Gross violations of the sanitary and technical condition of schools and kindergartens were identified in the Vitebsk region

April 25, Vitebsk /Olga Bogacheva - BELTA/. The prosecutor's office has identified gross violations of the sanitary and technical condition of schools and kindergartens in the Vitebsk region, Irina Yanukovich, senior assistant to the Vitebsk regional prosecutor for supervision of legislation enforcement concerning minors and youth, told a BELTA correspondent. For example, facilities at Lyakhovskaya Basic School (Dubrovensky District), Yakovlevichsky Educational and Pedagogical Complex (Orshansky District), and Nurovskaya Basic School (Verkhnedvinsky District) are in a state of emergency. In most of the inspected institutions, the sanitary and technical condition of the premises and their material and technical support do not meet the requirements. In particular, the most complaints were caused by restrooms and food blocks. For instance, in one of the schools in Vitebsk, only one boys' restroom on the third floor, with two toilets for 181 schoolchildren (while the norm is 1 sanitary fixture per 30 boys), was in working order at the time of the inspection. Violations of basic fire safety rules were identified in schools in Lepelsky, Vitebsky, Beshenkovichsky, Polotsky, Orshansky districts, and the regional center. In particular, many of them have non-opening metal grilles installed on the windows, and evacuation exits are blocked. Some educational institutions are not fully equipped with primary fire extinguishing means, and teachers do not know how to use fire extinguishers. All this could lead to tragedy in case of an emergency, the prosecutor emphasized. Familiarization with the organization of the educational process also allowed the inspectors to conclude that children's illnesses are often caused by non-compliance with hygienic requirements in educational institutions regarding temperature, lighting, furniture matching children's height, and incorrect distribution of workload. "Significant funds are allocated annually for the maintenance and repair of schools and preschool educational institutions in the region, and much is being done. However, the inspection showed that this issue requires more attention and effort from the heads of educational institutions," stated Irina Yanukovich. A representation based on the results of the inspection has been sent to the education department of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee.-0-