BUSINESS
Government of Region Has Lowered
Debt and Enhanced Investments
Jaroslav Kania is the deputy governor responsible for investments in the region. His experience
in finance and investments in public administration comes from his long-term job as a bursar
of Silesian University in Opava. In his free time, he runs a ski school and finds relaxation in riding
a quad bike.
Mr Kania, just like a family, even the government
of a region needs to run balanced accounts. And, just
as a family invests in its children, the government
of a region undoubtedly invests in its citizens. What
are the priorities of our region?
The region’s priorities range across all fields. When
starting their mandate, the government of the region
defined their priorities for the period in education,
culture, health and social care. I can say that these
priorities have been met. As for investments, in 2016,
some 416 million CZK was invested in these fields;
in 2020 the budget is 1,684 million CZK, which is
four times bigger. The region’s economic priority was
to lower the debt, and we have been successful in that,
too, despite complications resulting from COVID-19
pandemic. Debts are definitely not increasing.
It is difficult to foresee the development in the years
to come: the new government of the region will have
to find a strategy to maintain the tempo of investments
and the quality of life of the local population.
Significant investments in the region include the
construction of an integrated centre in Český Těšín,
worth 190 million CZK. I feel very happy that the
government of the region achieved the priority
targets, including workshops in the Frýdek-Místek
Secondary School and the development of the
Masaryk Secondary School of Agriculture and School
Farm in Opava.
Education is a logical field of your interest: you
were a bursar at Silesian University in Opava
for years. The government of the region is responsible
for secondary schools, among others: how smart is
the region when investing in modern equipment for
schools?
The question is how to interpret “smart.” Besides small
investments in equipment for secondary schools,
the modernization of technologies and purchasing
cutting-edge machinery, we have invested in smart
solutions in energy-savings and other concepts.
In 2020, regardless of the current issues, our budget in
education is 600 million CZK. That is enough finance
to cover two principal projects, the first of which
is the workshops in the Frýdek-Místek Secondary
School, construction of which has already begun.
The facility and technologies represent the total sum
of 260 million CZK. Since 2016, we have already
invested eighty-eight million CZK in another major
project, the Masaryk Secondary School of Agriculture
and School Farm in Opava, to build new classrooms
and greenhouses and to prepare infrastructure
for new stables. The total sum is going to reach up
to 300 million CZK.
Life is more than money; it also demands a good
place and means of relaxation. How do you enjoy
your leisure?
I prefer four-wheeled relaxation, that is my great
hobby. I love morning rides with my quad bike.
Then I am back home, fresh and easy, at 7:30 and
make my family breakfast. When I have the time,
I help my son run a skiing and snowboarding school
in Tošovice. We were among the first here who went
skating. I also like cycling, and even though my bike
is not electric (yet), it brings me great pleasure. And
let’s not forget the garden, my wellness centre, a fine
relaxation zone.
Thank you for the interview.
Text:
Vít Ruprich
Foto:
archiv MSK
www.msk.cz
POSITIV 2/2020 ǀ 35