Документ взят из кэша поисковой машины. Адрес оригинального документа : http://www.rsr-online.ru/doc/norm/395.doc Дата изменения: Mon May 25 14:25:46 2009 Дата индексирования: Tue Oct 2 03:10:04 2012 Кодировка:

Address of the President of Russian Federation D. A. Medvedev
at the IX Congress of Russia Rectors' Union



March 20, 2009, Moscow, Intellectual Center - Fundamental Library

of Moscow State Lomonosov University



Good day, dear colleagues! I am very pleased to be with you at your
Congress. Thank you for your kind invitation. There is a serious question
in Congress' agenda - strategy of Higher School development, and certainly,
vital problems of your institutions, especially actual in the current
economic situation.

I know that RRU's members considered my recent initiatives to support
Russian students very closely. I expect that these initiatives would be
discussed here and would be followed by constructive work during this
period, which is complicated for all.

A month ago, I have given several commissions, aimed to support
Russian students, the system of higher professional education and job
placement of graduates. One of these commissions was to consider
possibility of transferring advanced paid students to state budget scheme
of education.

According to this, Ministry of Education has prepared respective
recommendations to universities. Experts have calculated the number of
these transfers at 25,000 for this year - provided constructive position of
universities management. This figure is very high, even if compared to
total number of our students.

We have an answer to my advice to freeze fees. According to Ministry
of Education, more than 300 higher education institutions have decided to
freeze fees in roubles for today's students for their whole period of
study. I hope, this position will be supported by others - despite the
sizable impact on universities' income. It is a difficult decision to take.
Generally, we tried to apply principles of modern economics to education
fees recently. Nevertheless, we must take a step in this direction - like
other countries, by the way. Anyhow, let us examine this year's progress
and consider this question later.

In the immediate future, our Government legalizes the procedure of
obtaining favorable educational loans. Loan charges will be minimal, while
the repayment will be effected after graduation and employment. As for
minimal charges, we plan to subsidize with budget money three-quarters of
percentage rate of Central Bank, and indemnify to banks up to 20% of bad
debts. Actually, the State itself will be a guarantee for these loans.
Certainly, to get the loan student must progress well in studies.

In one of my recent TV appeals, I have mentioned the difficulties that
graduates face during job placement this year. To support graduates,
measures were taken like retraining to jobs of greater demand and more
budget postgraduate vacancies at different levels. Combined number of these
vacancies can reach 63,000. This increase must not cause a decline in
education's quality, because quantity not always transforms to quality. We
must keep it in mind.

Besides, there is an initiative at State Duma to legalize creation of
small businesses by educational and scientific establishments. The idea was
frequently discussed during my meetings with rectors and students.
Actually, new possibilities will be created to commercialize intellectual
potential of the Higher School. Experts estimate the number of jobs at
these businesses up to 30,000 - including ones at vital hi-tech goods and
services.

All the mentioned measures could be considered anti-crisis.
Simultaneously, they are necessary to modernize our Higher School. Long
before the crisis, we were aimed to train really highly qualified
specialists - those able to create and apply modern technologies, to
integrate education, science and industry for innovative purposes.
Therefore, I believe that such a law is important. Certainly, we will see
its results. Anyway, extra possibility is necessary now.

I would like to mention that legal requirements to establish Federal
and national research universities are formulated now. Actually, this work
was initiated within national project "Education". Now it is time to make
it day-to-day activity. National project "Education" was conductive to
allocation considerable sums of budget money to 57 universities - winners
in contest of innovative educational programs. It helped to modernize
studies and facilities. I have visited many of these universities at the
time of the grants were presented to them. It is important that it gave
them possibilities to create own programs and find non-standard solutions.

I will make no secret that many higher education institutions fall
short of demands of the time, related to quality of education and research.
These demands were put forward by current economic situation. Still,
despite these complications, we must make education closer to labor market
situation, aim your work to the most modern, most advanced trends of
economy and social development.

As the national project "Education" was progressing, its new feature
had emerged. At its pilot stage, it was called "National Research
University". Two of these universities are operational already and we
actually start to set up a network of national research universities.

This year, according to contest's results, this rank will be given to
several universities. It means that the winners get budget money to
modernize their infrastructure, facilities and scientific equipment - all
things that are traditionally needed by universities.

In spite of financial problems, 2009 budget allocates funds for these
purposes. The crisis must not curtail these and other programs, which have
proved their effectiveness over last time.

