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Minister of Education Sergei Kravtsov: Mr President,

All the instructions you issued during your pre-election meetings have been fulfilled.

We have created a national parent committee, headed by Artek Director Konstantin Fedorenko. By the way, June 16 will mark the 100^th anniversary of Artek, and we would like to invite you to take part in the celebrations.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

Sergei Kravtsov: You also spoke about creating agrotechnology classes. We have created about 200 of them in 74 regions.

You instructed us to simply the procedure for the inclusion of textbooks in native languages. This has also been accomplished.

As for the implementation of the Education national project, we have met all the deadlines and indicators. You gave instructions to build 1,300 schools by the end of 2024, and we exceeded it. A very successful programme.

Vladimir Putin: What about kindergartens?

Sergei Kravtsov: We have built1,680 kindergartens, and waiting lists have nearly been cleared. The school overhaul programme is underway. You set the task of renovating about 3,500 schools since 2022, and we have exceeded that target, having renovated 1,000 more schools.

We are ready to implement new national projects. As part of the Family project, 100 new kindergartens will be built to eliminate waiting lists. An overhaul programme will be implemented for kindergartens, similar to that for schools, and 2,300 kindergartens will be renovated by 2030.

There will also be an overhaul programme for secondary vocational institutions and colleges. You visited the innovation centre in Rudnevo and saw the children’s eyes gleaming with interest. In fact, today there is a boom in secondary vocational education: young people are choosing blue-collar jobs and finding employment. The employment rate is over 80 percent. We will continue to work towards a goal of 85 percent of young people finding employment in the manufacturing sector after graduating from college.

We are also preparing to build 12 world-class flagship schools for children interested in STEM subjects, developing natural science education.

Teacher training is developing actively. Thank you for the programme in support of teachers’ universities. Today’s enrolment competition stands at 10 applicants per vacancy. Young people are increasingly choosing teacher training institutes, making it second most popular field after IT training.

The quality of training is improving. This can judged by the National Final School Exam results: 8,500 school leavers achieved the maximum score of 100, which is 1,000 more than in 2020. Standardised history textbooks for years 5 to 9 have been approved. For the first time, we have produced standardised state textbooks for colleges, priced three times lower than commercial textbooks.

Let me note that we are proactive in promoting the No Statute of Limitations project. This initiative addresses the importance of remembering Nazi crimes against civilians. Excavations are still in progress, and we are uncovering new documents and facts that we share with schoolchildren. We will continue to support this project.

Vladimir Putin: The scale of these crimes is immense.

Sergei Kravtsov: Schoolchildren should know about this. We must never forget about this to prevent it from happening again. Regrettably, this did happen in Ukraine, where the Nazi regime has reared its head. Therefore, it is very important to have a system of educational work, a system of patriotic upbringing, and we will do whatever we can to support it. There is an adviser on upbringing attached to the director at each school. We actively cooperate with the Russian Movement of Children and Youth, and we will continue this work.

Apart from natural science subjects, we will focus on subjects outside the National Final School Exam framework, such as visual arts and music, which have often been sidelined. We have brought home economy classes back to the curriculum, as well as the Health and Safety training course and Defence of the Motherland. Although these subjects are not included in the National Final School Exam, they are essential for broadening schoolchildren’s world outlook. We will support these disciplines.

Let me dwell separately on developing the educational system in the new regions. This is not an easy task, but we have helped all teachers there to upgrade their skills and have introduced national standards. We are also rebuilding schools and kindergartens. Schoolchildren’s world outlook is the most important thing, of course. Together with the Ministry of Education and Science, we are implementing the University Shifts programme you have supported. This initiative is aimed at high school students who come to our cities and discover Russia.

Mr President,

We understand that new challenges are facing the education system, particularly the task of building a sovereign system of education. The Government has started drafting an education development strategy for the period until 2040, and we ask you to support it.

Vladimir Putin: Good. Thank you.

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