MINIĆ: THE FAMILY REMAINS THE FOCUS OF THE GOVERNMENT OF SRPSKA

BANJA LUKA, AUGUST 11 /SRNA/ - Prime Minister of Republika Srpska Savo Minić stated today in Banja Luka that the family remains the focus of the Government of Republika Srpska, and that he is satisfied with the implementation of the decision to provide free textbooks for all primary school students in Republika Srpska.

After distributing free textbooks to students at the "Stanko Rakita" Primary School in the Banja Luka neighborhood of Vrbanja, Minić emphasized that the most important thing is that all textbooks were printed and distributed to students before the start of the school year. "I can say as a parent as well, it is very important that every student is provided with textbooks at the beginning of the school year. It used to happen sometimes that two or three textbooks were missing in bookstores, so children would start school without having a complete set of textbooks," Minić said. He stated that this is a significant form of support for families, which no longer applies only to certain categories of students, but is now provided for all primary school students in Republika Srpska. "Until now, this was done only partially, but now it is complete for all our students in Republika Srpska. For more than 80,000 primary school students, we have managed to provide textbooks and carry out distribution on time," Minić pointed out. Speaking about family support measures, Minić emphasized that the family is the basic cell of society and that all measures implemented by the Government of Republika Srpska aim to make families feel the care of the institutions. "From the maternity allowance to salary increases, we strive to ensure that the family is the focus of the Government of Republika Srpska and that every family feels the Government's care. I hope that this is seen and felt," said Minić. He also announced additional measures in the area of after-school care for children, stating that the problem of a lack of capacity is particularly pronounced in Banja Luka. "It is the hardest in Banja Luka, we have almost 400 children, and in the rest of Republika Srpska about 200," said Minić, adding that he had ordered the relevant ministry to present this measure to the Government of Republika Srpska in the coming days. The goal, as he stated, is to help parents whose children do not have the possibility of placement in public institutions. "No matter how much it costs the Government, we will find the money," Minić stated. Free textbooks for students at the "Stanko Rakita" Primary School were distributed today by Prime Minister Savo Minić and Minister of Education and Culture Borivoje Golubović. Free textbooks have been provided for more than 80,000 primary school students through a program worth BAM 16 million. The Government of Republika Srpska is financing BAM 12 million, while municipalities and cities are participating with BAM 4 million.