The procedure for transferring SVO participants and their children to the budget was explained

A new benefit in the system of higher and secondary specialized education was carried out by ministerial order. In agreement with the Ministry of Education, the order was approved by the Ministry of Education and Science and will come into force on September 1. Students – participants of the SVO and their children studying in the system of higher and secondary vocational education have the right to switch from paid education to the budget.

For the first time, such an initiative was discussed in July. The Minister of Science and Higher Education noted that supporting the participants in the special operation is one of the most important tasks for the department. “Here we rely on the decisions of the President of Russia, including benefits for all participants of the SVO when entering universities, taking into account their military service as an individual achievement and the possibility of switching from a contract form of education to the budget,” said Valery Falkov.

In August, a government decree was signed, according to which students participating in the SVO will be able to transfer from a contract form of education to a free one if there are vacancies. If there are no such places in the direction of their training, the educational institution must organize them, redistributing them from other directions. Redistribution and transfers will affect all forms of education: full-time, evening and correspondence.

The new order of the Ministry of Education and Science (valid until August 31, 2024) describes the procedure for transferring students. The translation is intended for “citizens who took or are taking part in the special operation, as well as their children.” It will operate in higher education and in secondary education, that is, for students of universities, institutes and academies and colleges, technical schools, and colleges. It was clarified that the benefit applies to “children of persons taking or taking part” in a special military operation on the territory of Ukraine, the DPR and LPR, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions. The basis for the transfer to the budget should be a document confirming the participation in the SVO of the student or his parent.

To transfer, you must submit an application addressed to the rector, provide a supporting document (there is no single sample certificate on the state portal). Do not yet have academic debt and disciplinary action. And, perhaps, the most interesting thing for educational institutions: state-funded places are provided, financed from the budget or the university’s own funds, including from voluntary donations and earmarked contributions. At the same time, colleges, technical schools and universities have the right to redistribute “available vacant budget places” from one specialty to another.

Perhaps this is the main difficulty – as a rule, there are no vacancies on the budget, they are planned in advance. Taking into account the standards for the cost of training in the specialty, and they are also different. Roughly speaking, it is cheaper to train a sociologist in the same humanitarian and technical university than an IT specialist – the technical costs for training are less and practices come out cheaper.

On the other hand, “MK” wrote earlier about the financial and economic activities of universities and their annual budgets – they are multimillion-dollar even for provincial universities.

– Yes, that’s right, universities conduct their own financial and economic activities, – says an expert in the field of education Valery Panov. “They not only take tuition fees, but they are engaged in scientific activities, and fundamental research is also financed by the state. They conclude contracts, conduct tenders, cooperate with businesses, rent something out. Training and retraining of personnel is also a money story.

Everyone remembers the “rectofall” of 2021/2022 and the fact that the financial and economic activities of some universities turned out to be too stormy. For example, the case of the rector of a sports university, who set up a mining farm on “his” territory. But more often, of course, they “saved” on repairs, purchases, created fictitious positions.

This year, 7,000 people were enrolled to the budget in universities under a separate quota. How many will want to transfer like this – 2-3 thousand? It is unlikely that this will form an unbearable burden on universities in terms of finances. Rather, it will require organizational hassle: additional standards, manuals in the educational part. Accounting, excuse me, will “stand on their ears” – how much they will need to change everything. This is really very dreary and difficult, since the order will work from September 1.

Earlier, proposals were made in the State Duma on a similar transfer from paid education to the budget of students who have a child and students with a pregnancy. Such initiatives for the sake of improving demography were voiced, for example, by the Duma Committee on Family, Women and Children. But they are still under consideration.

“According to the current regulations, any student in the HE system has the right to apply for a transition from a contract form of education to a budget,” comments lawyer Stanislav Popov. But there are a few “buts”. It is necessary to unlearn for a fee for two half a year, not to have “tails”, academic and disciplinary sanctions, there must be a budgetary place in the direction of study. You can apply for a revision of the form of education, including from paid to free, due to a change in personal circumstances: the loss of parents, wife / husband, the birth of a child, etc.

In some cases, the “payer” automatically receives a benefit (if there is free space on the stream). In other cases, the transition is considered and approved or rejected by the academic council of the university.