Meeting with deputy prime ministers
Good
afternoon, colleagues. As per the President’s initiative, from 1 September,
parental leave to take care of sick children under eight years old will be compensated
differently. A parent will be eligible for 100 percent of their average pay.
The payments will no longer depend on the number of years employed, and the new
inexperienced young mothers and fathers will find this particularly important.
The new
child support benefit will not affect employers. The more substantial parental
leave will be directly financed from the Social Insurance Fund. The Government
has allocated almost one billion roubles for this purpose, so that everyone in
need of these benefits would get them on time. Moreover, parents will not have
to get together any additional documents, and the Fund will conduct its own
calculations using parental leave data.
And now,
I would like to say just a few words about the new decisions in the field of
education. As per the President’s instruction, class teachers have been getting
a bonus monthly payment of 5,000 roubles since September 2020. The Russian
leader has decided that, starting with the new academic year, the curators of
academic groups at colleges and technical schools will also receive monthly
bonuses. The relevant Government resolution has been signed.
Today we are paying considerable attention to vocational education. Such professionals are in demand in all economic sectors. We are creating modern vocational schools with the necessary equipment for receiving practical skills. Curators at these schools share their knowledge and also provide character building education. This is not only a major responsibility, but also additional work. We must support these people.
The Government has also allocated nearly 5 billion roubles for repairs, including major repairs of 33 teacher training schools. Part of this funding will be used to purchase new equipment. This is being done in accordance with the Presidential instructions. To be able to share modern quality knowledge, future teachers must learn how to make use of novel technology and to work in an interactive educational environment. This has become an integral part of tuition. What our children will turn out to be, what world outlook they will have, how well prepared they will be for an adult life, and whether they will be able to develop their talents – all of this largely depends on their teachers. We will continue giving serious attention to the training of teachers.
Here is another important subject. The Government has approved an action plan for the implementation of the strategy for the development of public libraries. During my trip to Tomsk, we were shown around a unique library stock of the university. It is a real Siberian treasure-trove of books. But books only come alive when people actually read them. Everyone must have access to books.
This implies the modernisation of libraries throughout the country, broad-based internet connectivity and the integration of libraries into a common digital space. At the same time, we will also focus on involving young professionals with modern digital competencies.
One more decision concerns support for businesses. The President has issued a number of recommendations following the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, including full compensation of the small and medium-sized businesses’ bank charges, which these companies will pay from July to December for the purchase of their products via faster payments system. The Government has allocated 500 million roubles for this purpose. This will allow small and medium-sized companies to reduce their spending and will increase their interest in this new domestic service.
There are many beautiful travel destinations in Russia, such as Altai, Baikal, Karelia and Kamchatka, to mention just a few, and that is not counting our southern regions. We are creating conditions so that as many citizens as possible, including our talented, active and caring young people, can enjoy our wonderful nature and landmarks. The Government has earmarked 2 billion roubles for tourist vouchers for the participants of national projects, for example, Russia – Land of Opportunity and the Znaniye Society.
This will be enough to pay for the domestic trips of some 50,000 young people this year. It will be a good incentive for them and for the domestic tourism industry as well.
