Cost of care allowances related to pandemic exceeded PLN 10bn
15:00
The cost of care benefits related to the pandemic exceeded PLN 10 billion, indicated the Polish Economic Institute (PIE). Experts pointed out that the opening of schools means a reduction in expenses related to this form of assistance for parents of children aged up to 8 who stay at home.
As PIE noted, referring to the estimates of the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy, the week spent by all children at home during the pandemic meant an expense of about PLN 1 billion from the Social Insurance Fund.
On the other hand, UNESCO estimates that around 1/3 of students will go to school in September. On September 1, other countries, including Belgium, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Ireland, Greece, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, decided to open schools. In Germany, in the lands where the holiday break ends in August, pupils have also resumed their normal activities.
The analysts pointed out that the last months were the longest break in the functioning of schools in Poland during the period of peace. From September 1, both primary and secondary school students returned to school – most of them for the first time since March 13. According to the PIE study, the period of the pandemic meant for most children and adolescents time spent in front of the computer. While before the pandemic, 28 percent of students spent more than four hours a day in front of the computer on school days, and 51 percent on weekends, while during a pandemic it was 79 percent and 55 percent, respectively.
(PAP)
