The State Duma came up with a preferential tariff for cellular communications “Teacher”

It was proposed to equate teachers to parliamentarians with salaries of at least two times the minimum wage

The catastrophic situation with the shortage of school teachers forces deputies to come up with new initiatives to attract them. The “Teacher” tariff, which in addition to calls and messages would include 35 “gigs” of free Internet, was proposed to be introduced in parliament. The planned benefit will apply to teachers with three years of experience and above. A letter outlining the new initiative has been sent to the Minister of Education.

This proposal was made by the first deputy head of the State Duma Committee on Education, Yana Lantratova. The deputy charged cellular companies with creating a new “Teacher” tariff, which would include free 500 minutes of mobile communication, 500 messages and 35 gigabytes of mobile Internet with unlimited traffic. It is expected that this tariff will be available to all major mobile operators within the Russian Federation.

Explaining why such a tariff with a narrow professional focus is needed, Lantratova says that “this will help teachers optimize their work process.” “It is important to note that the ability to maintain communication with students and their parents, as well as the ability to get the fastest possible access to this or that information, is one of the key aspects in a teacher’s work,” the deputy clarifies.

Of course, a reduced tariff with the Internet will help teachers “save money.” Which is important, given the size of the notorious teacher salaries in the regions. The parliamentarian calculated that to “meet the basic needs of a teacher in communications and the Internet,” about 900 rubles (per month) are needed. And some teachers “are forced to spend about 7% of their own salaries on payment for communication services and mobile Internet.”

In fact, the teacher’s tariff is not an invention of our State Duma. Some US states and Canada have similar benefit programs for educators. There are not only “cellular” preferential tariffs, but also other teacher discounts. They apply to mortgage programs, taxes, and airfare prices (sometimes the discount reaches 50% of the ticket price). Abroad, there are benefits for children of teachers to enter schools, colleges and universities, and to visit cultural organizations: museums, theaters, concerts, etc.

In Russia there are also working benefits for teachers. Everyone knows the “Zemstvo Teacher” program – a million “lift” (and 2 million in the Far East) to work in rural schools. The minimum service time is 3 years. There is a mortgage with state support for teachers: with an interest rate of 8%, a maximum term of 30 years. And a special Far Eastern program with an interest rate of 2%. Regional teacher benefits for loans, including mortgages, have been created: in the Novosibirsk region, teachers are paid up to 150 thousand rubles to make a down payment on a mortgage. In the Vladimir region, it is possible to obtain up to 20% of the loan amount or monthly payments in the amount of interest on the mortgage.

There are other local and regional programs for teachers that compensate for the costs of housing, utilities, and transportation costs. For example, in the Moscow region, a compensation payment of 20 thousand per month has been introduced for teachers who rent housing. In rural areas of Yaroslavl and Nizhny Novgorod – and up to 100% compensation for housing or payment for housing and communal services on social rent. But to receive all major housing and financial benefits, a teacher must comply with a number of restrictions: length of service, main workload at school, and the level of well-being of family members.

At various times, our legislators and public figures offered additional “goodies” and concessions that would make life easier for teachers. For example, giving teachers 10 thousand a month for theaters and museums – the payment was called the “Teacher Card”. Then the “Teacher Card” arose – a project of housing certificates for teachers, similar to a similar initiative for young scientists. And the “Teacher Card” is also a transport benefit: preferential travel for teachers and their families “to the place of their main vacation in Russia and back.”

Tariff increases in salary depending on length of service were also discussed: 20% for work in a school from 3 to 5 years, over 20 years – 120% of the salary. Then there were proposals to equate teachers to civil servants with a parallel increase in salaries, but restrictions on movement, a reduction in vacation time and public declaration of taxes. Raise the payment for the “Zemstvo Teacher” to all participants to 2 million rubles…

But, of course, teachers’ salaries were the most subject to virtual reforms. It was proposed to unify them, make them more transparent, otherwise the system of incentives and surcharges would break the devil’s leg. They wanted to “untie” teacher income from hours or man-hours in the classroom. Or make salaries in the regions no less than two times the minimum wage, so that “it’s like in Moscow.” Or in general, make a uniform teacher’s salary across the country at 70 thousand rubles.