Russian Deputy Prime Minister Says Ministry of Education Works Well

On Wednesday, speaking at a final meeting of the Ministry of Education Board, Deputy Head of the Russian Government Valentina Matviyenko spoke positively of the ministerial work.

Matvienko reminded those present that in view of the forthcoming administrative reform the country will face the restructuring of many educational authorities - from the ministerial to municipal level.

It means that a new model of education management will be devised with decisive measures taken to achieve it, including managerial streamlining and elimination of excessive educational structures, the Deputy Prime Minister explained.

At the same time, a new management structure will be set up to ensure the transition of primary and secondary professional educational institutions from the federal to regional level, Matviyenko noted. Namely, the contractual basis between employers and educational staff training institutions is expected to be widened. However, the handing over of vocational institutions must not be purely "mechanical" and will be accompanied by a series of measures ensuring that the staff and curriculum remain intact, Matviyenko stressed.

She is also sure that "Russia has chosen the right way to educational modernization." At the same time, the Deputy Prime Minister noted that some changes were implemented "more slowly and less consistently" than planned. It is caused by a delay in the adoption of the law on the state standard of comprehensive education, Matviyenko said.

The modernization of education must not be carried out without assessing the social impact of the process. It means that high-quality education must not be selective, the Deputy Prime Minister stressed. "The system must examine various social groups ensuring that they have equal educational opportunities," Matviyenko noted.

On the other hand, the modernization aims at eliminating low performance in education. The pilot scheme of introducing the unified state exam is called upon to address the issue. Other ways to tackle the problem include setting up a system of scholarships and an effective model of educational grants and funding vocational training from the federal budget.

"We aim at retaining the best traditions and standards of the Russian classical education system," Matviyenko stressed.