ASI proposing to include the children's recreation system in governors' performance indicators
The Agency for Strategic Initiatives (ASI) has created a federal project to improve accessibility of services of children's rest and recreation, as well as to develop this field. As part of the roadmap prepared by the ASI's project office, experts propose to include the regional development level of the children's recreation system in governors' performance indicators.
Specialists also consider it necessary to create a single database on abandoned children's camps that can be reconstructed to subsequently increase the number of resting children by 1.5 mln. The database is planned to be formed by 2020 by efforts of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Economic Development, and regional authorities. According to statistics of the Russian Federal State Statistics Service, in 2018 summer camps were attended by 5.6 of 18.7 mln children in Russia (30%), however, only 1.9 mln minors (10.1%) had rest out of town.
Experts note that at least RUB 62.8 bln investments are expected from businesses for the modernization of camps. In addition, a public-private partnership system needs to be introduced to involve businesses and social organizations in the arrangement of children's recreation.
In this regard, the regions will participate in the creation of new camps through co-funding of construction expenses "in the amount of not more than 40% of capital costs and a compensation paid to a concessioner for a part of short-received income during the operation period." This will help attract investments to this field and retain state control over children's camps.
"The implementation of the roadmap actions will enable a favorable environment for non-governmental providers to render children's rest and recreation services. This will lead to an improved accessibility of rest and recreation services, an increased share of the non-governmental sector, modernized existing infrastructure, and optimized budget expenses in the sphere of children's recreation," the head of the project office, Counselor to President of Prosveshcheniye Group Otto Sopronenko noted. "The industry development on a public-private partnership basis is efficient from the social, economic, financial, and budgetary perspectives."
During their work on the project, experts have also identified a number of barriers that hinder private organizations from ensuring children's leisure today:
- Low investment attractiveness of public-private partnership projects on camp reconstruction
- No quality programs of additional education in children's recreation organizations
- Low accessibility of children's recreation services
- No system of statistics
During the project implementation, tax payments to the federal and regional budgets will amount to RUB 105.1 bln and over 52 thousand jobs will be created. The document developed by the ASI will be shortly submitted for consideration to the Ministry of Economic Development; now, it is pending with the Ministry of Education. The project is planned to be approved by December 2020.