MOSCOW, April 5 (AVN) - The State Duma lower house of parliament approved on Thursday on the second and third readings amendments to the law "Concerning Liability to Carry Arms" and the law "Concerning Education".
The amendments authorise granting draft deferments to students of state-owned and municipal high schools and professional training colleges. The students will be entitled to deferment for the time of their studies in case their age does not exceed 20 years. The amendments will take effect on September 1, 2001.
According to data obtained by the Ministry of Education, 15,000 high school students above 18 years of age will be subject to deferment.
The amendments were passed on the first reading in January this year. Lawmaker Yevgeny Zelenov, who introduced the bill to the house, said that following the adoption of 11-year schooling term military commissioner's offices started to recruit high school students aged over 18. The government denounced the amendments and its representative in the Duma Andrei Loginov told the house that the army would lose 35,000 recruits in case the amendments were passed.
Loginov's statement was based on calculations of the General Staff that later proved erroneous. Having found out the mistake, the government made a positive review of the amendments.