Transcript of the meeting:

Dmitry Medvedev: I must admit I’m very excited to be here. It goes without saying that I should begin by congratulating all the students and the university staff on Knowledge Day, which is both a holiday and the beginning of a new work or study period. I am happy to be your guest here at the Technical University. I won’t go into the university’s history and tell you who studied and taught here in the past – I am sure you know all that already, but every person has memories which play a significant role in his life. This place is very special to me as I spent a lot of time here. My father taught here and I began my working life here: I got my employment record book with the inscription “Assistant at the Automated Control Systems Department.” I am very pleased to be here today and talk to you about anything you like, be it engineering or the future of Russia’s education, students’ life, the challenges they face and of course the future, the issues that you are concerned about, or any other subjects you may wish to raise.

I will not give a long opening speech, I think face to face interaction is always more interesting, and many students and professors have gathered here today.

I will just say a few words: I think it is very symbolic that we continue to focus on engineering education today despite the problems we have been experiencing in this area. And my visit today is not only my wish to walk the hallways I walked when I was 17 and even before, when I visited my father, but also a sign of respect for engineers and manufacturing technicians, those who will engage in the development of our country and our economy. So I hope everyone is in a good mood today, and I repeat, I am very pleased to enter this hall again, this time as a Prime Minister. Let’s start our discussion. Who will begin?

I know practically nobody here, so I would like to ask you to at least give your name if you present yourself this way. Who will start, please?

Okay, why don't you start. Go ahead, please.

Mikhail Shendrik: Mr Medvedev, good afternoon. I am a third-year student of the 6^th faculty. I am concerned by the following question…

Dmitry Medvedev: What’s your name?

Mikhail Shendrik: Mikhail Shendrik.

Please, tell us, do you think modern engineers should be familiar with legal and economic issues? And also, is it necessary that we should be taught the humanities? Or would they serve to distract us from the layer of knowledge we have to acquire?

Dmitry Medvedev:  Mikhail, tell me, please, which humanities are you taught?

Mikhail Shendrik: Philosophy.

Dmitry Medvedev: An eerie business. Do you enjoy it? 

Mikhail Shendrik: Yes, sure.

Dmitry Medvedev: Sounds like there’s no way out.

You know, I’ll put it this way. Of course, a person should have universal knowledge. A one-sided person is like a furuncle, as they say. Yet on the other hand, as a lecturer I have always presumed that each university should focus on the areas it was set up for. What were the reasons for setting up the State Institute of Technology? To have new technologies, to promote manufacturing. And that’s why when law faculties appeared in engineering universities in the 1990s, I was very concerned because I was sure they would not provide quality teaching, and back then I taught at the faculty of law at the State University. And I generally think that time has put everything in its place: everyone should pursue his own work, but this does not mean that technical universities should exclude the humanities from their curricula, of course not. They should be in the curricula but in reasonable proportions, because we – in this case I mean our country’s economy – want specialists: engineers, technologists, and not people who are good at everything but do not know their trade well enough. Hence those strange alliances that used to turn up (they are sometimes called by a funny phrase: melon-smelting institutes), I believe, should be gone. Yet I wish for you to study philosophy properly, it may be useful in your life.

Please, let’s continue. 

Alexander Susla: Greetings! My name is Alexander Susla, I am a doctorate student in the department of high energy processes. I have the following question: what are the prospects for transferring the Unified State Examination to the level of higher professional eduction? And how justified would this be in terms of training engineering specialists? Thank you.

Dmitry Medvedev: What do you mean by transferring? I'm just trying to understand your idea. 

Alexander Susla: I have often read this (they write a lot about this on the Internet), and I wanted to figure it out for myself. As far as I understand, it will substitute for the state examination that specialists take now, or it will be an extra exam. Something like that. 

Dmitry Medvedev: The university state examination changing into something like the Unified State Examination?

Alexander Susla: Yes.

