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V I C T O R S A D O V N I C H I Y

President of the Russia Rectors Union
Rector of the Lomonosov Moscow State University


Report at the VIII Congress
of the Russia Rectors Union





















June 8-9, 2006
Lomonosov Moscow State University
Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich!
Dear participants and guests of the Congress!


Dear colleagues!

The people who gathered today in this hall are particularly responsible for
the way of development of the Russian education.

About one thousand rectors, managing and executive officials of the
ministries and departments, governors of the regions, deputies of the State
Duma and members of the Council of Federation all of them are taking part
at the Congress.

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin the President of the Russian Federation
participating at the Congress is a great honour for the whole educational
community of our country.

Allow me on behave of the rectors corps to thank Vladimir Vladimirovich
heartily for his constant attention to the problems of education and
support of the Higher School!


Dear colleagues!

It is generally known that our future is not determined by raw stock or
other natural resources. Intellectual potential, level of the science
development, high technologies - these are the key points of the economics
competitive capability.

Very good words. But the question is how to achieve this purpose.

Educational system in Russia heretofore presents as one of the best.
Specialists' training on the different subjects corresponds to the
international highest standards. Indirect but convincing confirmation of
this fact is "brain drain" when the graduates of our universities are
greedily wishful abroad.

For example more than one thousand graduates from the Russian higher
education institutes work in "Microsoft", about one thousand in IBM, one
thousand and half in Intel. Many of the managers of these companies frankly
say: "Don't stop the training of such guys otherwise we will have nobody to
work."

Sergey Petrovich Kapitsa has told us: "The important international forum
have taken place in USA recently, it was devoted to the neuroscience, 30
thousands of participants, this concept is on the top of development. It is
known that expenses on the treatment of nervous system diseases are equal
to the expenses on the treatment of cardiovascular and oncological diseases
taken together There are 300 graduates of Russian universities now working
in America and other countries took part at the conference, and only 8
experts had come from Russia immediately".

Undoubtedly there are a lot of problems brought by our life. During the
Congress we have to discuss the row of strategic issues on education
development such as increasing the quality, reproduction of the scientific
personnel, perfection of administration and creation of the competitive
system of the specialists' training.

What are the general missions?

First of all let us emphasize on availability and quality.

As all the history and all the life show our country is extremely rich in
talent people. They appears everywhere - in the capital and in the
provinces, in small villages and in big cities. We should find them out,
educe and give them the opportunity to realize themselves. And they will
define the level of science, education and economy in future.

Availability is not an empty issue. It is the issue of spirits in the
society. And it sounds very significant. Up to now the entrance to the
leading university or institute of a schoolboy from small town or village
is a very important event. It is an etalon of equity in our society in a
sense.

Unfortunately on 90th the so-call "regionalization" of education has
happened. School leavers, reasoning from the economy considerations mainly,
preferred to enter to the institute of higher education which was situated
no far from their home, but depriving themselves of education they desired
and worthy to get.

However there is a back side of the problem. There is no mixing of
different social strata which are living various regions. But many
countries originate special programmes for people mixing to save joint
cultural space.

What else should be done.

We think we promptly need to pass the law on olimpiads, creative
competitions, different forms of special-purpose training for students,
system of selection among the talent young people throughout the country.
Without postponing need to establish clear entering regulations on the
multivariable basis. And more about the issue is the creation of the
purposeful training system for students and graduated students which are to
be sent to the leading national universities having rich scientific base.

Of course we will face the problems of lack of dormitories and the others,
but these problems are not so difficult compare to the problems of
education availability and reproduction of scientific potential.

Quality of our education

The quality of education has decreased last years. Nowadays the school
levels of training on mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, Russian
language give a great concern. After all, these subjects are the basis of
school education.

On April 2005 the «Russian Newsweek» magazine marked: "Every fifth of
Russian school leaver is nonqualifying to receive the school-leaving
certificate. Because the every fifth of them is flunk. According to the
results of the State Unified Examination on 2004 the 19,5% of eleventh-
formers flunked math exam, and it means they flunked the school program on
this key subject. The results on other subjects are not more better.
Nevertheless everybody received his school-leaving certificate."
I'd like to remind that not long ago in USA the mathematics illiteracy was
announced as the national security threat. Concerning this point the USA
Congress adopted the special resolution, the large financial means were
assigned.

