Point of View

“The government has decided to award prizes to outstanding young specialists in science and technology for 2009. We have selected 30 young specialists (under the age of 33) successfully pursuing promising and important projects in priority sectors. These projects involve cancer diagnosing, resource and energy saving plasma technologies, and development of nano-structures in electronics.”

“Educational institutions should become more open, regularly publishing full and objective reports on their activities. And the public governing boards being created in schools - I have mentioned one of them - must have real opportunities to influence key decisions affecting the school's life.”

“Starting on September 1, 2011, all first formers will study according to new educational standards. We must prevent the introduction of these modern standards from becoming a mere formality, ensuring that they improve both the quality and content of education and the conditions for children during their time in our schools. On a side note, I would like to draw the attention of the Minister of Education to the need to analyse these standards critically, with input from leading national experts, making sure they meet modern requirements. We should see how they will work. Special responsibility for this rests with the regional and municipal authorities.”

“We must show we are serious about enhancing the teaching profession's performance and prestige. <…> In addition to decent pay, Russian teachers will have an opportunity to continually improve their qualifications and learn new teaching technology. To this end, the Education Ministry is developing new programmes for additional professional training.”

“In the near future the government plans to introduce a package of alterations to the Tax Code and the law on education, which are intended to create additional incentives for small, innovative businesses, which we decided to set up at universities. These companies will be granted a five-year exemption to ensure a smooth transition to the insurance premium system. In addition, we are drafting amendments to introduce unified regulations for licensing start-ups.”

"In the past four years a total of 1,250 billion roubles have been allocated to education from federal sources alone. It is quite a big sum, given our expenditures in general. It is a huge sum! We launched a general modernization effort within the framework of the Education national project. We will continue to regard this work as an absolute priority."

"It would be better if we could teach Russian to people who want to study here in advance. Also, more people would like to study here in that case. We are aware of this fact, and we are trying to act on this issue, first of all in other CIS countries. We are sending textbooks there, training Russian-language teachers and starting courses. We would like to do this in more countries. Education over the internet and using modern technology play a big role in this respect".

"Recognition of diplomas does not often depend on the level of education of a young professional, but is instead connected with agreements between governments. As a rule, recognition is reciprocal. Today we have relevant agreements with 100 countries and we will try to increase this number."

"Furthermore, it goes without saying that new centres should take an active part in international research cooperation. I know this is part of the plan. Any cooperation must be equitable and involve befitting partners. We must determine for Russian scientists the optimal format of participation in major international projects and ensure the effective use of the results for Russia's technological development".

"In developing the centre it is necessary to pay special attention to its integration with higher educational institutions and their research. It is important to establish direct cooperation with the country's leading universities and organize exchange experience for students, starting with juniors".