Press Release, 29.08.2018

Yabloko party Chairperson Emilia Slabunova sent a letter to Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, the head of the Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko and State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin on the need to direct additional oil and gas revenues to the elimination of third and second shifts in Russian schools.

Emilia Slabunova noted in her letter that previously she appealed to President Vladimir Putin, but in return received an “answer” from the Ministry of Education which simply stated the existence of huge problems in education, agreed with the arguments of the Yabloko party, but did not offer any solutions. The letter from the Ministry did not contain any reaction to Yabloko’s proposals.

Elimination of second and third shifts in schools is only a matter of political will of the country’s leadership, Slabunova believes. If the Russian government seriously intends to solve these problems, it is necessary to make necessary amendments to the budget for the coming year, this will allow to fully realise the programme taking into account the growing needs of the regions, Emilia Slabunova stresses in her address.

In her address to President Putin, Emilia Slabunova criticised the current programme “Promoting the creation of new places in general education organisations in the subjects of the Russian Federation (based on the forecasted need)”, which should eliminate third and second shifts by 2025 through the construction and repair of schools’ buildings. However, the pace of its implementation lags behind real needs on the ground.

Emilia Slabunova proposed to eliminate the second and third shifts in schools due to extra profits from oil and gas sales. This year, the country will additionally receive 2.74 trillion roubles from the sale of natural resources. This amount is comparable with the entire budget allocated for the creation of new places in educational institutions and their repair until 2025, she noted.

Slabunova suggested that the President create a Public Council, which should include well-known teachers, experts and representatives of the parental community. The Council will be able to effectively monitor the implementation of the programme. All projects implemented within its framework must undergo a thorough anti-corruption review. To this end, the politician proposed quarterly reports on the progress of the programme.