'We Can't Let Children In': Kuzbass Education Closures Disclosed

More than 70 kindergartens and schools were liquidated or merged in Kuzbass over the past year. Some institutions had to be temporarily closed due to the dilapidated condition of the buildings, Education Minister Sofya Balakireva said at a press conference on Tuesday, January 27.

As Balakireva explained, the merger of educational institutions continues in Kuzbass, including to reduce administrative costs. Some centers that were closed in 2025 covered only a few dozen children. At the same time, the payroll fund is being reduced, which is why teaching staff were merged into one institution.

By the end of last year, 16 schools were consolidated and three more were closed due to the emergency condition of the buildings.

In 2026, the minister noted, they do not plan to liquidate centers in Kuzbass, unless problems arise with buildings in various territories.

Kindergartens under the jurisdiction of municipalities were also closed — 11 of them due to a small number of pupils. In total, over the past year, 22 preschool institutions were liquidated, including five after the buildings were declared emergency. Another 40 centers were decided to be merged by territorial administrations.

«By the end of 2025, the availability of preschool education in Kuzbass reached 100%,» Balakireva noted.

At the same time, three schools were built in 2025, and in the current year, five construction projects will continue.

Recently, NGS42.RU wrote that the authorities of Kuzbass want to receive 700 million rubles (approximately $7.7 million at current rates) for the disruption of a school construction.