New directions for the development of the Russian HE system
11 Aug 2008
Russia must focus on life-long learning, student mobility and ‘educational individualization’ in order to remain a modern and competitive economy.
Russia’s First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov has set out a new direction for the development of Russia’s higher education system. Russia must focus on life-long learning, student mobility and ‘educational individualization’ in order to remain a modern and competitive economy, said Shuvalov at the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum, held in Russia’s Northern Capital from 6 to 8 June 2008.
According to Shuvalov there is a lack of skilled workers in all highly developed countries, so people have become the main strategic resource for social and economic development. In spite of the fact that Russian HE system is assumed to be one of the best in the world in many fields, the current situation will not be able to withstand the economic challenges of continued progress in the coming years.
Shuvalov said that the planned activities would help the Russian education system meet the requirements of modern economics. One of the key tasks is to provide life-long learning, as ‘people in the innovation society should learn all the time’. Russia has decided to exempt corporate spending on education from tax in order to encourage employers to organize professional development and retraining courses for their specialists.
In addition, it is also important that Russian education be integrated into the international innovative and educational environment. In the opinion of Igor Shuvalov, favourable conditions should be created to entice Russians who live and work abroad back to the country, as well as to attract foreign scientists to Russia. ‘It would be useful to attract large foreign companies to take part in Russian educational programmes, first of all to engineering subjects,’ said Igor Shuvalov.
In his speech Shuvalov did not overlook the importance of student mobility, including internships for Russian students abroad and attracting foreign students to study at Russian universities. The new education system will focus on ‘educational individualization’, giving every student an opportunity to decide how he or she wishes to develop. The First Deputy Prime Minister emphasized the importance of supporting gifted young people by introducing special scholarships and student loans.