Dmitry Medvedev: You know, I can hardly imagine that but I am not the Education Minister, I am here to speak about different matters. I am ready to figure this out for myself and answer your question later. At first glance – I was connected to academia anyway, and I have my own teaching experience, my own perceptions, and it seems somewhat odd. But you know, I admit that I might be wrong, maybe it has some advantages. Just a short while ago I thought that baccalaureate and master’s programs would be a false road for us, to be honest with you, but no, this is a global trend we are a part of, it is our participation in the Bologna process ...

Please, this half of the audience is very quiet. Those sitting over there, let's hear from you. 

Question: Good afternoon, Mr Medvedev. My name is Alexander Goloseyev, I am a fourth year student of the IT and Management Faculty. I have a somewhat offbeat question: what do you think of student sport and which is more important in your view: sciences and studies or participating in sport and winning awards and medals for your university? It is difficult to keep both at the right level….

Dmitry Medvedev: But surely, Alexander, all you have to do is sport, who needs the rest of it? What have we gathered here for?

You know, when I was young they used to say “It’s better to have a red face and a blue diploma [a standard diploma] than a blue face and a red diploma [a diploma with honours]. 

But if I am to say the right things, then I will tell you this: you should strive to be a harmonious person. Sport plays a pretty significant role in our lives. I don’t know about the conditions for participating in sport at your university, I think they are fairly modest, to be honest. But this not only due to our overall development problems but also due to the fact that our universities, unfortunately, from the onset were not designed as campuses, I mean, students’ residences.  And this certainly offers totally different opportunities for sport.  When I was a student at Leningrad State University, there was nothing there either, nothing at all. The only opportunity to do some sport was, basically, outside, in the courtyard.  But you should do sport anyway by all means. Your university’s rector, as far as I know, used to do sport, even judging by his appearance, and by the way, he succeeded quite well in that. So, Mr. Lisitsyn, let them follow your example. There you have it.

Okay, now let’s have a question from here. Our girls have been silent. Any questions from the gallery, or were you told to keep quiet?

Remark: Greetings! My name is Mikhail …

Dmitry Medvedev:  Mikhail? I was talking about girls … Fine then, Mikhail, go ahead.

Question: I am a first year student and as I was applying for enrollment I came across the following problem: I did not know where to apply. And as you know, there is the power of stereotypes, that is, you are advised to enter a school of law, let’s say, as lawyers make a lot of money. Will you please give a bit of advice to applicants as to how to choose their profession?

Dmitry Medvedev: I think the best way is by using a coin: tails for law, heads for economics, for example. Seriously though, I definitely don’t advise you to enter a law faculty. You already haven't anyway. And that's why I don't recommend it. 

Dmitry Medvedev: I don’t recommend this, and here’s why. Seriously speaking, I love my profession very much; I have devoted my entire life to this career. I like it. This job is no worse than being an engineer. Although lawyers are not loved in many countries, they are useful people. You know, the United States is a nation of lawyers; there are several million of them there. And the remaining 300 million people, or so, hate them. Nevertheless, why do I believe that this career has no prospects today? When I graduated from the university back in 1987, many people knew nothing about lawyers. I remember mentioning it to someone, and he asked: “And who are they? Are they part of the police force? Or is this someone else?” Since then the economy and people’s attitudes have changed, and everyone rushed to earn law and economics degrees. Russia now has so many specialists in this field that they are having problems with finding jobs. As you said, to become a good lawyer… first of all, it takes decades. To be honest, university graduates don’t make good lawyers from the start, plus it’s a pushy profession. On the other hand, the engineering profession, which was wildly popular in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, was, unfortunately, devalued in the 1990s. This profession is regaining its status only now. I am absolutely confident, and I sincerely believe that you have a wonderful future.

That young woman over there also wanted to take the floor. Please.

Remark: Good afternoon, Mr Medvedev. My name is Olga Lomovskaya. I’m a student at the Department of Automated Design and Control Systems. I come from a small town. A nuclear power plant, where most of the locals work, is located within 30 km of my town.

