As in many other countries, September 1 is the first day of school in Russia. It is also a national celebration reflecting the country’s long intellectual and scientific traditions. Since education is central to a country’s competitiveness in the global economy, Modern Russia used the occasion to look back at recent improvements in the Russian education system.
On August 24, Prime Minister Putin chaired a meeting with the Russian Rectors Union – a group of presidents and rectors of Russian universities – to discuss the current state of affairs in the country’s higher education. In his remarks to the group, Putin underlined Russian authorities’ efforts to address “brain drain,” which the prime minister identified as the main challenge facing the country’s educational infrastructure.
Aims of Russian education reform
Amongst other actions to address this challenge, Putin announced an increase in government funding of higher education to 390 billion rubles ($13.5 billion) in 2011 compared to 115 billion rubles ($3.9 billion) in 2005. The Rectors’ meeting followed the announcement last December that the government would initiate a federally funded program worth $4.1 billion from 2011-15 aimed at improving the Russian education system in the coming years. The program seeks to:
• Introduce new technology for educators and students;
• Improve teacher training and pay by 6.5 percent in order to combat corruption in schools;
• Upgrade both the material and technical infrastructure of universities and research centers throughout Russia.
The country is also entering its third year of using the Unified State Exam (EGE), a mandatory test for all high school graduates that is also the entrance requirement for university placement. The test measures graduating high school students’ abilities in mathematics, Russian and a subject related to their major. Once in university, Russian students have projects such as the Research and Pedagogical Cadre for Innovative Russia 2009-13 available as part of the government’s long-term efforts to broaden proficiency in science and mathematics amongst college students.
Building bridges with business and fostering digital education
During a meeting with Rusnano Head Anatoly Chubais on August 23, Putin was presented with a practical application of new technology in the classroom: Plastic Logic’s iTablet, which will be introduced this year in a pilot program in several Russian regions in hopes of replacing textbooks used by Russian students.
Similar types of cooperation between the business world and education institutions, focused on the introduction of new technologies, were announced recently. For example, Digital October and Rostelecom, announced a joint program at this year’s St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) aimed at connecting the country’s top students in distance learning academic courses taught by leading experts from around the globe, regardless of their location in Russia. New Economic School Rector Sergei Guriev explained to the SPIEF audience that the venture aims to close the gap in instructors in certain subjects by choosing educators specifically needed for Russian students.
More generally, increased cooperation between private businesses and programs at schools like Skolkovo, Moscow State, St. Petersburg State or one of the eight federal or 29 National Research universities is also intended to ease the reliance of Russian universities’ budgets on government funding. Each National Research University will receive substantial special funding over the next five years, but they must secure 20 percent from their own funds or business communities.
"As part of the target program we are planning to implement a public-private partnership, which is expected to allow universities to reduce their dependence on state funds,” said Andrei Fursenko, minister of science and education.
International cooperation
Russia has also begun funding programs for education abroad from 2012, in which 2,000 higher education students in Russia will enroll in foreign universities at a cost of around $60 million for the first year. President Medvedev endorsed the plan: “Thousands of our young scientists, engineers and public officials will receive masters’ and doctoral degrees at the world's leading universities during the next decade. Hopefully, studying abroad will allow them to take key positions in Russian business, government, science and education."
The head of the world economy department at the International Independent University of Environmental and Political Sciences, Leonid Fituni, echoed the need for such graduates in Russia’s workforce. "This is really important in terms of the gradual establishment of a single labor market and the ever-increasing internationalization of higher education."
In order to draw those highly educated graduates back to Russia, the government will compile a list of potential employers for each economic sector.
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