We have set up this national project and have been developing it not
for ruin it because of temporary financial difficulties and to find
ourselves in the mid-nineties again. It is unacceptable.

I stress - striving to creative work, to new substance of education is
the integral part of higher school development strategy for years to come.

Now some words about legislation in educational field. We have many
novelties in the sphere last time. It is understandable during the process
of modernization. Still, educational cycle is long by its nature - so, we
have to form a sound modern legislative base, immune to opportunistic
considerations. At least, we have to work for it.

Dear colleagues! During my recent visit to Spain, I have attended a
meeting of Russian, Spanish and Latin American universities' rectors. At
the meeting, we discussed the "educational mobility" - exchange of
professors and students, rising of teachers' qualification, setting up of
centers of common use of unique equipment. It is extremely important to
integrate our educational system into world educational community, to
exchange freely with ideas and information. Despite my love for modern
technologies, for Internet, no full-fledged university life is possible
without personal contacts, without an ability to visit colleagues or
receive them. True, the e-forms are good, but traditional personal contacts
are indispensable.

This year has been declared "Year of Youth" in Russia. In February,
for the first time, I have presented President's Prizes to young
scientists. It was for the first time indeed, and these were significant
prizes by their status and size.

President's grants for young candidates and doctors were noticeably
increased, too. A decree to raise Presidential grants for students and post-
graduates is practically ready now. We plan to increase the number of the
grants (up to 2.000) and their size (2-3 times).

We plan in the nearest future to discuss these problems at State
Council. I think that the Congress's documents will be considered at the
Council, too.

Dear friends, I wish you constructive work. I hope that in this
difficult period we could preserve our latest achievements, and pass it
over without significant losses. Anyway, State will do everything possible
and I hope that universities will cooperate.

I wish you good luck and successes!



* * *

I would like to make two more remarks to define my position towards
some statements, delivered here, interesting to me and, I believe, to
others.

First, about the introduction speech of the Holy Patriarch. I totally
agree that we must not think about overcoming the crisis alone, about
solving traditional, though painful, problems of professors and rectors,
rather about forming the system of values as a frame of references to guide
our society in its development.

The question is extremely difficult. I mean that now we have just
started to define modern system of values, which could direct our
development for years to come. Certainly, these values must unite us,
rather than separate. Let us recall the Soviet system of values. It was
mainly false, but it had been shared by considerable part of our society.
Our new values must be accepted by society, must consolidate it. It is the
most difficult thing.

I have tried to formulate my conceptions about the system of values in
President's address at the end of the last year. These values are rather
simple but at the same time extremely important for every country - human
rights, family foundations, patriotism. These principles are just now
becoming true values for a big part of our society. Another value is
education as a part of social universe, which helps to develop our world.
We must think of it, otherwise, we risk accepting false values for the true
ones - rather frequent occurrence in our history.

Another remark. Yes, we discuss difficulties. Still, education
development does not mean just crisis overcoming. If we slip to survival
discussion, there will be no future. Therefore, I endorse the new
educational dimension strategic initiative and other motions to be
discussed here.

Yes, we have to help students and professors now. We must think over
the problem of job placement. Some relevant measures were proposed. If you
have other interesting ideas, State will listen to you.

We must preserve scientific collectives in universities. Let us recall
the early-nineties situation. I just started my scientific-pedagogical
career at that time and I would remember it forever. I remember humble
situation of professors, their side-earnings and dim perspectives of
Russian higher school. Nevertheless, current situation is different. We
have to think about the best use of the situation.

Indeed, we must use the crisis. We use the word very often, but we
ought not to hide behind it. Let us recall the famous Bulgakov's phrase
about devastation in brains, rather than in toilets. Therefore, you must
not use the crisis as an excuse to own inability to solve simple problems.
Actually, we must use crisis-created possibilities to solve problems,
pending for years or problems that evaded decision for different reasons.

Another thing for you to hear. Yes, we did something for education
recently. One could say, "Not enough" - it is true. No one could say,
"Nothing is done". National project "Education" and other motions, sizeable
part of the pre-crisis budget, allocated for education are the proof of our
activity. It does not mean that all our deeds, including legislation, are
the «sacred cow». It does not mean that we do not make mistakes. Therefore,
we must evaluate our deeds, especially in legislative sphere. I challenge
the Congress to develop its best qualities and think of changes in existing
norms, related to higher school life. I stress it again - I mean not the
current situation, but future.

I sincerely hope that these are the problems for you to be occupied
with. Thank you very much.