Refuse in dinner

Talented children are looking throughout Russia, they are taken away at olympiads and competitions, invited from regions to Moscow, Peter and Sochi to study. "The identification and support of talented children and youth is one of the most important priorities of the Ministry of Education," says the Minister of the relevant department. In the immediate plans-to identify young geniuses even more massively, for which, within the framework of the “Education” national project, special centers are opened, which should cover at least 5% of students in each particular region (in 2019, such centers appeared in 16 regions of the country, in 2020-11, in 2021 they plan to open in 17 subjects).

Parents of Ilyusha Ostrovsky, Ksyusha Kareuk and Masha Filkova were in the seventh heaven with happiness, when their children, having passed numerous filters, entered the Moscow Academic Art Lyceu (Mahl). There, future architects, painters, sculptors and graphs receive not only a general secondary education, but also art. They were selected throughout Russia, there were 30 seats in total. Parents, however, immediately warned that due to a lack of funding (this institution refers to the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation), at his own expense, they would have to constantly buy paints, brushes, watercolor, pencils, tablets, pay for the work of modelers, etc. On average, they counted, it takes 5-7 thousand rubles a month. For a large family, even from Moscow, this is a rather tangible amount. What can we say about the regions.

Ilyusha, Ksyusha and Masha are just from large children, before you enter the Mahl, they studied in ordinary Moscow schools, where they were fed for free. This rule applies to all large in Moscow, in different regions there is also support measures. For example, in the Murmansk region, one child from a large family once fed for free, and the second time parents pay for lunch with a 50 percent discount. In the Penza region, children eat for free for free, the second at their own expense. In the Chelyabinsk region, children with disabilities receive a 50 percent discount to pay for meals, etc.

Once in the most prestigious artistic educational institution of the country, all three Muscovites immediately became "perceived", since there are no free dinners for them at school. In a similar situation, out of 308 students, 159 future artists (large children, children with disabilities, children from incomplete families, all of them beneficiaries), follows Makhl’s response to the Ministry of Culture. Hundreds of other talented children flew past the canteens: musicians from the Central Music School (CMS) and future ballet stars (GAHA) are tomorrow's pride in Russia, who were so carefully selected in Russian cities and towns. All three educational institutions of federal subordination (Ministry of Culture), which means, "providing preferential nutrition of children studying in Moscow in educational institutions subordinate to the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, is not provided for by the current legislation", they answered parents with the Department of Social Protection of Moscow.

From September 2018 to June 2020, Papa Ilya Ostrovsky calculated if his son was studying at a regular metropolitan school, the city would spend 83.8 thousand rubles on his food. Ksyusha Kareuk and Masha Filkov - 183 thousand (in four years). For more than two years, their parents conducted extensive correspondence with all ministries and departments. So, for example, it turned out that according to the Law of Moscow dated November 23, 2005 No. 60 "On the social support of families with children in the city of Moscow" there is a free two -time meals for children from large families who are studying in general capital institutions. And since 2018, the Ministry of Culture has been trying to negotiate with the Moscow government so that talented artists, musicians and ballet artists are fed for free.

In St. Petersburg, by the way, there was the same problem: there are also general educational institutions subordinate to the Ministry of Culture, and there, too, students from large families did not receive free food. But as soon as this information reached St. Petersburg deputies, amendments to the Social Code were immediately made and the Decree of the Government of St. Petersburg No. 933 of December 11, 2018 was adopted. Since 2019, all children from poor and large families studying in federal institutions have been compensated. In fact, it was necessary to change one word in the city law.

Information has also reached Moscow deputies. It would seem that it is easier - to introduce a bill and finally solve the problem. In 2020, the Moscow budget is estimated at 2.79 trillion rubles, for the richest city in Russia to feed hungry and most talented children from all over the country just a penny. But nothing has changed - this issue was not even submitted for discussion.

Parents of gifted artists walked for a long time in a circle, collecting unsubscribing and composing the next appeals from everywhere, and finally went to court, demanding that all the children-boaters in schools at the Ministry of Culture with free meal and compensate them for the costs already incurred. On Monday, the Basmanny court refused to provide children with preferential nutrition.

This is all you need to know about how the state in reality takes care of children and how the selection of the most talented of them works. Or are they invited to Moscow to freeze here?

Elizabeth Maynoye - editor of Radio Liberty and Site of the North. Real.

The "Opinion" expressed in the heading of the point of view may not coincide with the position of the editorial office