Transcript of the beginning of the meeting:

Vladimir Putin: Mr Fursenko, let’s start with higher educational institutions. What could you say about the process of setting up small innovative companies engaged in entrepreneurship on the basis of higher educational institutions? We have taken additional measures to allow the use of universities’ property for this type of endeavour. How do matters stand there?

Andrei Fursenko: We have already established more than 700 companies of this type. The process is evolving. At the same time, we have adopted a whole package of new legislative initiatives – for instance, on the simplified taxation of these companies, which has already passed its first reading. Meanwhile, as I’ve recently reported to the government, and the government approved a draft law on a simplified procedure to transfer intellectual property, which is very important for IT and pharmaceutical companies. In addition, we have accommodated a draft law on leasing area to these companies on a tender-free basis – that is, without contest and on conditions that will be coordinated with the universities. I think that these steps will allow us to establish these companies more actively.

We have analysed how students at our leading higher educational institutions, including national research universities, are working under contracts from industrial enterprises. We have studied their performance in different universities, where anywhere from 30 (this is the minimum) to 100 more advanced students work at such companies and receive salaries. Their average salaries are about 6,000 roubles. This is in Samara, at Kazan Technical University, but there are also universities where the average students’ salary is 15,000 roubles, for example, in Tver. Some students receive even more. What is important is that new jobs for students and postgraduates are created by practically all of these new projects. On the one hand, people from the industry go to work in higher educational institutions, and on the other, which is very important… You have given us an instruction to find ways of increasing scholarships and financial support for both students and postgraduates. I can report to you that a considerable portion of postgraduates and advanced degree students are involved in this process. These days, the young guys are not after higher scholarships, although they are still interested in them. What they want is conditions in which they will be able to earn money.

Vladimir Putin: Still, this is just the beginning of the road, isn’t it?

Andrei Fursenko: Yes, this is the beginning of the road, but they are earning money working in their specialty rather than just doing some other job.

Vladimir Putin: At least thеy don’t work as watchmen. That is quite a difference.

Anedrei Fursenko: They work in their chosen field.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you. This is good. I’d like to ask you to pay due attention to this issue and to support these activities.

I’d also ask you to think about one more problem. There are many problems in schools that require more attention from the government and regional governors. One of these is the status of school librarians.

Andrei Fursenko: We discussed this problem about a year and a half ago.

At the time, we suggested introducing a new qualified position for librarian teachers. But it was opposed by our colleagues from the Ministry of Healthcare and Social Development. Their objections were linked to the structure of school positions. They thought that it would not significantly change the status of librarians. The situation was changed by Law 83, however. By transferring to a new system of funding, meant to yield more effective work, teachers now account for the majority of school employees, which led to the reduction of librarians in some regions and was absolutely counterproductive. The new standards that we are gradually adopting contain certain demands upon the organisation of educational institutions. These are primarily the existence of a school library, the active involvement of libraries in the academic process, and the encouragement of school students to read books. Therefore, we are now returning to this issue. If we introduce the position of a librarian teacher, this will allow us to change the attitude to school librarians because they would be part of a teaching staff. This will also enable librarians to receive benefits similar to school teachers. I think this will help raise the status of people in charge of school libraries. Therefore, we are now returning to this issue and would like to ask for your support in it.

Vladimir Putin: This relates to both their status and opportunities for higher salaries. This is good.

You also wanted to tell me about the recognition of diplomas issued by our foreign colleagues. Our young people and graduates from other countries could come to our country to work. However, to comply with our laws, they need recognition of their diplomas. What have you done to resolve this issue?

Andrei Fursenko: We have just finished the preparation of a respective draft law. Formerly, the situation was as follows: we did it on a reciprocal basis – not by university but by country. And we faced some problems because the number of universities and their quality is different in different countries; even in the United States not all universities are equally good. I would say that most of them are not good enough.

Vladimir Putin: Let’s abstain from their evaluation. Evidently, we should mean the leading universities.

Andrei Fursenko: This is why we are preparing a draft law that would provide for the unilateral recognition of the diplomas of leading universities. The power to establish procedure for determining such leading universities will be delegated to the government. At the same time, we are already working on the establishment of such a procedure. What do we propose? There are several rating systems recognised throughout the world. We think that they should be integrated. There is also the Russian rating system, which is gaining approval step by step. However, in addition to these rating systems, we have launched joint work with respected associations of the leading universities of a number of countries in Europe and North America. We want to establish similar relations with the association of leading Chinese universities. Our purpose is to use these ratings and prepare a resolution on setting the procedure in conjunction with them. Therefore, we believe that if such interaction is arranged, we will be able to come to terms on a procedure whereby the diplomas of our leading universities will also be recognised abroad.

Vladimir Putin: Good. You should know with certainty that some experts are of the opinion that the Western ratings are, in fact, an instrument for raising their competitiveness on the labour market. For this reason, we should be very careful with them and develop our own objective methods of appraising the quality of education provided by those universities.

Andrei Fursenko: Exactly. We won’t take a formal approach to this issue, and before the decision is made, we will submit both the draft law (it is our duty anyway) and the procedure to the government and our colleagues in other departments because not all universities are subordinated to our ministry. I have in mind medical and transport universities. Our goal is for the procedure to satisfy all the departments concerned.

Vladimir Putin: Good.