Dmitry Medvedev: And where do you come from?

Remark: From Volgodonsk. Most of the locals work there. So I decided to move to a large city, to St. Petersburg, after graduating from a technical school. I believe that there are more opportunities here. I realise that many young students and young specialists, myself included, don’t want to go back home. This is a national problem. How do you plan to address this issue?

Dmitry Medvedev: I see. This problem can only be solved individually. Olga, first of all, I’m happy that many more young men and women arriving from various Russian regions, including the traditionally provincial areas, have started enrolling at the same institute of technology. I have just talked to your rector about this. There is nothing offensive about being from a rural area. Tome, no matter what people say, this is one good thing about the Unified State Exam (USE). Some people, especially some politicians, like to criticise the USE. But we can say with confidence that talented young people from various Russian regions now have additional opportunities to enroll at Moscow’s higher educational institutions. This includes engineering and the humanities and the most popular and prestigious national universities. To be honest, many students in the past were able to enroll in these institutions only by using their connections or with money. The situation has now changed, and I believe that this is an important sign of overall change because there can be no science, production or any national development without talented young people.

Some time ago even Mikhail Lomonosov would have had trouble enrolling at any Russian university because no one would have vouched for him, but it’s possible to enroll today. So, what should be done now? You should decide for yourself. But, as I see it, big city lights are not always the best choice. The question is where you feel better, and where are there more opportunities for self-realisation. I can see a lot of positive changes in provincial towns and in our regions. But, on the other hand, if you feel that you must work here, that this is your calling in life, and that people you like live here, then why not? This is normal.

Rural people relocate smoothly to national capitals and vice versa all over the world. The most important thing is to learn the art of production and career mobility. Most Russians are almost inert. A Russian will work in one position all the time even if he or she finds it boring because they are afraid to go anywhere else. In reality, if they make the decision to move, they might find a better job somewhere else, maybe not in the capital, but somewhere. Then they would be paid handsomely and would create better living conditions for themselves. People in many countries find it easy to relocate. We, too, must acquire this attitude; we must become more mobile. But you should stay in St. Petersburg because it’s nice here.

Please, we need more time because others want to take the floor.

Mikhail Makedonsky: Good afternoon, Mr Medvedev. My name is Mikhail Makedonsky. I am a second-year student from the Faculty of Management and Economics.

Mr Medvedev, they are now raising the issue of shutting down substandard institutions more often because these institutions provide a substandard education. Mr Medvedev, please tell us how to choose a higher educational institution that won’t be shut down in the future.

Dmitry Medvedev: You have already made your choice. Your higher educational institution will not be shut down. To be more serious, the best way to choose a  university is to find out more about it. Before, people had to use more complicated sources of information. Now all you have to do is use the internet, and you will learn everything about a university’s merits, drawbacks, its technical-equipment levels and career prospects. There are also other criteria for choosing a university. Speaking of your and partially my alma mater, I would say that a rich history and good professors and lecturers will always remain the two most important factors. Quite possibly, there is not enough technical equipment today, and there are not enough new opportunities. Nevertheless, this alone shows that the higher educational institution is quite diverse. There are such parameters as citations of academic works. But these are all probably more complicated issues. We should focus on ratings, which sometimes reflect the situation completely. In some cases, these ratings are absolutely unfair . You see, it’s always relative. When Russian universities are criticised, they are criticised with good reason. Quite often, they implement few R&D projects, and Russia has fallen behind in some areas. But at the same time, the extent of Russia’s lag is not as great as it is sometimes believed. Russia has absolutely advanced capabilities. I am confident that the institute of technology also runs such courses. Frankly speaking, all these ratings are an issue of lobbying, in the good sense of the word. Unfortunately, we don’t effectively sell ourselves. We must promote our own institutions and fight for this. We might jump to a higher position than 300^th or 400^th in rating surveys.

