Science Minister Valery Falkov invited rectors to leave the Bologna system

Despite the rampant disaster, which also affected Adler, a meeting was still held on the territory of the Sirius center between the Minister of Science and Higher Education Valery Falkov and the rectors of Russian universities, at which the reform of the higher education system aimed at abandoning the Bologna system was discussed. The Ministry of Education and Science believes that the concept of reform has been built, and now rectors must support it. Rectors, however, turned out to be supporters of the reform, including those who head universities in the annexed territories.

Let us remind you that in May 2023 the Ministry of Education and Science reported about abandoning the Bologna system and creating their own “unique” model of higher education. Officials offered abandon bachelor’s and master’s degrees in favor of two new levels of education – basic and specialized higher education. How explained at the Ministry of Education and Science, the duration of training for basic higher education will be from four to six years, for specialized education – from one to three years. At the same time, a pilot project for the transition to the new system began in six universities. Among them are MAI, MISiS, MPGU, Baltic Federal University, St. Petersburg Mining University and Tomsk State University.

At a meeting with rectors, which “due to weather conditions” began two hours later than planned, Mr. Falkov again outlined the “fundamental changes” that are planned to be gradually introduced into the Russian higher education system. “The changes should not be structural, but meaningful,” the minister explained. “There are good bachelor’s programs, and there are bad specialty programs. And vice versa. The question is not in the name, but in the essential characteristics,” he emphasized.

The Minister believes that bachelor’s degree in its current form, it is not perceived as a holistic and self-sufficient higher education, and employers tend to consider only the “set” of bachelor’s and master’s degrees “complete.”

As a result, a graduate of a bachelor’s program does not feel confident in the labor market and is forced to enroll in a master’s program in order to “complete” higher education, although master’s programs often duplicate the bachelor’s program.

The basic higher education program, unlike a bachelor’s degree, should be sufficient to enter the labor market, Mr. Falkov emphasized. Practical and fundamental basic higher education should provide individual educational programs and flexible training periods.

Mr. Falkov believes that master’s degree “did not take place” due to a lack of human, infrastructural and educational resources. At the same time, the number of master’s programs implemented in Russia is inadequately high: “451 out of 489 state universities offer master’s programs. This doesn’t happen, there can’t be so many master’s programs.” Concerning specialized higher education, then, according to Valery Falkov, it will be of two types – “research” and “professional”. Research is provided for those who are planning further academic activities, and professional is for those who require additional in-depth knowledge in the profession. At the same time, “researchers” will be fully funded by the state, and “professionals” will probably be financed by the employer.

The new model does not at all mean a rejection of best international experience, the minister noted: it must correspond not only to domestic, but also to global trends in the development of education, since Russia does not exist in an “airless space.” But first of all, higher education must be continuous and adaptable to changes in the labor market: “The unprecedented shortage of personnel cannot but affect the higher education system.” Universities, according to the minister, should be included in large projects of “technological sovereignty” and train specialists not only in accordance with the current needs of the market, but also focusing on the future.

Valery Falkov admitted that today Russian higher education is not a leader in the field of digitalization and the use of artificial intelligence by universities requires serious development. But the number of foreign students in Russia is growing steadily – however, mainly due to citizens of Asian and African countries.

The ministry believes that the vision of the future higher education system has been conceptually formed. The reform itself already requires the active involvement of universities, Mr. Falkov told a Kommersant correspondent: “The 2025 admissions campaign should be based on new programs. A lot of work needs to be done by this time.” At the same time, he acknowledged that not all representatives of the academic community want changes and are ready for them. Valery Falkov himself is confident that changes are necessary, and they need to be discussed not only with university rectors, but also with teachers.

However, the rectors who took part in the meeting mostly turned out to be enthusiasts of the reform.

Rector of Mordovian State University Dmitry Glushko is sure that any university must be ready for changes every day. In the teaching environment, many changes cause discussions, but the task of rectors is “to convey first-hand information to directors of institutes and heads of departments”, “so that everyone correctly understands the direction in which we are moving.” The reform being tested in pilot universities will help them “be useful for businesses developing in the regions, and not just in the capital,” Mr. Glushko hopes.

Rector of MISiS (one of the “pilots”) Alevtina Chernikova notes that the university has previously developed “flexibility, interdisciplinarity and communication with business partners.” “Strengthening the role of the employer at all stages, expanding the practice of immersing teachers in the business environment and a personalized approach to students – we are developing all this in the process of transition to new systems,” says Ms. Chernikova.

Rector of TSU (also one of the “pilots”) Eduard Galazhinsky said that changes related to the transition to the new system had to be made already during this year’s admissions campaign, and “moments related to changes in deadlines and standards” have not yet all been implemented – but “ decisions have always been made in favor of applicants to enhance opportunities rather than undermine them.” The university has 13 programs operating in pilot mode, and, according to the rector, applicants “reacted positively to the opportunities offered”: “They were attracted by the greater flexibility and variability of the tested system, the choice of training tracks right in the process, as well as the opportunity to obtain a micro-specialty. Previously, this was only possible through advanced training, after a diploma.”

Mr. Galazhinsky emphasizes that the participants in the pilot were teachers who themselves showed interest in this: “The programs are taught by activists who themselves want to improve the existing system. But not everyone is ready for this, so retraining and working with teaching staff is necessary, which we will also be doing in the near future.”

The rector noted that in new tracks, programs are often designed together with employers: “Our task, together with the market, is to make it possible for young people to find a good position immediately after graduation.”

Rector of Don State Technical University in Rostov-on-Don Besarion Meskhi believes that staffing “Russia’s well-being and its technological independence” are “huge tasks that we will implement in small but consistent steps”: “We are already ready for such changes, but everything takes time.”

Rector of Donbass State Technical University (Lugansk, LPR) Dmitry Vishnevsky told a Kommersant correspondent that this is the second educational reform for his university—the first was after the region joined the Russian Federation in 2022—but “the academic community is ready.” “A bachelor’s degree really does not completely cover the need for engineering personnel and the needs of industry,” says Mr. Vishnevsky. “Perestroika is important, necessary, but not terrible. It is important to make this transition gradual and smooth. The most important thing is quality, that is, the content of educational programs. And it doesn’t matter what they are called.”

The reform should not be reduced only to the abandonment of the Bologna system and the creation of its alternative, agrees the head of the expert council of the Expert Institute of Social Research, Gleb Kuznetsov: “It is the different directions of modernization of the educational system that can help its development. Artificial intelligence, the development of engineering education, and international cooperation – all this makes it possible to develop comprehensively and stay on the cutting edge. The more mobile the system, the more efficient and successful it is.” The expert believes that “mobility” should be not only in educational programs, but also in forms of training, including in matters of timing: “Here we should not limit ourselves to the Soviet or Bologna system and follow them conservatively – this would be a path to nowhere. People receive higher education for further work, so we must first of all focus on the requests of employers and the needs of the labor market, and discuss the direction of reforms with them.”

Emilia Gabdullina, Polina Yachmennikova