Moscow, December 24, 2008

At the Council in the beginning of this year we discussed the first results of the priority national project, those real changes which happened as in general as in professional education. First of all, it is forming of project thinking, modern management culture at all participants of education, introduction of new organizational mechanisms, development of public participation.

The realization of the national project was appreciated as successful, and the decision on its further development has been made. At preparing the program for the following years we have grouped the national project activities in correspondence with priority tasks of approved Concept of long-term social and economic development.

In 2008, as it was planned, the support of innovative schools, delivery of buses and the mostly demanded educational devices were finished. Their equipment in base schools has been increased in 4-5 times.

For reference: in Russia there are about 15 thousand base schools (around one fourth of all schools), half of schoolchildren (around 7 billion people) study there.

In 2009 the contest support of regions, which introduce complex projects of modernization of education will be finished. In schools of these regions there will be perfected new organizational and economic mechanisms, and we are seeing already the effects of their application.

A number of activities of the national project will be continued according to the plan, which are realized according to regulations and orders of the President, - such as support of the best teachers, talented youth, preparation of contract soldiers for studying in universities and others.

We suggest their modernization taking into consideration newly set tasks. Thus, with support of the best teachers we propose to organize work on introducing new standards. Payments for class management - to continue within support of transfer at new systems of labor payment. Starting from 2010 efficient organizational-economic schemes, polished in complex project, will be applied in all regions.

Within the national project all schools have received the access to Internet. But thousand children with disabilities, who can study only at home are deprived of this and many other opportunities of a quality education.

This year Russia has joined the international convention on rights of disabled people, the order of the President on support of people with disabilities and their families has been issued. The next year in Moscow is announced as the year of equal opportunities. Successful schemes of distance learning of such children are being formed in the capital and a number of other regions with support of the Federal target program of education development. These workings can become a basis for realization of new activities of the national project on supporting regional centers of distance learning for disabled children. We propose to start this support already in 2009, giving not less than 1 billion rubles within the existing financing of the national project.

Starting from the last year, the state compensates a part of expenses for keeping children in nursery schools to parents. But far not each family, which has small children, can use this right, there are not enough places in nursery schools. Next year this measure of support will be extended - the Government has prepared and is presenting to the State Duma a draft law, providing compensations for attendance of non-state pre-school institutions.

At the same time the traditional system of pre-school education does not answer increasing diversity of demands everywhere and the concrete demands of each family, does not provide pedagogical help to parents. We consider that in this sphere there is a huge potential of expanding labor market. (I remind that the number of pre-schoolchildren in our country is almost 9 million people, and the birthrate has increased).

For reference: more than 5 million people attend pre-school institutions, 1,5 million are in queue).

Today within the Federal target program of development of education we are forming methodology, supporting elaboration of modern models of organizing pre-school education, preparing programs of short-term courses for educators (social workers), which could solve this important task. These works will be systematically continued in 2009. Simultaneously all the necessary things are prepared for starting a contest support of municipal programs of development of pre-school education on the analogy with support of regions, introducing complex projects, from 2010 in each subject. To 2012 we propose to support non less than 10% of municipal institutions. All these will let fulfill the task, set in the Primary directions of the Government's activity: in not less than in two third of municipalities efficient and flexible models providing modern quality of pre-school education could work.

As Dmitry Anatolyevich said in his message to the Federal assembly, "School should not be worn-out". The recent analysis of accidental rate of school buildings has shown: the situation in regions, which introduce complex projects, in comparison to the others is appreciably better.

For reference: in regions which introduce CPME the number of worn-out schools in one and a half times less than in other regions.

The organization during support of complex projects of public monitoring of education conditions in each school has in a huge degree contributed.

From the new year it is supposed to include all regions in this monitoring. According to stated standards the information, collected from the level of each concrete school in the automated way, will be published in the Internet on a regular basis. Depending on such a transparent and objective monitoring we offer to start on conditions of co-financing the support programs of regions on modernizing all school economy from 2010 within the initiative "Our new school" declared by the President.

Within this direction we could provide additional workplaces (places for public works) with aim to attract citizens to the current repair and accomplishment of school buildings.

The support within the national projects of innovations on all levels of professional education has played a serious, system work in renewal of this sector. I remind that today new quality of education is ensured in almost 250 innovative institutions of primary and secondary professional education and 58 universities. Annual number of graduates from these educational institutions of workers and specialists with modern qualifications reaches 150 thousand people on such constantly demanded directions as agriculture, ship- and aircraft building, exploitation of buildings and constructions, instrument-making industry, automation of technological processes, medicine. In most supported institutions the programs of non-stop education are developed, the volumes of personnel retraining increase, which are demanded at the labor market.

The necessity of development of innovative economy demands further interaction with employers and regions on supporting primary and secondary professional education, challenges more and more the task of reforming the system of universities. This month the conference on results of three years of support of innovative institutions of professional education took place. By the significant number of directions there has been a jump for 10-15 years concerning organization and equipment of educational process and attendant researches.

Not to decrease taken tempos, it is supposed to continue this projects without letting interruptions and breaks and to create a network of national research universities together with support of the federal universities. We are ready to start their contest support from 2009 within the given budget. In the following years it will by continued at the expense of increasing financing means in already realizing federal target programs.

Existing and again creating innovative institutions form the base for expanding a modern system of non-stop education. Already today we have prepared a list of programs for qualitative retraining of 60-70 thousand demanded specialists on the basis of innovative institutions. This work will enclose all Russia's regions.

(For reference: in 2008 the institutions of primary and secondary professional education - participants of the national projects - retrained more than 20 thousand people, 15 thousand new modern pupil places were created. The universities - participants of the national project on programs of additional professional education prepared more than 25 thousand specialists).

We consider necessary to expand this direction and from 2010 together with employers and regions to purposefully support creating no less than 50 new programs of retraining specialists on demanded directions.

Thus, the forthcoming stage of realization of the national projects "Education" - it is going out on a new qualitative level of development of the branch. The offered activities will let achieve deeper system changes, solving those tasks, which are set in the Concept of long-term social-economic development of the country and Primary directions of the Government's activity.

I ask to support mentioned suggestions, to approve offered activities of the national project in 2009-2012 and their target parameters.