As for substandard higher educational institutions, this issue has now become quite popular, and I have raised it time and again. You know, I would like you to understand me correctly. I don’t support drastic cuts with regard to higher educational institutions.

This is not right, as they certainly have their students as well. The question is about streamlining this system. I have never said that we should cut the number from 1,000… How many universities do we have, 1,050 or 1,070? Let's say we had 600 universities in the Soviet period across the Soviet Union. Mind you, the situation has changed: 30% to 40% of high school graduates enrolled at universities in the Soviet period, while the current figure is nearly 100%. There is nothing bad about this, as education requirements keep growing; you could do well with a secondary education in the past, but now you cannot. Still, we should streamline this process. In some cases, universities that are not quite competitive, whose diplomas are not in demand, could be transformed into secondary vocational schools or integrated into stronger universities. What we must not permit is for their students to lose their places – this is inadmissible and we will never allow this. The students of a university that is slated for reorganisation will be allowed to complete their education at a new, expanded university. This is a difficult process, but we will have to do it; of that I am sure.

Who would like to speak? I see you've grown bolder – this is good. I'm a little uncomfortable having to choose. Let’s give the floor to the ladies.

Remark: Good afternoon, Mr Medvedev. I am a first-year student at the First Department of Chemistry and Materials Science. Here is my question…

Dmitry Medvedev: What’s your name, please?

Remark: Karina. Will Russia’s accession to the WTO, which is a hot issue in the media, leave me jobless in four years’ time?

Dmitry Medvedev: Not at all. There is nothing terrible about the WTO. The WTO is an instrument, but it is a very important instrument which the whole world is using. If we don’t want to remain in isolation, living according to our own laws, if we don’t want to develop as, say, North Korea, which is not quite the path we are on, our road was bound to lead us to the WTO. The expenses associated with this process will not be as vast as some people say. Of course, we will level off some of them, and the ultimate advantages will be very large.

Let’s give the floor to someone from the other group now. Do you want to say anything?

Alexei Golubev: Good afternoon, Mr Medvedev. Alexei Golubev, chairman of the student trade union committee and a participant in the 2011 primaries for forming the list of deputies for the St Petersburg Legislative Assembly. To begin with, I’d like to thank you for finding the time to attend this meeting and to answer our questions. I would like to use this opportunity… May I ask two short questions?

Dmitry Medvedev: Yes, provided they are not long.

Alexei Golubev: They aren't. My first question concerns student scholarships. They are rather small in Russia, especially in the chemistry and industrial engineering departments, where the students of engineering universities often study until 6 or 7 p.m. and then have to take on night jobs. This is bad for their health and for the professional quality of the graduates.

My second question concerns financial incentives for students. The thing is, all government-subsidised students have a right to financial assistance issued from the student scholarships fund. An income tax is levied on such assistance. Last year you attended the national student forum in Barnaul and discussed this issue with students. No practical solution had been found, although we have some proposals.

Dmitry Medvedev: And what are they, Alexei, please tell me?

Alexei Golubev: We suggest that the income tax should be lifted from financial assistance.

Dmitry Medvedev: It should be lifted from financial assistance for students?

Alexei Golubev: Yes, this would be fair.

Dmitry Medvedev: I see. Thank you. I will address both of your questions, or, rather, both parts of a bigger question. I will certainly issue instructions to analyse the issue of financial incentives and financial assistance, because I think that the income tax shortfall would not be too large if we were to lift income tax from such financial assistance, whereas this would be a major help for students. We will analyse this issue, by all means. I want our colleagues who are present here to take this into account, and I will sign the relevant instructions.

