Vladimir Litvinenko, rector of the St. Petersburg Mining University university, has come up with an initiative that could radically change the system of training engineering personnel. He proposed issuing diplomas of higher education only after three years of work in the specialty. This proposal was made in an interview with the Vedomosti newspaper and has already caused active discussion in the professional community.
According to Vladimir Litvinenko, modern higher education in Russia is experiencing a crisis. The abundance of budget and paid places in universities has led to the fact that the value of a diploma has decreased significantly. To rectify the situation, the rector considers it necessary not only to introduce mandatory service, but also to reduce the total number of universities in the country.
The key change may be a two-stage system for issuing educational documents. First, the graduate will receive a certificate of graduation from the university. And only after three years of successful work in production will he be able to exchange this certificate for a full-fledged diploma. This approach, as conceived by the author of the initiative, will guarantee a real level of training specialists and their demand in the economy.
Another important proposal is the distribution of state educational grants on a competitive basis. This will help direct resources to the strongest and most promising educational institutions, ensuring quality training for future engineers.
The expert emphasizes that without a strong education system, the country risks remaining on the periphery of global technological development. The proposed measures are aimed at raising the prestige of the engineering professions and restoring confidence in the quality of domestic specialists.
The initiative of the rector of the Mining University points to systemic problems in higher education. It is likely that the introduction of compulsory service and reform of university funding could be a serious step towards changing the situation. These measures are designed not only to improve personnel training, but also to strengthen Russia’s position in the context of global technological competition.
The material was prepared with the support of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science as part of the Decade of Science and Technology.
Source: vedomosti.ru
