Minister of Education and Science of Russian Federation Andrey Fursenko assessed the initiatives of Tatarstan in the sphere of professional education.

 Important questions of education were discussed today in Tatarstan at traditional august conference.

RT President Mintimer Shaimiev and Minister of Education and Science of Russian Federation Andrey Fursenko took part in plenary session of conference “Qualitative education as the basis of competitive ability of the Republic of Tatarstan”. It was held in Laishevsky municipal district by RT Prime Minister Rustam Minnikhanov.

Minister of Education and Science of Russian Federation Andrey Fursenko pointed out the following problems of education: keeping of ungraded schools, necessity of complex approach to training of teachers andserious problems of professional education in the country.

Mr. Fursenko said that pedagogics is inseparably connected with economics and only when we learn to train teachers we will learn to train qualified specialists. In his opinion today professional education should be oriented at needs of economics. Minister of Education and Science of Russian Federation assessed the initiatives of Tatarstan in the sphere of professional education. “I completely support the initiatives of Tatarstan to return to education in technical colleges and the idea that we may rely on university education not colleges in the sphere of energetics”, - Andrey Fursenko said.

Russia may face great changes in the sphere of professional education development, announced Andrey Fursenko, because today the system of professional education doesn’t correspond to demands of modern economics.

What about new branch system of labour payment of workers in budget sphere (Russia plans to start this program on December, 1, 2008, Tatarstan – on January, 1, 2009), Minister of Education and Science of Russia announced that it’s necessary to use stimulative bonuses to encourage teachers (up to one third from labour payment fund). “Today we have to pay not for their coming to work, but for their work itself “, - Andrey Fursenko said .He considers, that now “it’s time for rational assessments” and results of EGE (universal state exam) showed that quality of school education in the country has become worse.

Minister of Education and Science of Russia reminded that we have to pass to new standards in education; for the first time in these new standards there is a demand to follow definite conditions of pupils’ studying for not all Russian schools allow studying in modern conditions.

Also Andrey Fursenko informed that budgets for education are stably growing (on average, for 20-30%) and in future it’s not planned to save money in this sphere.
Speaking to teachers, RT President Mintimer Shaimiev supported Minister of Education and Science of Russia. He told that in growing consolidated budget of Tatarstan expenses for education are more than 20 % (23-24 billion RUR). According to his words, in connection with new branch system of labour payment of workers in budget sphere, labour payment fund in republic budget will increase for 20% that will allow increasing of salary for 10 %.

Tatarstan President noted that in republic people are aimed at approximation of average salaries for industry and budget sphere workers (salary for the last ones can make 80 % from average salary of industry workers).

Moreover, at august meeting Mintimer Shaimiev said that he considers it to be inadmissible to except national component from educational standards in federal state.
Head of Tatarstan reminded about prophylactics of drug addiction among teenagers in particular. He also noted that it was decided to check senior students for drug addiction in Republic. “Though some people suppose it’s discrimination, I’m sure we have to do it if we want to safe our youth,” - Mintimer Shaimiev emphasized.

Republic august videoconference was broadcasted in Internet. Heads of local power bodies and heads of education institutions had the possibility to participate in the conference.
In the end of the meeting RT President Mintimer Shaimiev and Minister of Education and Science of Russian Federation Andrey Fursenko awarded the best workers with state and departmental rewards of Russian Federation and the Republic of Tatarstan.
Tatarstan government also noted the work of 94 heads of common and professional education institutions - the winners of priority national project “Education” and presented them notebooks.