We can remember that on 1701 Peter I decided to establish the «school of
mathematics and navigation» in Moscow. Now let us remember the recent
events. On 60-70th with a view to expedite the technological progress the
state resolutions on mathematics teaching were adopted more the once.

At first, undoubtedly, the problem of education quality turns on the
teachers' material well-being and their status. The measures, proposed by
the President of RF in the framework of the national projects including
«Education» project, are initial but very significant steps towards
resolving the problem. They should be promoted. In many regions the school
conditions were improved, the prestige of teacher was enhanced. For this
purpose it was decided to deviate from the Unified Tariff Scale and to
introduce the elements of sectoral system. The aim of these innovations is
to double the teacher's salary at least.

The poor training at schools decreases the level of the higher education.
Moreover the teachers are had to search the additional earnings break away
from the main job.

Nowadays we have the paradoxical situation. The professor two thirds of his
own time passes out of the main job earning for life at the different
places. By some estimates, two thirds of his salary he earns «outside» too.
Professor is worthy to draw good salary enough for life. In this case we
can demand from him to spend all his time at the university. It should be
recorded in the personal contract the same way as in many universities
throughout the world.

There is an example. A week ago it was arranged the handing over of the
invaluable manuscripts written by Ivan A. Ilyin famous Russian thinker,
philosopher, professor of the Moscow University, to the MSU library. These
manuscripts were kept at the library of the Michigan University and were
handed over to us of the scientist will.

Staff of the Michigan University packed the manuscripts into the special
containers in the evening gratuitously. The weight of the cargo was 500 kg.
When they were asked why they worked in the evening but not in the daytime,
the answer was: "We want to help the Moscow University very much, but
during the daytime we work for our university under contract and can help
you only when have free time". Here's an attitude to their duties in the
university!

We make a suggestion to work out and adopt the law on pedagogical worker.
When working out the draft of this law it is necessary to consider the
opportunities for the wage raise of teachers and research workers of the
university. Even more the similar experiment has been already conducting at
the Russia Academy of Sciences. The good support will be the planning
increase of candidate' and doctor' level increment for three and seven
thousands roubles conformably.

Secondly, the quality of education depends directly on the professional
skills of the teachers. In many recently established institutes, these are
for the most part legal, economic and administrative institutes, there is a
hard lack of pedagogically qualified staff. There is no potential in our
country capable of teaching at every institutes of higher education along
with the branches. After all, there are 3345 institutes.

There are 93 structures of higher education in Moscow and the Region which
are turn out certificated lawyers. And here the question is born who is
teaching them, wherefrom a lot of high quality lawyers appear who are able
to read complicated 300-400 hours lecture courses. It turned out, that in
the member staff list, just for advertisement, the names of famous
professors and experts are present, but they do not teach anybody there and
often do not know about the «new job» at all.

On 2005 according to the Ministry of Education and Science information,
four hundred educational establishments were inspected, only one hundred
and sixty of them did not rouse the censures. Ministry's Officials make no
secret of the fact that most of the branches changed into the station of
certificate issuing, most often not free of charge.

The equal certificates are given despite the fact that the potential is
absolutely different and, correspondingly, the quality of education is not
the same, but all the certificates are state approved. To my point of view
we have two ways. On the one hand we should create effective and strict
system of licensing and accreditation to put a place in order. On the other
hand we can turn to the system of certificate of the university, in this
case every university should be obliged to strive for the quality of its
certificate.

Thirdly, we should create well thought-out, computerized system of quality
control. Moreover this system should cover not only universities but
schools too.

In that case there will be no mistakes when admission the institute of
higher education. All the success of the school leaver, of the student will
be taken into consideration systematically during the whole period of his
studies. It will be clear who has abilities for study and who do not want
to or can not study counting on the parents' purse only.

In reality we speak about the very important thing: forming of the unified
informational medium in the educational sphere. Many of the universities
emphatically put a question on the creation of the appropriate resources
centers using their base.

Now let's discuss whom we are teaching students for? How the employers
evaluate the level of our graduate?

Now a few words about the history of this question. Educational system of
the Soviet Union was organized under the unique principle, it fulfilled its
missions on training of the qualified specialists in the framework of the
planned economics. This system could provide for unprecedented burst of the
scientific technological progress and priorities of our country on the
space exploration, nuclear-power engineering and the other spheres.

