MINSK, 9 February (BelTA) - The Belarusian People's Congress will be the starting point for Belarus’ movement forward, Lyudmila Podluzhnaya, a member of the Standing Commission on Education, Culture and Science of the House of Representatives, told BelTA.
“The most important forum for our state will commence in a couple of days. It will bring together representatives of all social sectors: workers, people of science, culture, sport, business, who have been delegated by political parties, labor groups, public associations. People will come from all regions of our country. The participants of the Belarusian People's Congress are different in age, life experience, views on the socio-economic and socio-political life of the country," Lyudmila Podluzhnaya said.
According to the MP, all of them have one thing in common - sincere concern about the future of Belarus, the desire to preserve the independence and territorial integrity of the country and also the welfare focus in its further development. “It is the strengthening of the institution of the family, creating conditions for the development of talented young people, supporting the elderly, large families, people with disabilities. It is the improving of the quality of life of every citizen. The man remains at the center of the state policy. It is not for nothing that a happy family has been defined as one of the priorities of the country’s social and economic development program for the next five years,” she said. “I have been following the delegates of the Belarusian People's Congress on Telegram. Their life and professional stance, their expectations reflect the image of the future of Belarus: a welfare state, a well-developed industrial, agrarian, and high-tech nation,” she said.
Lyudmila Podluzhnaya will take part in the Belarusian People's Congress for the first time. “I am impressed by the scale of preparations for the congress. The public opinion on the key issues of the state development were studied as part of dialogue platforms, the work of community liaison offices and as part of the work with citizens’ complaints and appeals, which I had the honor to be part of. The congress will focus on the expectations of the Belarusian society, people’s opinions and views on the future development of the state. I believe that such an approach will not only contribute to the efficient work of the Belarusian People's Congress but will also guarantee the legitimacy of the decisions it makes,” she said.
The MP, a teacher by profession, is concerned about the future of education, about the status of the profession. “I believe that close attention should be paid not only to improving the education system itself but also to the strengthening of the infrastructure of educational institutions. To educate the future citizen, we must keep up with the times. We must realize that education is not as a service but a lifelong process. I am sure that the forthcoming forum will become the starting point for Belarus' movement forward,” Lyudmila Podluzhnaya said.
The 6th Belarusian People's Congress will be held in Minsk on 11-12 February 2021 to discuss Belarus' social and economic development program for 2021-2025. The congress will bring together 2,700 delegates and invitees.