ZAGREB, February 22, 2018 – Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Thursday that the government planned to increase children’s allowances and co-funding for children’s day-care centres as part of measures for demographic revitalisation.
Children’s allowances will be increased as of July 1 and 67 million kuna has been earmarked for co-financing of the construction and reconstruction of children’s day-care centres, Plenković said at a cabinet meeting while speaking of measures discussed at a recent meeting of the Demographic Revitalisation Council.
The Ministry of Labour and Pension System, in cooperation with the Ministry of Demography, Family, Youth and Social Policy, will launch a 300 million kuna call for the employment of pre-school teachers and other supporting staff necessary for two-shift work in children’s day-care centres, which will be supported with funds from the European Social Fund. The call will be issued on March 8, International Women’s Day.
Plenković said that the operating hours of children’s day-care centres would be extended in many towns and local government units. “I expect the Ministry for Demography to continue putting forward concrete proposals and other departments to get involved in developing the demographic policy,” he said.
The PM did not mention the sudden resignation of State Secretary for Demography Marin Strmota at a press conference following the Demographic Revitalisation Council meeting on Tuesday. Strmota said he was resigning because the measures adopted at the meeting were not serious enough to come to grips with demographic problems.
