Penza schools of art received 21 million for new equipment

In the Penza “House of officers” started the second Forum of children’s art schools in the region. More than two hundred participants gathered - directors and employees of the Penza and the region, representatives of specialized educational organizations, as well as guests from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Saratov, Togliatti, Kazan, Yoshkar-Ola and Saransk. The three-day program includes theory and practice, the exchange of experiences between subjects and a conversation about where art education is going.

The event was opened by the acting Minister of Culture and Tourism of the Penza region Sergey Bychkov. Today, children’s art schools are not just a step before the profession, but an important tool that allows preserving and transmitting the cultural code of the nation. It is especially appropriate, according to him, that the forum is held in the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia, because it is in DSI that children of different nationalities get acquainted with the common culture of the country, without losing their own roots and traditions.

Bychkov said that a local component is built into the educational programs of the schools of the region: children learn the history of the Penza land through folk costume, folklore of the Sursky Territory, works by Lermontov, Kuprin, Meyerhold and the heritage of Savitsky. Of the 49 TSI regions, thirty work under the program "Musical Folklore", and in twenty there are creative folklore groups. Thanks to this, Penza region is among the top ten leaders in this direction.

The head of the department added that in 2025-2026, seventeen graduates were employed in children’s art schools in the region under the federal program “Zemsky cultural worker”. All the regions are connected to the Pushkin map, and the number of events has increased five times.

This year, seven schools received new equipment and tools worth over 21 million rubles. Bychkov noted that Governor Oleg Melnichenko actively supports this direction - there were cases when schools did not pass into the federal program, and the head of the region allocated funds for their equipment and modernization.

The Acting Minister also noted the work of the Regional Center for the Development of Education in the Field of Culture and Arts. The Center is responsible for the unity of educational standards and the continuous professional growth of teachers. More than 60 professional competitions are held annually, and in 2026 more than 350 teachers improved their qualifications.

At the opening of the forum, Sergey Bychkov presented the students of the DSI region with the award of the laureates of the All-Russian contest “Young talents of Russia”.

Head of the Regional Center for the Development of Education in the Field of Culture and Art of the Penza Region Larisa Karpova explained that the main goal of the forum is to gather the professional community and discuss the most pressing issues that concern children's art schools today.

According to her, DSI unites 49 institutions with different directions: choreography, circus art, musical performance, choral and vocal creativity. Participants talk about the continuity of additional education in modern conditions, the opening of new creative formations and creative directions. The national project "Family" allows to open new spaces, repair schools and supply modern equipment. Separately, the personnel issue is discussed, which is solved through the program “Zemsky cultural worker”. Children’s art schools are filled with new meanings – it is an opportunity to get closer to the profession and interact with cultural institutions to educate a harmoniously developed personality.

Karpova added that for three days, the forum participants will work with practitioners and theories, discuss creative transformations and digital development of the DSI, as well as further development of new directions.