Minister Fursenko promises

education
In the new academic year, big changes await schoolchildren, students and their parents. Kommersant correspondent ANNA KACHUROVSKAYA was warned about this by the Minister of Education and Science ANDREY FURSENKO. The main news is that by the end of the academic year, full higher education may become paid.
— Education reform in the country has been going on for four years now, should we expect new experiments in the beginning school season?
— We are beginning to complete the experimentation stage. For example, 16 regions that were the first to introduce the Unified State Exam (Unified State Examination - Kommersant) are almost ready to completely switch to this form next year. This means that in these regions, parents, children and teachers are generally satisfied with the experiment. But this does not mean that the Unified State Exam itself will not change. In the ministry itself, we are not yet satisfied with the quality of control and measurement materials (test questions—Kommersant) and will continue to work on these technologies for many years to come.
— Previously, you did not exclude the possibility of stopping the Unified State Exam experiment, but now, apparently, the experiment cannot be closed. By 2006, will we completely switch to such a system of testing students' knowledge?
— In fact, we can talk about this as a resolved issue, but the Unified State Exam will not be the only way to enter a university. This is only one of the tools for testing knowledge and quality of education.
— What is the alternative to the Unified State Exam?
— School Olympiads. In the fall, the ministry will submit a corresponding bill to the State Duma, which, I think, will be adopted. Thus, already this academic year, not only the winners of all-Russian Olympiads, but also interregional ones will be able to enter the university based on the results of their participation in the Olympiad. For the first time, we have allocated 150 million rubles for holding the Olympics. a separate line in the state budget.
— Now parents urgently need to prepare their children for the Olympiads in order to have time to enter, for example, Moscow State University without a competition?
— I am sure that it is impossible to prepare for victory at the Olympics in a year. We have a well-functioning, strict Olympic system; weak students do not win at the Olympiads.
— What changes will be made to the higher education system?
— We are preparing a bill on introducing a bachelor’s and master’s degree system into higher professional education. This is the system they use to study in Europe. Since we have become participants in the Bologna process, and therefore part of European education, we must meet international standards.
— That is, the traditional five-year university education will be abolished?
“We haven’t decided yet, but most likely, you will need to study for a bachelor’s degree for four years and a master’s degree for a year or two. A bachelor's degree is a full-fledged higher education. Those who decide to specialize in complex engineering, management or scientific fields will go to the master's program, and those who plan to continue their education in graduate school, doctoral studies, etc. Already now there are universities in which there is such a division, and those who go to the master's program less than half of the students.
— Will the same number of budget places remain in the master’s program as for students at the first stage of study, or will the master’s program become paid?
— Naturally, there will be fewer budget places in the master’s program than in the bachelor’s degree. The state cannot pay for everything, so it will primarily support fundamental research and areas related to the defense capability and security of the country. I can definitely say that most of the master's programs will be paid.

Newspaper "Kommersant" No. 161 dated 01.09.2004, p. 4

Authors:

Anna Kachurovskaya

"Most of the master's degree will be paid"

"Most of the master's degree will be paid"