During the meeting, Ms Golodets instructed the Ministries of Culture, Sports, Education and Science to work out a programme to help attract high school graduates from Russian regions to Moscow institutes that train professionals in the arts and sports.

"I am asking the ministries to work out a programme to make this career accessible to everyone. Competitive admission should be extended to Russia as a whole, not just a few areas in Moscow. Let's write an instruction and be ready to implement it by next March," she said.

The Deputy Prime Minister also instructed the Ministry of Education and Science to start working on a system of online portfolios for school students. She believes all children are gifted in one way or another and online portfolios are a useful tool for recording their achievements.