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V L A D I M I R P U T I N

PRESIDENT OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION


The Speech at the VIII Congress of Russia Rectors Union
































June 8-9, 2006 Moscow
Lomonosov Moscow State University


Good day dear colleagues! Dear friends!

I'm very glad to have an opportunity to greet such a honorable meeting.
Your Congress has convoked rectors of the most of the national higher
education institutes. As the host said a lot of your colleagues from CIS,
Europe, Asia, America are present here. Certainly it is an evidence of the
weighty role of the national education, national educational community and
the evidence of the active and interested interaction within your
professional medium.

The subjects which are going to be discussed at the Congress make a
determinative impact upon the education in fact. I have no doubt that both
the level of science development and economic and technological potential,
the possibility to make the breakthrough in these fields all these do rest
with your efforts.

The education compliance with the newest challenges, its competitive
ability inland and all over the world all these issues agitate not only the
pedagogues but the specialists of basic science, our businessmen and our
society on the whole of course.

Entering to the new social and economic realities of 90th was obviously
complicated ordeal for Russian higher education.

Meanwhile the Higher School sufficient promptly and flexibly reacted to the
education prestige revival as a basis for the vital success. As we well
remember it was the time when the education prestige began to vanish, a
very strange situation for our country, the country where the authority of
education was equal to the personal success and status. In the meantime the
new higher education institutes appeared, the new specialities were opened,
but unfortunately increase of students quantity affected to the quality of
educational services, it is the common known fact.

As I have already said in Russia to my mind traditionally, I would like to
say the more than in the other countries people strive to obtain diplomas
of higher education. However these diplomas have to serve as proving of the
real professional qualification but not a proving of the personal status as
I've already mentioned.

Nowadays when the education qualifying requirements are very high it is
especially important. Otherwise for graduate it turns to make him sidelined
labour-market off, for economic it turns as deficiency of skilled workers
in some fields, for the country it is the decrease of competitiveness at
the World markets.

One of the reasons of a low educational level is poor effectiveness of
budget expenses which to my mind are very considerable: running costs of
the federal budget for higher education institutes aggregates about 140
billions roubles.

Nowadays we hope that professional education should bring appropriate
personnel and innovation efficiency.

Thereupon I would underline some, to my mind, priority missions.

I am sure that the general concept of the education development should be
raising of the self-dependence of the institutes, the self-dependence which
opens the wide range of pedagogical and management initiatives. But the
great economic self-dependence requires the great responsibility and the
modern models of managing in every respect.

Creation of the resource capital fund provides the fundamentally new
financial abilities. It is supposed to form them both at the expense of
state budget and at the expense or together with business. The appropriate
commissions were given and I hope at the earliest possible date the
necessary documents would be developed to realize all these plans.

Concerning the systems of financing they should be directed to the
stimulation of increasing the quality of educational services, effective
spending of resources and teachers wage raise. By the way in the framework
of «Education» national project there a row of renewed budget and
management know-how was proposed.

While speaking about the extension of the institutes self-dependence do not
forget about their responsibilities for the components of the educational
process. And the necessity of the external estimation of given knowledge is
foremost.

Particularly it is very important to elaborate the objective rates of the
institutes not only with participation of employers, and we discussed it
with the businessmen many times, but with participation of the
representatives of community and science. At the same time the new methods
of estimation should be worked out. The innovation institutes competition
conducted in the framework of national project, to my point of view, gave
us good experience and high result. We should arrange both the specialities
nomenclature and education programme support. A great deal almost
everything depends on you.

I know you are ready to sign the strategic partnership agreement between
Rectors Union and associations of native business and today it will be
done. Certainly this initiative is undoubtedly perspective. The key point
is the protocol of expectancies should become durable, well prepared basis
for system cooperation. They should assist to resolve the most essential
problems of Higher School and economics.

Let me touch upon another very sharp subject. I mean the personnel training
for the science and, in fact, for education.

The key stone is to attract young specialists to the research fields. Need
to remove all the obstacles preventing career and professional growth of
talented youth, help them to settle living and the others, pecuniary
mainly, problems.

Higher education schools should be an interested party collaborating with
the secondary school: assist it to develop pedagogical science, new methods
and to retrain teachers for schools.

