VELIKY NOVGOROD, April 8 (RIA Novosti) - Authorities in the northwest Russian city of Veliky Novgorod are to open a "Newlyweds School" to teach couples how to build happy marriages, a spokesman from the mayor's office said on Wednesday.
The first center will open on April 15 and will also give couples lessons on how to raise children. The spokesman said invitations to join the school would be sent to all newlyweds in the city.
Last year was "Year of the Family" in Russia, which has seen consistently high divorce rates since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
According to city statistics, there were 13% more divorces in the city over the first three months of the current year as opposed to 2008. There were also 5.4% fewer marriages registered in the same period.
