Some young people’s driving school fees will be covered

From 1 February 2026, a new procedure will be introduced for young people from families included in the Low-Income Households Register. Under this system, they will be able to complete military service in the mobilization call-up reserve free of charge, have their driving school expenses covered, and receive partial payment of tuition fees at vocational and higher education institutions. These expenses will be paid from the Youth Notebook funds. The measures are outlined in the presidential decree “On further improving the system of providing social assistance through Youth Notebook funds,” adopted on 20 November.

According to the decree, young people from families listed in the Low-Income Households Register will be granted the following benefits from 1 February 2026:

• The procedure for completing military service in the mobilization call-up reserve free of charge will be introduced, while the practice of allocating separate subsidies for this purpose will be abolished.

Through Youth Notebook funds:

• Subsidies will be provided to cover the cost of training for automotive and motorcycle driver courses required to obtain A, B, D and DE category driving licenses.
• Up to 50 percent of tuition fees for students of vocational and higher education institutions will be paid, depending on the fulfilment of the social contract conditions. This amount must not exceed 50 times the BCA per academic year.
• An individual may use no more than two types of social assistance within one year.

Young people who consistently fulfil the terms of the social contract at a high level for at least six months will be rewarded as follows:

• They will receive priority access to social assistance.
• Each year, the top 1,000 young people will be awarded a cash prize equal to three times the BCA.
• They will be nominated for awards aimed at encouraging youth initiative and activism.

Conversely, if the terms of the social contract are not fulfilled, the following measures will be applied progressively:

• A warning will be issued requiring the unmet conditions of the social contract to be fulfilled within 15 days.
• The amount of social assistance may be reduced by 15 to 30 percent.
• Social assistance may be temporarily suspended for a period of one to six months.
• Social assistance may be suspended for one year or more.