Nowadays we are living in the changed country, we have another economics.
And to train students for "nowhere" when many of them, sometimes most of
them, work against their specialty, for example graduates from the
pedagogical institutes, it seems like an absurdity.

That's why the sharpest issue on the interrelationship between educational
system, employers and business has appeared. There are a lot of hard
problems, but the path of their resolving is very clear.

We often say that education defines the future of the country, because the
future, first of all, is the high technologies, the newest achievements of
fundamental science, the new discoveries in micro world, in macro world, in
the space exploration, in the nature of living matter. And these
discoveries help our country to reach the higher level of the economics,
provide for its competitiveness. But who will make all these discoveries,
inventions, technologies, preparations, goods? Only the specialists trained
using the thorough knowledge, in the genuine scientific institutions, in
the innovation environment.

How can we to lose sight that some countries due to their geopolitical
interests use the different colours for the territories which are nearer
and nearer to our borders. Well known to us Zbignev Bzhezinsky in his book
«The Great Chess-Board» chapter "Geostrategy regarding to Eurasia"
described the scenario of such events. We see that many things of this
scenario is happening. How can we contain the threat to our national
interests. Only by the high technological means of defense. And our
graduates should construct them. Just for this reason the conditions of
uninterrupted study and army service postponement for talent, inventively
active masters, graduate students, working for doctor's degree persons,
should be provided.

We used to refer to the foreign experience. For example, and it is
necessary to mention that American universities take an active part in
researching the military themes. According to the rector of Northern
Caroline University, the budget of the university on research works amounts
to one billion dollars. The 80% of the budget are the State orders and the
lion's share of them are concerning to the Pentagon.

At any price, we have to save the high level of science in our country, the
highest quality of the professional education. We know that President
supports the development of important scientific efforts, the list of
priority directions was confirmed. To accomplish these missions the
powerful scientific institutions will be established, the universities and
the research-and-development centers will join their efforts. And these
measures are promptly required for our country at present situation.
Perhaps we should bolder commit the famous scientists to the managing of
the large-scale research projects. Everybody should know, who and what is
personally responsible for.

Today the employers justly make great demands to the level of graduates'
professional skills. Sometimes they are not satisfactory. Surely, these are
the costs of mass training of specialists especially at the recently
established institutes, I've already mentioned this.

Of course, the employer should have the right to formulate his demands, so
to speak, his order, the employer should participate in the discussion of
standards and programs. There a lot of joint initiatives are already exist:
special programs of training rest on fundamental scientific basis for the
future work; graduates' development when working in firms; retraining of
the specialists; schools of perfection; and such a new form of joint
training as corporate universities. Today there are more than four
thousands of these universities all over the world. We think, this is the
one of the strategic ways of resolving co-operation problems between
university, employer and business.

In the President's Annual Message the employer initiatives on financing of
leading universities by means of special development funds and on forming
of educational credit system were supported. To my mind, the issue on
adopting the law on student's credits and this kind of funds has come to a
head.

Just today at the Congress we are planning to sign the agreement on
strategic partnership of Russia Rectors Union with the largest integration
of employers: Russian Union of Industrialists and Businessmen, Chamber of
Commerce and Industry, "Delovaya Russia", "Opora Rossii". We are ready to
sign the agreements with the other integrations.

The most all-important issue of education is reproduction of the scientific
potential.

Unfortunately, the resource environment to resolve the issue is too slight
now. Because of critical scarcity of teaching and scientific staff,
sometimes the competitions on filling the positions of professor or head of
chair are the mere formality.

Nowadays there are about 30-40 thousands proactive scientists who are
quoted in Russia. Half of them works abroad, but they are on the list of
our universities and institutes. In fact the staff of scientific
institutions has lost the generation of 35-40-year-old people. It will be
very difficult to patch up this tear within the scientific community.
Moreover, the significant demographic problem is raising.

In the recent years the State has made some steps towards the creation of
conditions to stimulate the reproduction of scientific and pedagogical
personnel. These are the well-known decrees of the President and Government
resolutions. However, it is necessary to recognize that in the meantime we
could not see the radical turn on this issue.

Not every measure undertaken within this sphere was equally indisputable.
For example, chargeable training of post-graduate students. As a result,
admission at the post-graduate course and the quantity of newly-made
candidates and doctors of science have increased up many times. Since 1993
due to paid education, the quantity of post-graduate students has increased
three times. On conditions that the number of research leaders decreased
noticeably. And the "turnkey" preparation of candidate or doctor
dissertation as kind of business has appeared, dissertations has become an
object of purchase and sale.

