The National Historical-Cultural Preserve “Hetman’s Capital” will become a place where the country’s future military elite will receive its education. This initiative has already found support among the pupils of the Sorochyntsi Boarding School, who have sent a 500-hryvnia donation to the charity account. The money will be used to design and build a military lyceum in Baturyn. This donation is an indication of great patriotism, because such boarding schools must need this money, too. But, as it is known, one cannot save on the historical memory, and the Sorochyntsi children have proven this.
Therefore, the 2008 presidential decree “On the Creation of a Military Lyceum for Orphans and Children from Underprivileged Families in Baturyn, Chernihiv Oblast” pursues the goal of reviving the historic awareness of Ukrainians. The head of state commissioned Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense to draft a design and prepare cost estimation for the lyceum construction project. This has recently become a reality: the Central Design Institute at Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense has presented the preliminary proposals concerning the future educational establishment.
According to Tetiana Amosova, head of the construction department of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense, the process of collecting of the initial data, receiving technical specifications for the allotment of land, and drafting a set of documents needed for official registration has already been completed. The lyceum is designed to have 1,500 pupils, 90 teachers, 70 officers, and 30 supplementary positions and has no analogues in Ukraine. The experts present at the presentation stated unanimously that the military lyceum will be a part of the Hetman’s Capital, and so it cannot be regarded as something separate from the national preserve. This is a part of the overall goal to revive the city and its former glory. The construction of a military lyceum will definitely generate new jobs, improve the town’s infrastructure, and make it a home for children who need it most.
The lyceum will be located in a unique place. It will stand on Pivnichny Island of the Seim River on the territory governed by the Baturyn Village Council, which in its turn has passed a resolution to hand it over to the Central Land Management Directorate of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense. The island covers an area of 50 hectares, and the complex is supposed to take up to 40 hectares: it will contain the administrative, housing, sports, parking, and other zones. The complex will be completely independent. Its total cost is around 1.5 billion hryvnias. With modern technologies and proper funding, it is possible to build this lyceum within a year.
However, the Cabinet of Ministers has not found money for this project, neither in 2008, nor in 2009. Nor is it planning to do so in 2010. “This indicates that many people don’t have a statehood policy. As for our society, it is divided: some people support the idea, while others are against it. The latter use argue that it would be better to use this money to improve the financial situation of the 16 already existing Ukrainian lyceums or to house 43,100 servicemen. Surely, money is needed for this, too, but Ukraine won’t be restored until its historical memory is,” said Borys Andresiuk, head of the Public Council at the Ministry of Defense.
The attendees asked: Have we heard of spare money during this 18-year period? No! So, if we console ourselves saying that there is no money, this won’t even prompt us to seek it — little ventured, little gained. Without doubt, around 50 billion hryvnias are indeed needed to build houses for military men, and 1.5 billion won’t resolve this problem.
Neither is it known whether the money, if allotted, will go to improve the conditions in the already existing 16 lyceums. If we don’t revive cities like Baturyn, the global world of today will gradually wash out our Ukrainian identity. Therefore, this project should become a strategic task for the state and its citizens.
The Yaroslav the Wise International Education Foundation has already opened accounts to raise money to design and build the military lyceum in Baturyn. At the moment, a total of 210,000 hryvnias has been raised. Says Captain Anatolii Hryshchuk: “Contributions between one and 70,000 hryvnias are sent to the charity account. For example, the Sorochyntsi Boarding School has donated 500 hryvnias and the students of the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, 927 hryvnias; military men send money too. However, the list of benefactors does not include any of millionaires or presidential candidates. There are only three MPs.” So far!
Donors have financed the restoration of a number of Cossack-era buildings, such as the Cossack Fortress and the palace of Ukraine’s last hetman Kyrylo Rozymovsky. This means that Ukraine does indeed have wealthy people who do not begrudge money spent for the revival of its historical memory.
Preliminary proposals regarding the military lyceum are already a good start. It is very important that the lyceum will be named after Ivan Mazepa, a great hetman of Ukraine. This educational establishment will help revive Ukraine’s best military traditions and its Cossack glory and realize the Comprehensive Program to Preserve Monuments of the National Historical-Cultural Preserve “Hetman’s Capital.” The education of our youth should be based on our national heritage, and Baturyn is one of its pearls, an unfailing source of historical memory.
Donations can be sent to the following accounts:
accounts no. 260053010680 (in hryvnias), 260043020680 (in foreign currency) in Starokyivsky Bank, Kyiv, MFO 321477, YeDRPOU 20062836
Benefitiary: International Yaroslav the Wise Education Fund
Purpose: Charitable contributions for a military lyceum in Baturyn. No VAT.
