Vladimir Terentyev met with the staff of the Vitebsk Musical College named after I. Solertinsky
Another meeting took place at the Vitebsk State Musical College named after I.I. Sollertinsky. Vladimir Terentyev is a frequent guest in this collective. The reasons for numerous visits are work-related issues, and more often – festive events. The college trains unique specialists, those who are called the "heritage of the republic." Even in the difficult "COVID" year, when the pandemic had a serious impact on the music industry, among other things, the number of laureates of republican and international competitions in the educational institution consistently grew.
However, the insidious virus forced everyone to adapt and solve tasks of increased complexity to minimize its consequences, including through budgetary mechanisms. This directly affects the life support of the social sphere, including culture and education. Therefore, this time, the head of the regional deputy corps began a maximally substantive dialogue with the college's teachers and students on the most sensitive topics – optimization of the educational institution network, material and technical support for the educational process, and the housing issue, which is particularly relevant for young specialists. Vladimir Terentyev is convinced that an honest and frank conversation helps strengthen trust in society, eliminates a possible deficit of information about the motivation and decisions made by local authorities, in this case, regarding the development prospects of educational and cultural institutions.
Optimization issues arise on the agenda in connection with the transition of social sphere sectors from estimate-based to per capita financing.
— I won't hide that the possibility of merging educational institutions that train specialists for culture was discussed preliminarily. Weighing all the pros and cons, we came to the conclusion that there is no need for this; it will not yield any economic or organizational effect. Moreover, it could ruin unique creative teams that solve tasks of different content. Therefore, an unambiguous decision has been made, and the issue is closed for the foreseeable future, — stated Vladimir Terentyev.
Despite the difficulties, this year it is planned to put an end to another long-standing issue. The Music College and the College of Arts will have their own dormitory on Leningradskaya Street. This became possible after the completion of the reconstruction of the dormitory of the Vitebsk State Technical College, which opened on the eve of the New Year holidays. As a result of the chain of relocations and optimizations initiated by this event, the building opposite the regional military enlistment office will now be at the disposal of educational institutions for culture.
— We preliminarily expect to fully vacate and transfer it by the summer, equipped with furniture and other equipment necessary for the full functioning of the facility. It is possible that your college could equip classrooms for music lessons on the first floor; the surrounding environment is conducive to this, — said Vladimir Terentyev.
However, the head of the parliamentary corps warned that there will be few such news items this year. He explained his reservation: in 2020, the pandemic became a difficult challenge for everyone, put serious pressure on the economy, and, consequently, affected the well-being of the regional treasury. Additional, and unplanned, expenses related to COVID-19 alone amounted to about 98 million rubles, of which about 75% were allocated to additional payments for medical workers. To adequately assess the scale of the problem, Vladimir Terentyev welcomed such a comparison: with these funds, it would be possible to build approximately 10 kindergartens with swimming pools and modern equipment. We will have to live with coronavirus going forward, which means similar issues will have to be addressed this year. Therefore, the planned expenses for culture are not as large as one would like. Often, it is only about funds for the current activities of institutions.
— I cannot promise you additional funds from the budget, but I can assure you that we always remember culture in general and the music college in particular. We will help solve current issues of developing the material and technical base and updating fixed assets as much as possible, in order to maintain the quality of education at a high level and keep pace with the times, — noted Vladimir Terentyev.
He confirmed his words with action when it came to providing housing for young specialists coming to work in Vitebsk from the Belarusian State Academy of Music. Solving this issue can become a significant motivation for retaining young personnel in Vitebsk.
– Everything is within our power, it doesn't even require being put on the agenda for discussion at the VI All-Belarusian People's Assembly. We have experience in supporting young talents, and the authorities are ready to consider each case individually, — noted Vladimir Terentyev. The head of the culture department of the regional executive committee, Petr Podgursky, described a detailed algorithm for resolving the issue.
Sharing his impressions of similar meetings, Vladimir Terentyev noted that the closer the start date of the VI All-Belarusian People's Assembly, the livelier the citizens' interest in this most important event in the country's political life. This is manifested in various aspects, including an increase in the number of diverse questions for discussion from the forum's platform. Even so, before visiting the music college, former USSR deputy Nikolai Petrushenko from the Tolochin district called Vladimir Terentyev and suggested bringing a number of issues, which he considered relevant, to the forum.