At the meeting, the results of the past school year were summed up and objectives for the next year were outlined.
In his speech, the Minister of Education and Science stressed the importance of maintaining constant direct dialogue with the regions. “Open and free face-to-face discussions help us to reach common ground, pinpoint issues and find solutions,” he said.
Dmitry Livanov went on to say during the meeting that dozens of new large-scale projects are currently being implemented within the education system, competing against one another for attention and resources. According to the Minister, this will enable the education system to leap forward in an all-encompassing attempt to achieve its development goals.
The Minister said that the comprehensive approach has been tested during the project to modernise regional education systems, which consisted of bringing the average salary of teachers on par with the regional average, while improving the general education infrastructure. The project has made a decisive contribution to providing children with disabilities with distant learning opportunities, ensuring safe student transportation to rural schools and equipping schools with teaching equipment. “However, the current goals as set forth in roadmaps on implementing presidential executive orders are even more complex and ambitious,” Dmitry Livanov said. The Minister thanked the regions for devising regional roadmaps within a tight timeframe. This enabled the Ministry, for example, to agree with the Government’s economic agencies on an allocation of 50 billion roubles from the federal budget for ensuring accessibility of preschool education in the regions.
That said, the Minister pointed out that in a number of regions roadmaps are not backed by appropriate funding, adding that all key objectives, such as increasing salaries of teachers and increasing outreach of preschool and additional education, should be carried out in full within the specified deadlines. “The presidential executive orders make spending on education an absolute priority for the regional budgets,” Dmitry Livanov said.
The Minister of Education warned the regions against redistributing resources within the system instead of increasing them. At the same time, Dmitry Livanov said that asking parents to chip in would be unacceptable as a source of additional funding. According to the Minister, stronger bureaucratic oversight is another risk factor for the implementation of regional roadmaps. Dmitry Livanov called for reducing administrative pressure through higher transparency with regard to activities of educational institutions. “Schools, and not ministries, are at the core of real efforts to improve the quality of education. Teachers must be trusted. Excessive paperwork should be avoided,” he said.
Among other topical issues for the regions, the meeting’s participants discussed the introduction of school uniforms, effective as of September 1, 2013. The Minister said that it is crucial that children, parents and all interested parties become involved in determining the look of school uniforms in order to highlight the school’s identity. Dmitry Livanov also asked that special attention be paid to the issue of supporting economically disadvantaged families so that the need to buy a school uniform does not overburden them.
The Unified State Exam was also discussed during the meeting. According to Mr Livanov, the Ministry will have to work closely with the regions to address deficiencies registered during the 2013 session of the Unified State Exam. There are plans to improve security during Unified State Exams and to adjust the content of the exam in certain disciplines. “An unfair Unified State Exam undermines confidence in regional authorities,” the Minister pointed out.
In conclusion, Dmitry Livanov emphasised that implementing the federal education policy through solutions dictated by Moscow is not an option. “Our aim is to help you deliver on the national objectives, taking into account the specifics of your respective regions. And for that we need regional education systems to be managed by strong leaders and true partners,” the Minister said.
Source: Ministry of Education