As for student scholarships, this is essentially a rhetorical issue. You know, if I say that everything was fine and good in Soviet times and tell you fairytales about student scholarship, you will hardly believe me. But I'll say it nonetheless. Student scholarships have always been relatively small. The question is whether or not you can survive on this kind of money. I don’t know the answer. I will share my own experience, because that's what a person knows best. As a straight-A student, I received more than other students did – 50 roubles. But it was not a personal scholarship. I thought that it was not enough, so I found a job. And it was not a white-collar job at the Department of Management Information Systems; it was a more physically exerting job. I worked as a caretaker, and I have never regretted that I took on that job. Did it interfere with my studies? No, otherwise I would not have been able to properly graduate from the university; students all over the world have always worked and will work part time to support themselves. Most importantly, the university should be able to provide some of the jobs. That would be an ideal solution. If you have to run around with a shovel as I did, or unload cargo wagons, that’s certainly a much harder way to earn your living. It is much better if you can work for a small innovative company or do various types of contract work. There are many better ways to earn extra money. With regard to stipends, we are going to raise them for certain categories of students, but, of course, there will be no drastic increases. By the way, in July, I signed a resolution to raise the stipend for certain categories of students. Not a lot, but still something. We will continue working on the all-important issue of material incentives.

Let's give the floor to someone from the back of the auditorium. Let it be the one who makes it to the microphone first.

Remark: Good afternoon, my name is Darya.  I'm a student in the economics and business management department. They say school years are a wonderful time, but what about your college years? Was it fun?

Dmitry Medvedev: My college years?

Question: Would you like to go back to your student years for at last one day?

Dmitry Medvedev: I am already back for one day, today, now that I’m with you. You know, school years are very good, but university years are just great. Appreciate them, no matter how trite it might sound. As for my student years, I was really busy as a student. To say that it was all nonstop fun would be a lie. When I think of my student years ... the things that come to mind are not only the fun and fooling around that any student can reminisce about, but also some basic things, such as exams. That doesn’t sound exciting, but I can still remember many exams I took. Why? Because that’s when you mobilise all your resources and if you pass an exam ... Each student had passed at least one exam well. I want you to have as many exams like this as possible. So, if you do well on an exam, the memories are strong, it’s true. That’s the first thing. As for the rest, all your years in college are sheer entertainment. We had a lot of fun during my days as a student that you don’t have now, I’m sorry to say. For example, we went to farms to harvest potatoes, which is probably something that you don’t do now. It was great: we would go someplace and kick back for a month doing nothing. You would walk through a dirty, unkempt field and gather …students from Leningrad went to the Leningrad, Novgorod or Pskov regions… potatoes.

Of course, we gathered the potatoes with our hands. We’d come back to camp with sore backs, but that’s when all the fun began. I’ll stop there. It’d be unethical to say more. I’m still the prime minister, don’t forget.

Yes, please, let's give the floor to the student who raised his hand.

Question: Good afternoon, Mr Medvedev. My name is Andrei. I am a freshman at the chemistry of substances and materials department. I would like to know ... At this point, the Unified State Exam is set up poorly for exams on creative subjects, like literature. How do you plan to improve it to make it more meaningful for these subjects? Thank you.

Dmitry Medvedev: Wasn’t that Mr Zyuganov’s idea to have you ask me this question? We have an ongoing dispute with him about the USE, a quite friendly dispute, though. Still, it’s a good question, because the Unified State Exam doesn’t work as well in the humanities as it does in other subjects. I have questions about language and literature exam methods. By the way, that’s what the majority of teachers think: it’s difficult to assess knowledge using the USE alone. I’ll say this much: we have to improve it anyway. It’s a good thing - I spoke about this when I answered a question from our colleague - because it allows young people from across Russia to access a higher education, but adjustments still need to be made. This includes literature and, perhaps, foreign language. It just has to be done.

Written exams, especially in the humanities, have become very popular in many countries lately. I’m the one who gave thousands of exams and gave students tens of thousands of D’s. I can tell you frankly that I have no idea how to evaluate the ability of a civil law attorney– my specialty - if I can’t see him or her in person, because a lawyer (and not just a lawyer, but also an economist, a writer and even an engineer, although to a smaller degree) should be able to properly explain the material. They should be able to present themselves properly if they want to have a successful career. But a written exam does not provide this opportunity. I'm not even talking about cheating during written exams and so on. Let’s assume that this problem doesn’t exist. So, I believe that the system needs to improve...

