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- how businesses will build 1,300 cool new schools by 2024;
- should additional education be involved in early career guidance for schoolchildren;
- real-life examples of business cooperation with the additional education system;
- how VEB.RF plans to launch an accelerator of educational practices.
The Russian government has set ambitious goals in the field of children's education. By 2024, it plans to provide access to additional education for 80% of children in the country, as well as open new modern schools for almost a million students. This is expected to lead to synergy between the state and business structures. Experts discussed these prospects at the session "Modern Supplementary Education — New Opportunities for the Development and Career Guidance of Students" at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
The concession will give schools more opportunities
Supplementary education is largely determined by the capabilities of educational institutions. Therefore, the session participants focused on the creation of new types of schools. Alisa Denisova, Head of the Modern Educational Environment Department at VEB.RF, noted that the Russian President's address set target indicators: at least 1,300 new schools must be opened by 2024, including those that opened since 2019. This underscores the importance of creating high-quality educational infrastructure for the development of supplementary education in the country.
From 2021 to 2024, it is planned to build about 800 new facilities as part of the program implemented by VEB.RF jointly with the Ministry of Education. This significant number of new facilities underscores the active development of educational infrastructure in the country.
The program the speaker is discussing will be distinguished by its use of a public-private partnership mechanism, specifically through a concession agreement. This means that funding for the design, construction, and operation of schools will be provided by a lending bank, a private investor, and the regional budget. As a result, the school construction project will involve a concessionaire, who acts as both an investor and operator, managing the entire process. Alisa Denisova notes that this is a significant advantage, as the concessionaire, representing the private sector, is able to incorporate best business organizational practices into the project and combine them with modern educational methods. This approach facilitates the more efficient creation and management of educational institutions, which in turn improves the quality of education and conditions for students.
Concession agreements are becoming a popular tool in Russia's regions. In 2018, Sberbank initiated financing for a concession project to build a school in Khanty-Mansiysk. In 2019, it also approved funding for a large educational complex in Nizhny Novgorod. According to RBC, in April 2021, Sberbank expressed its intention to build nine schools in the Perm Krai. At the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, VEB.RF and the federal concessionaire ProShkola, with financial support from Sberbank, signed several agreements with regions, including a project to build three schools in the Vladimir Region. These initiatives highlight the growing interest in concession projects in education, which contribute to improving infrastructure and the quality of educational services in Russia.
The concept of the new schools includes the creation of infrastructure for supplementary education, which will significantly improve the quality of the educational process. Through private investment, new educational institutions can acquire modern equipment and resources that surpass the standard conditions of public schools. This ensures more effective learning and development of students, creating opportunities for in-depth study of various subjects and skills. As a result, new schools become centers of attraction for students striving for a quality education and comprehensive development.
What goals should supplementary education serve?
Infrastructure plays an important role in education, but the key question remains: what exactly should be taught to today's children as part of supplementary education? The answer to this question is determined by the goals set for educational programs. It is important to teach children not only traditional knowledge but also modern skills that will help them adapt to a rapidly changing world. Understanding of technology, critical thinking, creativity, and the ability to work in a team are becoming fundamental for the future. Supplemental education should foster the development of these competencies to prepare children for a successful life and career in modern society. Educational programs should primarily address the needs of children not covered by the standard curriculum. During the SPIEF session "Big Change: Investing in the Future," Alisa Denisova shared the views of teenagers. Among their wishes were the creation of project workshops, clubs on management, financial literacy, and public speaking. These initiatives will help develop the key skills children need to thrive in the modern world. Pavel Zenkovich, Vice President of Development at the Prosveshcheniye Group of Companies, emphasizes the importance of supplemental education as a source of joy for children and support for working parents. He asserts that supplemental education is a powerful tool for instilling in children a love of learning and the joy of attending school. The primary goal is to raise happy children, while the development of skills and abilities is secondary. The main focus should be on making children feel happy and confident, which ultimately contributes to their harmonious development.
Continuing education and its role in career guidance remain a topic of debate among experts. Irina Potekhina, Vice Governor of St. Petersburg, asserts that the concept of "career guidance" does not meet the goals of continuing education, as it fails to take into account the current demands of the modern labor market. It is important to understand that continuing education can influence career paths, but its functions and objectives must be reconsidered in light of dynamic changes in the professional environment.
Given the rapid changes in the economy and labor market, traditional career guidance training for children is becoming ineffective. Instead, it is necessary to focus on developing career planning skills, which encompass a wide range of abilities and competencies. These skills will help children adapt to rapidly changing conditions and successfully build their careers in the future.
Pavel Zenkovich disagreed with this point of view, emphasizing the importance of early career guidance and the creation of pre-professional classes. He believes that such preparation is necessary to ensure that children can successfully cope with the transition to the next level of education. This will help them better understand their interests and abilities, as well as make an informed choice of their future profession.
Career guidance does not necessarily involve early mastery of the basics of a specific profession. It also represents an opportunity to explore various professional fields and develop skills that can be useful both in a specific specialty and in other fields. It is important that children's supplementary education receives support from businesses, which will open new horizons for collaboration. Businesses, in turn, will be able to interest the younger generation in relevant professions and career opportunities. There are examples of successful cooperation in this area, emphasizing the importance of joint efforts in preparing future specialists.
The supplementary education system offers unique formats that facilitate the creation of individual educational trajectories for schoolchildren. This allows for the combined efforts of all stakeholders to give children the opportunity to explore a variety of fields. Yulia Vorotnikova, Head of Youth Affairs at SIBUR Corporate University, emphasizes the importance of choosing competencies that not only interest children but also help them develop successfully in the future. Thus, continuing education is becoming a key element in developing the professional skills and career prospects of young people.
How Business Can Collaborate with Continuing Education
Yulia Vorotnikova noted that building a system of interaction between business and continuing education organizations is a dynamic process that requires constant updating. Complete unification of this system is impossible, since training must reflect the unique characteristics of each region. Universal approaches are not always justified, since local systems contribute to the development of specialists who are better adapted to the needs of a specific territory.
SIBUR is actively developing educational initiatives and cooperation with schools, implementing successful cases in various regions, including the Tyumen and Amur regions. In the fall of 2020, the holding launched a project in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, the goal of which is to open "Mendeleev classes" in local schools. This project is being implemented jointly with the D. I. Mendeleyev University of Chemical Technology of Russia. All of the company's initiatives are integrated into its long-term development plan and are supported by modern practices of higher education institutions, as well as its corporate university and partner programs. SIBUR is committed to improving the quality of education and training qualified specialists for the chemical industry.
RUSNANO is implementing a number of projects aimed at developing new educational practices and training future specialists for the technology industry. These initiatives include the "RUSNANO School League" program, which aims to engage schoolchildren in the world of science and technology, and the "TechnoLeaders of the Future" technology project accelerator, which supports and develops high-tech startups. These projects help develop qualified personnel capable of addressing the challenges of the modern labor market.
RUSNANO is a development institution focused on supporting large enterprises and startups. However, to ensure their future growth, it is necessary to focus on developing a new generation of specialists. In our startup studios and nanocenters, we actively seek people with an entrepreneurial mindset and innovative ideas. