Residents of North Ossetia criticized state assistance for preparing children for school.

Parents from North Ossetia reported that they save on preparing their children for school, including using items and supplies left over from last year. According to them, state assistance is not available to all families due to eligibility criteria, and its amount does not cover all expenses for preparing a schoolchild, which exceed 30,000 rubles.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", analysts previously calculated that this year in North Ossetia, preparing one child for school will cost parents about 30,000 rubles. Residents of the republic, commenting on these calculations on social media, pointed out that actual expenses are higher, especially for families with multiple children. They complained about the insufficient amount of state assistance.

A resident of North Ossetia Taimuraz reported that they received state assistance for school expenses only once last year.

"The process is not simplified, it's bureaucratic. The amount covers about 60% of the cost of a school uniform. So if there are three schoolchildren in the family, even with state help, about 20,000 rubles goes for uniforms. For backpacks, supplies, shoes, sportswear, and others – on average, about 10,000 rubles per child," he explained to a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot".

But this is not the largest expense. Basic needs for children cost much more: food, extracurricular activities, everyday clothing, medicine, noted Taimuraz.

"But in our school, every year for first-graders, Vyacheslav Bitarov fully covers the purchase of school uniforms," he added.

Another resident of North Ossetia Zalina shared that in her family there is one schoolchild – he is going to the second grade, but the family does not receive child benefits.

"Because we are a bit wealthier than what is required for benefits by state standards. But this year we do not have significant expenses for school preparations, because we have a suit, backpack, pencil case, and even some supplies left over from last year. The only planned purchases are shoes and some stationery," she told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot".

Parents started preparing their children for school as early as summer, noted Zalina.

"In the school chat, there has been a collection going on for a month, parents suggested splitting the amount and collecting gradually, so that it wouldn't be too burdensome for the family to pay everything at once. These are expenses for a new printer in the classroom, the teacher's birthday, bouquets for September 1, workbooks, and so on. We have a first-year student who enrolled in another city, and the family's expenses will be related to this: we will have to deny ourselves in some things, arrange for the student to stay in a dormitory, buy all the necessary items, buy tickets – significant expenses," lamented the resident of North Ossetia.

In the decree of the President of the Russian Federation "On measures of social support for large families," there is a recommendation for regions to provide schoolchildren with clothing for educational activities and sportswear, but all this is established by regional legislation, noted lawyer Timofey Shirokov.

The amounts of assistance vary significantly by region. Moreover, in some regions, assistance is provided to all families, while in many regions it is only for large and low-income families, he explained.

In North Ossetia, payments are due to large and low-income families, noted the lawyer.

"The amount of assistance is set by government decree for 2026 at 50% of the subsistence minimum for children. For 2026, the subsistence minimum for children in North Ossetia is 16,534 rubles, which means the amount of assistance is 8,267 rubles for each schoolchild," Shirokov told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot".

He also reported that there are rules for determining whether a family is low-income. "Currently, the regional level for low-income families is set based on the income of family members during the calculation period, not exceeding an average of 17,045 rubles per person," explained the lawyer.