I can see an arm go up. Please go ahead.

Remark: Good afternoon. I am a first-year student, a freshman.

Dmitry Medvedev: That’s right, you are still almost a high school student, nothing wrong with the word “student.”

Remark: It takes time to get used to a new status.

Dmitry Medvedev: What’s your name?

Remark: Ilya. I have a fairly strange question for you: does it make sense to pursue fundamental research after graduating from a technical institute?

Dmitry Medvedev: Why is it a strange question?

Answer: Just because research in general in Russia is in a strange place now.

Dmitry Medvedev: Do you want to get involved in research?

Answer: Yes, I do. I was born and raised in the town of Pushchino. That’s a … well, you know.

Dmitry Medvedev: I guess I do. So...

Question: For those who don’t know, Pushchino is Russia’s centre for biological research. Allright. We all know about the current level of salaries, delays in getting grants and difficulties associated with obtaining chemicals... Clearly, researchers have lots of challenges to overcome. Will these issues be addressed in some way?

Dmitry Medvedev: I see. Thank you, Ilya. I'm glad I gave you the floor, because your question and the way you framed it are more interesting than my answer will be. Still, this is a very important question, and my short answer would be: yes, of course. Seriously, the answer is yes. I do know that there are lots of problems. But if you are interested in science, including fundamental research, it's great. There may be no research, including applied, without fundamental research, especially since the line between fundamental and applied research has always been flexible, especially in today's world, where these boundaries have become almost nonexistent. I can’t say that we’ve made a lot of headway in recent years, but as you may be aware, we are providing serious support to science within the budget constraints, because, to put it mildly, the budget is not limitless. I’m aware of the problems faced by many of our colleagues who are engaged in fundamental research, including the ones that you mentioned, for example, chemical agents and biomaterials. I recently held a commission on modernisation - it's an interesting thing - and issued a special directive to make the import of chemical agents and certain materials, including biological substances, not as monstrously bureaucratic as they are today. Our problem is not that we don’t have the money to buy these materials. We do, and sometimes we have plenty. The fact is that when people order ...I’m not sure what you’re talking about exactly, but I have a specific example. Our biochemists say that they can pay for these biological materials whenever they need them because they are inexpensive, but these biomaterials arrive dead, because as opposed to Europe, where they are delivered within two or three days, in Russia they are left sitting in customs for five to six months. They told me that when they deal with customs officials they have the feeling they are importing illegal drugs and have to produce lots of paperwork to prove they aren’t. This is something that needs to be sorted out and stopped. But as you may be aware, we are a talented nation, and people often import things other than biomaterials ... This should also be taken into account, but this does not justify the red tape at various agencies.

Getting back to your question. Of course, you should pursue your scientific interests. I’m telling you this because at one point I was faced with a choice between pursuing postgraduate studies and getting a job at the prosecutor's office with a starting salary of 250 roubles, which went far back then, ask your parents... Well, I went for studies and never regretted doing so, everything went okay.

All right, let's continue. I have the feeling that the audience has warmed up a bit. Let’s take a question from this side. Someone in green has a question.

Vitaly Golubev: Good afternoon, my name is Vitaly Golubev. I am a freshman. I have a question for you: have you ever visited the dormitories at this or other universities that were not glossed over prior to your visit? Do you think that the living conditions for students affect their professional...

Dmitry Medvedev: That’s a good question. I start having this urge tostart pacing the stage like a college professor, but then you will have trouble hearing me.

