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A rally of indignant parents took place at Taras Shevchenko
embankment, Moscow. The participants of the rally protested
against introduction of paid education and healthcare, as
well as all-through commercialisation of the education sector.
Activists and leaders of the YABLOKO party participated in
the rally.
The changes in the federal law No 83 virtually form a legislative
basis under introduction of paid education and healthcare
and curbing the sphere of free services to virtually nothing,
thus violating constitutional rights of the citizens to free
education and healthcare.
“This law violated Article 34 of the Russian Constitution
which guarantees comprehensive gratuitous education. It is
targeted against modernization, as two thirds of the population
will be doomed to semi-illiteracy. In contrast to President’s
wishes not only they will be unable to develop new technologies,
but even to realise what they are about,” YABLOKO’s leader
Sergei Mitrokhin said at the rally.
Mitrokhin also called the law antisocial, as it will further
deepen social stratification forming “inequality from the
cradle” and “larcenous” as it is “stealing future from the
Russian children”.
Oleg Shein, deputy of the State Duma, agreed with Mitrokhin
saying that this law further develops “the state policies
targeted at elimination of education”.
Oleg Smolin, another MP, laid the blame for the development
of the law not only on the Ministry of Education but also
on the Finance Ministry. He added that at the plenary meeting
of the State Duma Prime Minister Putin called this law useful.
Sergei Mitrokhin also added that “here we should speak not
only about Education Minister Fursenko, as he is only executing
the orders, but about the Kremlin distributing [people’s]
money among oligarchs, that is why the education sector lacks
the funds.” He also called to replace the present authorities
via constitutional methods.
Co-Chair of the Union for Protection of Consumers’ Rights
and member of YABLOKO’s Bureau Anatoly Golov proposed to establish
the standards of education raising their level every year.
"Instead of this the authorities decided to shift all
the burden onto parents", he said.
Deputy Chair of the Moscow branch of YABLOKO and the leader
of YABLOKO’s Gender faction Galina Mikhalyova spoke from the
mothers’ position. According to Mikhalyova, a single parent
at the present level of state support would be forced to choose
between a package of milk for a child or some extra lesson
for him.
According to the leader of the St. Petersburg branch of YABLOKO
and a school teacher of history Maxim Reznik, such an attitude
of the authorities to education means that the authorities
simply do not need educated and intelligent nation. "They
need a herd, and a heard will need only some Russian language,
some mathematics and some religious education, so that they
would be able to write, count and know that the power comes
from God,” he added.
At the end of the action, the participants unanimously adopted
a resolution demanding abrogation of the law No 83, abolishing
of the plans to dismiss 200,000 teachers, as well as restore
public network of preschool institutions, destroyed in 1990s.
See also:
More photos and a video at the Moscow
YABLOKO web-site
YABLOKO to invite Education Minister Andrei Fursenko to the
rally of indignant parents.
Press Release. September 23, 2010
Human
Rights
Reform
in Education
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