Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman calls on local authorities to determine the construction of kindergartens among the top priority issues and to eliminate the waiting list of children to attend preschool facilities in 2 to 4 years. He announced this during a ceremony of opening together with Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klytchko the new preschool educational institution No. 791 in Darnytsky area of Kyiv.

"I want that all rural heads could hear me now – it should be a topmost priority: we must do everything in power to ensure that in 2-3-4 years, depending on the problems, the queues to kindergartens be liquidated," said Volodymyr Groysman.

According to him, currently there is a shortfall of kindergartens in the country. Children’s day centres are overcrowded, while dozens thousands of children are waiting in queues. "It is unacceptable for the country", accentuated the PM.

"The task of the local authorities is to determine it as a priority to reconstruct old and build new infant schools”, said the Prime Minister.

The Head of Government believes that education must get the most attention and respect of the government to provide Ukrainian children with good education and ensure competitiveness.

"I agree that children are our future. But to succeed in the future children must receive high quality education now", said Volodymyr Groysman.

The Prime Minister noted that education sector had been included into the list of high-priority objectives for the Government for 2017. In particular, there was envisaged an increase in wages for Ukrainian teachers by 50%, also the minimum wage will grow twofold that will affect the wages of staff of preschool educational institutions. "All these will contribute to the normal educational process including in preschool education", said the Head of Government.

Volodymyr Groysman noted that across the country there had been opened new preschool facilities. Their construction proved possible due to the decentralization reform initiated by the PM, thereby presently the local budgets have billions hryvnyas.

However, the delegation of powers won’t yield the result unless local executive bodies are capable of exercising relevant control and determining priorities to ensure effective use of the accumulated resource, explained the Prime Minister.

"If there is good governance, there appear such kindergartens, new schools, infrastructure. I wish this priority be invariable for each particular local leader whom we elect and trust," urged Volodymyr Groysman.

During the solemn opening of the kindergarten the Head of Government toured the premises of the preschool educational institution and gave children gifts on the eve of the upcoming Christmas and New Year holidays.