From the Bolshoi Theatre to the National Centre RUSSIA: The Pedagogical Congress resumes the age-old tradition
The first in our modern history All-Russian Pedagogical Congress has started at the National Centre RUSSIA. It brought together 1,300 participants from all regions of the country, including teachers, leading scholars of the Russian Academy of Education and the Russian Academy of Sciences, the State Duma deputies, legislative and executive authorities’ delegates, and leaders of public organizations and business communities. Dmitry Chernyshenko, Deputy Prime Minister, Sergey Kravtsov, Minister of Education, Valery Falkov, Minister of Science and Higher Education, and others delivered speeches at the National Centre RUSSIA Grand Concert Hall.
During his speech, Dmitry Chernyshenko noted that the Pedagogical Congress is taking place on the "hospitable platform of the National Centre RUSSIA", and the event itself continues the tradition of the largest pedagogical forums of the country. According to him, the event is historic: it is the first All-Russian Pedagogical Congress in the 21st century. Exactly one hundred years ago, in 1925, the first All-Union Congress of Educators was held at the Bolshoi Theatre.
"Today, our public education system is one of the best in the world. We are among the top 10 leading countries both in terms of the quality of general education and in terms of research and development, and we hold leading positions in international student and school Olympiads," Dmitry Chernyshenko emphasized. "These achievements are the result of both preserving the traditions of the Soviet scientific school and pedagogy, and of the solutions implemented over the past quarter century by the government together with the regions on behalf of President Vladimir Putin."
Speaking about working out an Education Development Strategy for the period up to 2036, the Deputy Prime Minister called this process an unprecedentedly large-scale one. According to him, 15 working groups have been organized to work on the document, which involved almost 1,100 experts, including teachers, scholars, representatives of employers and parents. In total, the groups held over 430 meetings and developed more than 300 initiatives.
"The most important stage of the discussion of the Strategy is starting now. In August, the whole country will join the discussion at the teachers' councils, and we will summarize the results at the Classroom Teachers' Forum. Work on the document will continue during this year. And when the Strategy is approved by presidential decree, we will begin to elaborate a plan for its implementation. I am confident that the Congress will become a platform for constructive dialogue, daring ideas and particular solutions and initiatives which will strengthen Russia's leadership position in the field of education," Dmitry Chernyshenko emphasized.
Sergey Kravtsov, Minister of Education of the Russian Federation, shared the information regarding the changes in the education system: "Upbringing has once again become an integral part of education, starting from kindergarten. Positions of education advisor to the director have been introduced in schools and colleges. Unified state textbooks come to replace dozens of different textbooks on every subject. Weekly classes are held in all schools of the country. There, teachers talk with pupils about Russia, about the motherland. The week in schools begins with the National flag raising ceremony, and with the sounds of the National Anthem of our country."
Valery Falkov, Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, in his speech delivered in the Grand Concert Hall of the National Centre RUSSIA, touched upon the new model of higher education, its key features and characteristics.
"We are convinced that for a person's successful career and self-realization, higher education should be such that it will satisfy all their educational needs. The new model will be based on several key principles. The first principle is fundamentality. Its task is to ensure the depth of each student's worldview, regardless of what profession they are trained for. Two more essential characteristics of the new model of higher education will be its practice orientation and flexibility," explained Valery Falkov.
He specified that practice orientation should ensure a close connection with the labor market, and flexibility will make it possible within the framework of a unified higher education system to train each specialist as a unique one.
The delegates to the All-Russian Pedagogical Congress will discuss issues before the start of the new academic year, determine development vectors, and raise important topics in the field of education. The programme includes plenary speeches and discussions of the Education Development Strategy up to 2036, presentations of the best practices developed by schools and universities, and an exposition of achievements of the educational industry.
