Historical breakthrough

All Moscow universities, except Moscow State University, have recognized the unified exam

A seemingly impossible thing has happened in the capital's university community. All rectors of Moscow universities, with the exception of Moscow State University, decided to accept applicants based on the results of a unified state exam. True, so far only in one subject - history. But the first step in itself is already sensational.

This news was distributed yesterday by the Federal Agency for Education with reference to the decision of the Moscow Council of Rectors. “All the capital’s universities, which previously had history as an entrance exam, from this year accept applicants only based on the results of the unified state exam,” noted Rosoobrazovanie. As for Moscow State University. Lomonosov, then last weekend at the Open Day, the rector of the university, Viktor Sadovnichy, once again stated that he considers the level of the unified state exam “to be admitted to the main university of the country” insufficient.

Let us remind you that today Russian schoolchildren must pass five final exams at school, which in the regions participating in the experiment can be taken in the form of the Unified State Exam. The Unified State Exam in mathematics is mandatory for everyone; graduates can choose the remaining four exams themselves in accordance with the profile of the university they are going to enroll in.

In 2006, as promised by the head of the Moscow Department of Education Lyubov Kezina, the capital is participating in the experiment on the Unified State Exam in an expanded version: schoolchildren will be able to take almost any subject they want in the format of a single exam. Having been an opponent of such examination innovation for several years, Ms. Kezina changed her anger to mercy last summer, when it turned out that the capital’s schoolchildren wrote tests better than students in other Russian cities. And in addition, Moscow universities also began to open their doors to applicants with Unified State Examination certificates.

It is obvious that the almost unanimous approval of the government initiative by the capital’s rectors will serve as a tangible accelerator for the widespread recognition of the Unified State Exam, the experiment of which, according to original plans, was supposed to end this year. According to the head of Rosoobrazovanie, Grigory Balykhin, in 2005, 78 regions participated in this experiment, and out of 1.3 million graduates, approximately 870 thousand took the Unified State Exam; this year, 80 regional applications have already been submitted.

Kirill VASILENKO