– Vyacheslav Alekseyevich, are you satisfied with the results of the Unified State Examination in Nizhniy Novgorod Region?
– In general, the level of training is raising – it is confirmed by the results of USE and comparative international researches. I connect rates improvement in humanities with return of essays – it did indeed make children read, think and discuss more. I think this is the reason, why results improved in the Russian language and in literature. For the first time, children were divided into basic and advanced levels in mathematics and it is quite feasible – not every graduate student needs advanced skills in mathematics. In comparison to the previous years, tasks in advanced mathematics were way more difficult this year. But precisely this allowed to eliminate the most talented students and they will have a definite privilege, when enrolling.
Nizhniy Novgorod Region has a very good educational system, employers have told me this numerous times – graduates from the Nizhniy Novgorod universities come to them. They mention no decrease of specialists’ preparation level.
Certainly, everyone has to learn something additionally, as every institution has its own features and theoretical knowledge is not enough, they need practice. This is why, connection between industry and education is very important, resource centres and preparation centres under the enterprises themselves have a great meaning – there are over twenty of them in the region. For example, there are such centres at the enterprise of “Almaz-Antei” concern, which either retrain working or train new specialists, who are educated from school.
All the children must be admitted to school by registration domicile. In case it is not so – it is a great violation.
I am a dean of a department at the MSU and in order to be admitted there, children have to pass additional specialized mathematics examinations.
– Are additional examinations for some universities well-reasoned, isn’t a USE enough?
– USE was introduced at the beginning of 2000s, when State Duma’s majority was from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation. The examination had its known and evident disadvantages, for instance excess formalization of skills evaluation and decline of traditional but effective forms of attestation, such as essays. When “United Russia” party got majority at the 2007 elections, we started improving USE in stages and are still doing this. Holding additional exams is reasoned for every single situation. For example, it is more that required for artistic institutions – theatre and arts schools. Additional exams are reasoned for MSU, too – we have to test the skills of the future student very deeply.
– Why are minor degrees closing?
– We are now getting rid of semi-higher education and we have made the procedure of depriving of license and attestation for the educational institutions, who do not really implement educational activities in several degrees. All the false higher education institutions will be terminated. Half of graduate students, who cannot find a job after graduation, are lawyers and economists, who have not got adequate education. There are certain standards of specialists’ preparation and it is very difficult to follow them at universities, which teach minor degree programmes. There has to be a set of programmes, a set of teachers to present these programmes. Certainly, transport economists will still be educated at transport universities, but according to the accepted standards. The country does not need poorly prepared specialists. Those kind of programmes were usually paid ones, universities raised money on them, but even universities are scoring from their closing – quality of studies and their status is growing.
A plan for making additional 6,5 million places for students in ten years was designed – thanks to it, the issue will be finally solved. It is the most important part of the “United Russia’s” program and we have already started implementing it.
– Even today, websites of many schools say that enrollment has been finished and the first grades were formed. What do parents of those children, who are not admitted to school by registration domicile, do?
– All the children must be admitted to school by registration domicile. In case it is not so – it is a great violation. But this issue is not regulated by the federal law and for every single situation, parents have to contact Sergei Vasilyevich Naumov at the Ministry of Education of the Nizhniy Novgorod Region. Lack of places at schools is caused by demographic success in our country. Last year, the number of students, who study third shift, increased all over the country. There were no cases like this in Nizhniy Novgorod Region yet. A plan for making additional 6,5 million places for student in ten years was designed – thanks to it, the issue will be finally solved. It is the most important part of the “United Russia’s” program and we have already started implementing it. First tranches have already been received, two new schools will be built in Nizhniy Novgorod Region in 2016. Building new schools and reconstruction of old ones is planned. It is possible for all the children in our country to study first shift.
Source: “Gubernskiye Vedomosti” 