In conclusion a few words about so-called export of the Russian educational
services. The level of national education is required a long time abroad.
Particularly we see a lot of positives in these countries of course, but
the interest in education is not to high: average level, otherwise our
interest is raising.

Research and educational personnel is the most important factor of our
successful integration to the global society. The most optimum ways are to
develop branches of the national institutes and to extend the access to our
institutes for foreign students, first of all from CIS countries.

I want to notice that functioning quality of some branches is wishing to be
better. I would like to underline the follows: standards should be unified
as for Moscow the same for anyone branch outside.

Finally I would to say well known things which cannot be unsaid aloud in
this auditorium today. Education is the most important development resource
of intellectual, mental and moral potentials of the whole nation, and our
country's, our children's future depends on its successful progress.

I wish you every success.

Thank you for your attention.
* * *

Some remarks to the appearances sounded here. Certainly almost everybody
spoke about the necessity of increasing the state expenses level for
education and science, in this case for education. Undoubtedly these
expenses need to increase and they will be increased. I want this to be
recorded (applause).

I want to pay your attention to the processes occurred in this field during
the recent years. Unfortunately before 2000 the situation was very
complicated and wouldn't evaluate that period. Since 2000 the state
expenses, first of all federal expenses for education, not only raising but
raising in the privilege of the others social or another sphere. Expenses
for education have increased several times more recent years, the wages of
teaching staff has increased about five times more.

Speaking the present situation. Dear friends and colleagues, this year the
federal expenses for education will be increased by 40 percent. Last year
they was increased by 37 percent (applause).

In future we are trying to continue increasing. Not only trying but will
increase as I have already said. I want that we understand each other. The
simple increasing of the federal and all other level expenses nowadays is
not too effective. It is necessary that education and science systems would
be more sensible, nimble and open minded to these financial resources. And
to provide the more efficiency of these recourses than we have today.

Purchasing of the equipment. Of course It's very important. We have talked
to Victor Antonovich about that today, and Lyudmila Alexeevna the Rector of
Petersburg University told me this. This question is solving slower than we
wanted. However as Victor Antonovich said the colleagues from West Europe,
Northern America come to use our machines, do some work using our
techniques. The fact is that a lot of scientists who leaved country comes
back. I want to pay your attention to this fact and believe me it is true.
I see and I know it. When federal money are given for no particular reason
to buy something these expenses have no effectiveness at all. There was
very hard situation at the public health service, especially on 90th. A lot
of expensive equipment were bought, which now has been stored in boxes and
not assembled for years. As you give large money for somewhere not for
effective system the equipment is stored in boxes not used. This is the
problem to think about.

We should think about the system effectiveness and susceptibility to these
state financial resources. We do not save expenses directed to the science
and education. It is more pitifully to "burn" them. That is the first issue
I wanted to emphasize.

The second. All the speakers and those who did not speak but inside the
auditorium are my audience because a lot of them I personally get
acquainted, for a long time and in informal atmosphere, we often have
meetings and discuss the problems of science and education, everybody says
that the role of education is increasing but the quality is decreasing.
What shall we do in this case? This question is required to our answer.

Let's think today we don't know full and definitive answer for the
question. It is very good that we know the challenge exists and we have to
answer it. Solving the problem we should arise over both private and
corporate interests for the sake of the business we devoted our life. Only
due to last two years we strictly executed the law the mean age of the
rectors corps dropped from 63 to 55 years. I don't mean as an end in itself
and don't mean we do such a way obligatory. If we will do what we agreed
and fix it in the law there will be an effect.

By the way the law on autonomous institutions is not the panacea, is not
the universal measure to solve all the problems of education and science at
Higher School. I do not insist the law should exist. (applause)

The Minister knows. We have talked to him a lot about it. I think your
applause are premature you didn't listen the phrase to the end. But nothing
to do, I want you be inspired this pain, neither in science nor in
education is worth than to find out the solution through mistakes. Of
course the best way is not to make mistakes. Ministry and Government know
my position. Ideas generated by the Government in this sphere would not be
imposed on institutes. If something will take place it should be
voluntarily and only in the institutes which desire and consider that they
are ready to reforms. It is my solid statement. (applause)

I call your professional community, Government of the Russian Federation to
continue joint constructive work to find out the ways of education and
science development.

Thanks a lot for your attention. (applause)