Tolstoy called the introduction of the OGE and the Unified State Exam a “big mistake”

The introduction of the OGE and the Unified State Exam was a “big mistake”, which still has active authors. This was stated by Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Pyotr Tolstoy during parliamentary hearings in the Federation Council.

“This is my position: a big mistake, and this mistake still has active authors, was the introduction of the Unified State Exam, the Unified State Exam and training children to take tests. And this mistake, of course, destroyed the fabric of traditional Russian education that existed before the revolution and that existed in Soviet Russia,” he said.

According to Tolstoy, now schoolchildren are “trained for two years” to take the Unified State Exam, and then in universities “the school curriculum that they missed is explained to them for two years.” The Deputy Speaker of the State Duma called the current system a “serious problem” and called on people to think about how the situation can be changed.

In March 2023 Tolstoy saidthat we need to discuss the topic of canceling the Unified State Exam. In his opinion, the sooner such a discussion begins, “the better.” At the same time, in Rosobrnadzor statedthat the issue of canceling the Unified State Exam in Russia is not being discussed.

Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin noted, that before making a decision to cancel the Unified State Exam, you need to “seriously weigh everything.” Russian President Vladimir Putin previously saidthat the Unified State Exam has many disadvantages, but at the same time, this system allows schoolchildren from the regions to study at the best universities in the country. According to the head of state, the Unified State Exam needs to be improved.