In his
address to the Federal Assembly President Dmitry Medvedev declared the need to
modernise and reform Russian schools. The government immediately got down to
business. Yesterday Prime Minister Vladimir Putin proposed revising the system of
teachers' personnel appraisal, raising salaries for junior school teachers and
giving young teachers grants up to 250,000 roubles per year.
In the last
few years the government has paid much attention to the technical re-equipment
of schools. As a result, even the most remote village schools have received
computers and access to the Internet. However, even the most advanced
technologies will not replace teachers.
It is with
this idea that Putin started the conversation about the development of the teachers'
professional potential.
"I am
convinced that all those present owe much to their school teachers. The Russian
school needs talented teachers with an open mind, teachers who consider it
their mission to help all students reveal and use their abilities to the
utmost," he said.
The biggest
problem is lack of incentives. Teaching comes at the tail-end of ratings as an
attractive profession. They have to work hard for pennies. The national project
on education has largely improved the teachers' position but many of its
initiatives have been only tested in individual regions.
Putin has
already decided with what to start building "our new school." Yesterday he
suggested supporting not only experienced but also young teachers.
This is
what he said on this score: "We have a federal targeted programme on scientific
and scientific-pedagogical personnel. We could take part of the funds allocated
for it to pay grants to young specialists. We could give them up to 1,000
grants of up to half a million roubles for two years, that is, 250,000 roubles
per year."
"We must give
teachers fair pay. Now primary school teachers have to work more hours to
receive the same salary as teachers of specific subjects," Putin said. In his
opinion "it is necessary to bring up to date the approaches to establishing
work norms for teachers. They should conform to the new educational standards
and technology."
The
professional training of teachers should also be raised to a proper level.
Putin believes it is essential to update the teachers' performance review
system, which has remained unchanged for 10 years and has become completely
obsolete.
"Teachers
must have an opportunity to permanently upgrade their qualifications, with due
account of their personal requirements and the specific features of their
schools," Putin said. "It is necessary to continue developing teachers support
networks and online methodological sites, that is everything which helps shape
the professional environment," he added.
To sum up,
the government has focused on raising the status of teachers. Maybe after several
years our schools will stop relying on the teachers' sheer enthusiasm to
survive."
Anastasia Savinykh