To get an academic degree become a very modern fact within the prominent
businessmen and even deputies. Formal membership of the intellectual elite
begins to depend not only on labour and talent of a person, but on his
paying capacity. We should put an end to this modern fact.

How to resolve the problem of scientific staff reproduction? It seems that
it is necessary to emphasize key issues.

Firs of all, it is the support of the young, really talented scientists.
This issue was repeatedly discussed at the Presidential Council. It is well
known what problems should be resolved to keep the young scientists inside
the research and educational sphere. These are the problems of salary,
modern research equipment and living quarters.

By the way, the abovementioned Presidential Council comes out in favour of
a proposal to establish the All-Russian Council of Young Scientists and it
will be represented by the speech of Natalya Polosmak, the State Prize
laureate.

Now about living quarters. I would like to propose a new idea. Nowadays the
Hypothec as a part of housing policies is developing. Perhaps, we should
take in a view the one more opportunity - building of the rental housing.
The Hypothec ties the specialist to the appointed place depriving him of
the mobility. It is difficult to decide to sell his own flat. Otherwise,
the rental housing habitation has the obvious advantage - it is given for
the defined term. Having the appropriate legislative instruments the
institutes were allowed to build such a kind of rental housing and keep the
young scientists on.

Now about the development of the modern legal basis.

There are many legislative acts adopted on the issues of the higher
education which were many times amended. The necessity to work out and
adopt the Educational Code similar to the Tax or Labour Code has come. And
the taxation should be clearly determined in the framework of this Code.
Today when the professor at his own expenses buys the computer for the
state institute he should pay duty.

On behalf of the Russia Rectors Union we propose to adopt Educational Code
as a State law and apply to State Duma for support of our proposal.

Then, I'd like to express the rectors community's opinion on the two now
discussed laws: law on the self-dependent establishments and law on the
rector and president.

All of us acknowledge the importance of state impact consolidation within
the institutes of higher education activities. It is normal and necessary
measure. At the same time, the state administration should not weaken but
strengthen the self-control potential of the institute ensuing its self-
dependence, and not to become a redundant bureaucratic process.

To our points of view, the proposed procedure of rector election and the
introduction of presidential post need to be changed and supplemented.

The first. We should clearly determine what point is considered when
speaking about the nomination on the post of the rector. This person was
many times attested both as a scientist and a leader. That's why the
attesting parameters of the nominee to the post of rector should be
definitely pointed. This criteria should not be secret for the institutes
community.

We think, that the right way is to commit the consideration on nominees to
the board of ministries under the institute's departmental governance, or,
perhaps, to the special state commissions which included voting right
representatives of public society, Rectors Union, regional and municipal
authorities, employers, and all of these measures should be strictly
determined by the law.

The second. Surely, the president of the institute of higher education,
when it is necessary to introduce this post, should become one of the
former rector of this institute the most ready for this work and elected by
the academic council, but not a person recommended from outside, for
example, failed politician.

And the third. The authorities of the rector and the president should be
segregated by law, but not on the base of their mutual agreement. Such
definiteness is especially necessary for the working collective because
this is a new mater, in many respects is artificial, potentially fraught
with disorder and hesitations which should be escaped.

I'm sure, that adoption of these amendments saves the self-dependence of
the institutes and turns be a favour both for the State and civil society
of Russia.

Universities' self-dependence proved its effectiveness in all the countries
during the centuries starting with Pythagoras Union, Platon Academy and
Alexander Motion.

Here are the words of M. Speransky famous Russian statesman of the XIX
century: "If the state desires to provide the society with infinite
material and ethical benefits which are brought by the culture of genuine
science, it cannot but consider the specific nature of these
establishments".

And now the most proper time speak about the submitted draft law «On the
Self-dependent Institutions».

An active discussion of the draft law has being continuing more than a
year. It close analyses was organized by Moscow Legal Academy, Moscow,
Sankt Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Far East Universities and by the other
institutes. These conclusions full of apprehension that in case of changing
the status from the state educational institution to the self-dependent
establishment the possibility of property alienation would occur. That
could lead to the changing of proprietor and to the modification of the
institute's direction.