I have seen many dormitories. Frankly, I have never been in the dorms of the Technical Institute, but I have visited the dormitories at Leningrad State University on several occasions. I think you need to go see the LSU dorms to understand the difference. I come from Leningrad, or St Petersburg, and I, of course, didn’t have to stay in the dorms. However, when I visited the dorms where my friends lived, my only question was not how can you study there, but how can you live there. I’m telling you this in all sincerity. These memories have stuck with me, even though my own housing conditions were quite Spartan to begin with. But whenever I went to a dormitory, it was always very hard for me because of the overcrowded rooms, and, to be honest, the way life was organised there. It was cool and fun, if you went there to goof off, but living there was a challenge.

With regard to dorms, the situation in our country is as follows: the shortage of places at dorms runs at about 1 million despite the fact that according to the law a student who does not have a place to live must be provided with a place at a dormitory. We cover about 80%-85% of the actual need. What can we do about this situation? Of course, we shouldn’t be rash and try to come up with some unusual solution. We should repair existing dormitories and build new ones. We should also allocate funds for this. A state programme to this end is being drafted, which should overcome the shortage of dorm openings, but, unfortunately, we won’t be able to solve this issue entirely before 2018. That’s how things stand now.

As for the quality of life in the dorms, it remains low. I’m not sure how things are at your dorm, I'm sure you have lots of fun, but still, even if you live in a dorm, you should try to find something good in it. Thank you.

So, let's now have a question from the back rows of the auditorium. Listen, I have some other things to do today, and even though I'm happy to be here, let's take three more questions and then wrap it up. I have a flight today. Please go ahead.

Question: Good afternoon, Mr Medvedev. My name is Sergei. I’m a freshman in the engineering and technology department. I came from a rural area where I have a lot of relatives. My question is whether living standards in the provinces will be raised?

Dmitry Medvedev: I see. Where are you from?

Answer: The Bryansk Region.

Dmitry Medvedev: I was there recently. You should go back and raise the standard of living there...

We should start to think about our future more like this: no government will ever do everything for us to improve living standards. We should take the initiative. Yes, the government should provide basic conditions, adopt corresponding laws, maintain order, fight corruption and perform other basic government functions. But if we are talking about our native areas, the provinces that you're talking about, then it’s more obvious as we have just said. For example, if you come to St Petersburg, you have more choices. St Petersburg has a higher standard of living; there are plenty of fun things to do, the employment market is better and, in general, it may seem that it makes perfect sense to stay here and not go back. But if everyone does this our regions will wither, because if no one goes there, they won’t see any improvement. Yes, you can say that new jobs should be created there and new housing built as well. It's true, but this process is reciprocal: if no one goes back, there will be no development, so we shouldn’t think about leaving our small home towns for good.

Let’s take a question from this side... There are three people sitting in the middle of the auditorium; let one of them have the microphone. This is the second question, mind you, from the whole audience.

Question: Good afternoon. My name is Stas. Will the number of state-funded places  at universities and military schools fi increase? Will they accept more students?

Dmitry Medvedev: Thank you. We have adopted a tough position with regard to budgeted openings at higher learning institutions. That was my idea, if you will. We do not plan to significantly cut the number of budgeted places within the next few years. Why? Because we need to reorganise the entire academic environment, but not through cutting places paid for by the budget. We’ll see how it works in the future. It will depend on several variables, including the financial capabilities of prospective students. Before we decide to cut the number of budgeted places, we need to understand the consequences and whether people will be able to cover the admission costs. That's the most important thing.

With regard to military schools, the situation is as follows: the reorganisation of military schools by the Defence Ministry has been completed. We have taken several small schools and reorganised them into ten major military centres. This realignment was seen from various perspectives, and many criticised the process. I can assure you, I've seen many military schools in recent years, especially when I worked as the Supreme Commander, and things are starting to improve now. Instead of the shoddy, depressing-looking military schools that we had five to seven years ago, we are beginning to see quite different facilities now that the reorganisation is complete.

