Only 20 schools in Odesa have generators for lighting classrooms during power outages
Odesa city council member Oleg Zvyagin stated that due to power outages, children in schools are forced to study by the light of lamps, and what is written on the board is not visible. According to the director of the Department of Education, Yulia Filler, all educational institutions are equipped with generators, but there is not enough power to light the classrooms in 20 schools.
Oleg Zvyagin, a member of the Odesa city council from the "European Solidarity" party, expressed concern about the learning of children in Odesa schools during power outages. According to him, when the lights go out in educational institutions, students are forced to study by the light of lamps they bring from home, and what is written on the board becomes unreadable.
"It is critically important that children can study in the light, without losing their eyesight and continuing to attend school. This requires generators that would provide lighting in the classrooms," Zvyagin emphasized.
The director of the Department of Education, Yuliia Filler, initially assured that all educational institutions in the city, including kindergartens, are equipped with backup power sources. "All institutions that are operating in person have generators of varying capacity. As of November 8, there were 404 generators, which primarily provide lighting and power for emergency shelters and safe rooms, and some are connected to illuminate corridors and individual offices," she stated.
However, later, the official admitted that the capacity of the generators, which is sufficient to provide lighting in classrooms during power outages, is currently available for only slightly more than 20 schools in Odesa. Oleg Zvyagin emphasized that this is unacceptable and called for an urgent solution, either by purchasing the necessary equipment or by redistributing it from other institutions where such capacity is not in high demand. He reminded that the power outages have only just begun, and winter is coming, and the situation will only worsen.