The key facts
- Pavel Pozhigaylo (Public Chamber of Russia) proposed earlier retirement for grandparents to free young families from childcare duties.
- The comment is linked to the Ministry of Education's plans to give the older generation access to grandchildren's electronic gradebooks with parental consent.
- Earlier, a bill on a 'grandmother's salary' — a monthly payment equal to the minimum wage for grandparents raising a child under three — was submitted to the State Duma.
Proposal of early retirement for the sake of grandchildren
Deputy head of the Public Chamber commission on demography, protection of family, children and traditional family values Pavel Pozhigaylo said in an interview with NSN that grandparents should be offered earlier retirement so they can take on the main childcare duties. According to him, it is beneficial for the state for a grandmother to devote herself to her grandchildren: 'It is better for us that an adult aged 30-35 continues working rather than staying at home, while grandmother and grandfather help at home.'
Context: access to electronic gradebooks
The comment came in connection with a report that the Ministry of Education plans to open access to grandchildren's electronic gradebooks for grandparents with parental consent. Pozhigaylo believes that the older generation should not only check gradebooks but also participate more actively in supervising schoolchildren's studies and have the right to be 'inside the educational process.'
The expert's arguments
Pozhigaylo noted that the most important issue remains helping children with homework, since schoolchildren face an enormous workload and large homework assignments. He recalled that in many families it is grandparents who take children to and from school and attend parent-teacher meetings. In his opinion, the older generation has a greater inclination toward supervising studies: they are more patient, care more about their grandchildren, and more often build harmonious relationships with them.
Bill on a 'grandmother's salary'
Earlier, a bill on a 'grandmother's salary' was submitted to the State Duma — a monthly payment for grandparents raising a child under three years old. Its amount is proposed to be equal to the minimum wage. Conditions for receiving it: the mother or father must not be on parental leave, and the child must not be in full state care.
