne cannons from different times.

The Museum of “Partisan Movement in Nikolaev Region during the years of Great Patriotic War, 1941-1944” was opened in 1975 and is located in an old mansion of XIX century. The Museum studies the history of World War II, investigates the events of Nikolaev region military history and illegal political repressions in the region in 1930’s – 1950’s. The Museum possesses collections of Soviet and German shooting weapons, Great Patriotic War placards, videos of Soviet and German news films.

The most famous and favorite place of interest is the Nikolaev Zoo – one of the oldest and most developed in Ukraine. A Zoo collection contains more than 350 species of animals, more than 2500 specimen, many of which are included in the International Red Book.

The city possesses significant health care resources. Hospitals, maternity homes, polyclinics and dispensers of the different form of property are functioning for the needs of city community. Activity of establishments is directed to improving of medical help quality and optimization of existing personnel and material resources.
Rendering of quick aid for citizens of the city is provided in the full scope, including planned hospitalization. Prevention of infectious sicknesses is also provided.

The system of ‘daytime hospitals’ is being developed which is efficient way of treatment for many people. The other modern direction is the development of “family doctor” services, which is quite convenient for the population. The “family doctor” provides initial medical aid and forwards the patient to the specialized doctor if needed. The “Maternity and childhood protection”, “Health care or elderly people”, and “Social security for health care employers” are being implemented.

Nikolaev is famous for its sports traditions. The development of sports and physical training in Nikolaev are highly determined by constant organizational work and active support on the side of the city authorities. The complex program “Physical culture and sport 2004 - 2006” was accepted by the city council solution.

52 kinds of sport are developed today in our city. 28 kinds have the trainers preparation level and material resources enable to prepare international level sportsmen.

Today in the city we have 200 sport clubs and organizations for adult and 28 sports schools for children and youth people, the higher sports skill school and the Nikolaev higher school of physical training, in which more than 10 thousand person are engaged under the guiding of 357 trainers.

Six stadiums, 125 gyms, 6 swimming pools, 21 tennis courts, Horse-racing school, 288 sports areas are available for people in our city.

The created sports infrastructure as well as highly qualified coaches enables to train the sportsmen who greatly succeed in the international competitions.

In 2004 for the first time in the city’ history 17 sportsmen were included to the Ukrainian Olympic team.
The following athletes became champions and prizewinners in the World and European Championships and also Olympic games: Inga Babakova, Victoria Stepina (track-and-field athletics), Oksana Tsygulyova, Elena Movchan, Yury Nikitin (trampoline), Vladimir Petruhin, Sergei Belouschenko, Tatiana Kolesnikova, Maxim Prokopenko (kayak sport), Vladimir Hristik and Dmitriy Chumak (fencing), Anastasia Savinova and Igor Pavlenko (kick-boxing), Oleg Mashkin and Artem Tsarikov (boxing), Ivan Ischenko (wrestling).
Nikolaev is one of the centers for sailing sports. Nikolaev yachts, including the legendary “Ikar” yacht, continues its distant marine voyages.

The success of Nikolaev sportsmen brings glory to our city and promotes its attractiveness.