This problem alarms not only the scientific community. Valery Fokin, the
famous theatre producer said: " . one prominent businessman is waiting
impatiently when the law on Self-dependent Institutions will be adopted. He
wants to use money, he has a lot of money, for entering the one of the
leading theatres. The purpose is the following: hating "Chekhov's", hating
all these "Cherry orchards" where the businessman is a laughing-stock." We
will put on the stage the plays where businessman is always a good person."

The Rectors Union has prepared the proposals to the Government of the
Russian Federation which would help to resolve almost all indicated in the
draft law issues on stimulation of the institute activities and on the
extension of its independence in the financial sphere. However, and it is
of fundamental importance, the legal status of the university is not
changing.

It seems an expedient action to make this question as the subject of much
study and to take it in consideration when adopting the Educational Code,
coordinating with the other branches of law: finance, tax and insurance.

In conclusion, the two more questions.

The development of the Higher School is impossible without the large-scale
international co-operation.

Soon in Sankt Petersburg during the "Summit of eight" a lot of important
issues will be discussed, among them an issue on education. There were many
meetings with the rectors of States of Eight and with the rectors from the
different regions of the world. Andrey Alexandrovich Fursenko has conducted
the large work. There were four of such a meeting only at the Moscow
University.

The common mood of the participants is recognition of the achievements of
the higher education. Everybody marked that our problems in general are
very similar, and the best way is to resolve them together. Therefore we
should actively work to develop that co-operation including in the
framework of the famous international processes, for example, the Bologna
process. International co-operation is a road with two-way traffic: we
should to learn adopting the useful experience, and we should save the best
at ourselves. Perhaps, somebody will study our experience.

There are the other priorities of our international activities - CIS. The
forum of the scientific and creative intellectuals, which was held on
April, showed that deepening and intensification of contacts, maintenance
of the joint humanitarian space are the common wish of the people of our
countries despite the fact that some politicians trying to embroil us.

Unfortunately, the learning quotas assignable by inter-state relationship
are too small. The school standards turn to be very different.
Nevertheless, there is more optimism than pessimism. Quotas, as we know,
are increasing by the Government, inter-university co-operation of our
countries begins to pick up speed.

Here is the one more important direction - creation of the branches of the
Russian leading universities in the CIS countries. Moscow University has
three of them - in Sevastopol, in Astana, in Tashkent. The forth - in
Bishkek, is planning to be opened.

It is high time, at last, to tune the on-line education; that is not too
expensive but is much in demand. Of course, in this case we would have an
opportunity to promote and save our great Russian language.

Concerning our students. What are they represents themselves today? What
are their aspirations and purposes? How do we bring them up?

For the period from 1995 till 2005 the quantity of the students has
increased two and half times and has approached near the number of seven
millions. In Russia among every 10 thousands people 430 of them are
students. This is the one of the highest indexes in the world. According to
the sociological research 76% of students are satisfied with their
education, and they suppose that they could work in any country. About 80%
of the youth show displeasure of their welfare standards, about half of
them considers that the bureaucracy protects interests of rich. In
addition, nowadays the students are more interested in politics, parties'
platforms. And these politically active students are about 75%.

Therefore, the careful attitude to the students is a matter of great
importance. We think that already in 2007 it is necessary to provide
financial mechanisms for the considerable raising of scholarship.






Dear Colleagues!

There are more then twenty concrete proposals within my report which were
discussed at the regional councils and showed the opinion of the rectors
community. At the same time, 10 of them are the additions and modifications
to the legislative basis of education. Realization of our proposals
undoubtedly improve the students conditions and serves for the development
of education in our country.

Education is an indivisible part of the youth upbringing. Today's young
people will be responsible for our country in the future, will protect its
interests. Our general mission is to assist them to become real patriots.
The young generation should have the clear conception on what is the true
patriotism. Moreover, this word is in increasing frequency used by
different political forces with the various purposes.

To my point of view, concerning this matter the most precise and the most
capacious words were said by Ivan Alexandrovich Ilyin: A man could live all
his life within the bounds of his state but not to find his homeland, and
his soul would be patriotically uninhabited and lifeless. , . finding the
homeland is an act of the mental self-determination."

Youth upbringing should to be the main purpose of the education, become the
head vector of all society life. According to Dmitry Sergeevich Likhachev
"It should not be a deafness to the Word, a staleness to the Good, a
forgetfulness to the Past and a blindness to the Beauty, and for all these
the Knowledge are necessary which are given by Education."


Thanks for the attention!