Last question and then I’ll have to leave. I’m not even sure who should ask it. Perhaps, for the sake of fair representation... no, please don’t give me hints. Perhaps, we should have the rector ask a question? No? I'm really embarrassed to have to make a choice. If I choose someone from the faculty, then the students will understandably be hurt. Choosing among the students is also hard. Okay, I have a way to settle this: let someone from the very last row on either side of the auditorium ask a question.

Question: Good afternoon, I’m a freshman, my name is Georgy. I study in the information technology department, and I’m interested to know if IT will be used more extensively in the academic process. As you may be aware, quite often they post ads and lists of new admissions on websites, but it’s not interactive. Do you think further steps should be made here, such as online applications and so on?

Dmitry Medvedev: I see, Georgy. I made the right choice when I asked you to come up with a good last question. Thank you. You know better than me about IT and its place in our everyday lives. The issue is not about how we use it and what we have.

In recent years, we’ve tried to make information technology a two-way street, striving to establish an ‘e-government’ in the broadest sense of the word, something we’ve been talking about for at least ten years now. We have made certain progress. I don’t know if you are aware, since you’re still a young man, but it’s already been put in place in certain areas. For example, a very important and complex agency that’s not always friendly to people, such as the tax service, now has an interactive communication system in place. You can file income tax returns from home, which is a huge achievement. You will understand better when your time to file tax returns comes. There are other similar examples. In some regions, progress is quite good. Take, for instance, Tatarstan, where 70% of the government services are provided electronically. This is very important. But, of course, we still need to move forward and catch up with many other countries.

Let me share an interesting story with you. I was in Singapore on a visit and asked them to show me how their system works (it’s considered one of the world’s best). So, I went there and they gave me a presentation, and etc., and then they told me that I could incorporate a company within seven minutes. I agreed to try it, and they asked me what kind of a business I would like to set up. I said a Russian restaurant would be a good idea because there are probably not many of them in Singapore. So, we filled out the paperwork and they asked me whether I needed any licenses. I said that this being a Russian restaurant I will most likely need certain licenses to run it properly. I went through all required steps, hit ’enter,’ and my application was filed. Ten minutes later I forgot about it of course. Imagine my surprise when three months later, through the Administrative Directorate of the President, they informed me that my restaurant had been incorporated and that I could open it!

I encourage you to go there. Let's do something useful like in Singapore. Their system is perfectly organised. True, their country is small and their people are very disciplined. We are a little different. We are a bigger country, but I’m confident that we should use this approach. I hope you will make your own contribution in this respect.

Dear friends, I thank you for your interesting and thoughtful questions. It’s good when young people, first-year students, ask deep questions, not just any question. I won’t bore you by telling you what questions students ask sometimes.

That will be all for today.

Nikolai Lisitsyn (Rector of St .Petersburg State Technical Institute): Mr Medvedev, allow me to keep you just a bit longer.

The Academic Council has decided to bestow the title of Honorary Professor of St Petersburg State Technical Institute upon Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev for drafting the concept of the innovation-driven development of education, science and technical modernisation. The President of St Petersburg State Technical University, Anatoly Dudarev, will present the diploma of Honorary Professor of the Institute.

Anatoly Dudarev (President, St Petersburg State Technical University): Mr Medvedev, I have the honour to carry out the commission of the Academic Council of the Technical Institute and present you with the diploma of Honorary Professor of our institute. I know you deserve it. Please also accept a robe and cap, which come with the title.

Dmitry Medvedev: Thank you very much. Please sit for a moment. I would like to thank the Academic Council of the Leningrad (now St Petersburg) State Technical Institute or rather the University, for this honour. For me, it's really an honour and a very pleasant event as you can imagine. I could never have imagined that this would ever happen to me when I was running between these buildings as a student. But it has happened, and I will try to carry out this mission with honour.

For obvious reasons, I'm not sure I'll make a good professor in the basic courses of the subjects taught at the Technical Institute. But if you ever invite me to speak on other subjects, I will do so with pleasure, because I was very pleased to talk with you today. Thank you.