Year of the teachers and mentors: Shall we help them or just talk?

Abstract

The article presents the full text of the speech given by Oleg Nikolaevich Smolin, the First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Science and Higher Education, in the State Duma on October 10, 2023. The speech was dedicated to the Year of the Teachers and Mentors, proclaimed in 2023. The author highlights and comments on issues related to current employment, wages, and the social status of teachers. The following actions are proposed to address the current problems: urgent adoption of the draft federal law No. 1075801-7 «On Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation Concerning the Improvement of the Status of Teaching Staff» or the creation of an inter-factional working group to prepare a new bill on the status of teaching staff; an increase in expenditures to raise teachers’ salaries when considering the draft federal law «On the Federal Budget for 2024»; the restoration of social guarantees for rural teachers.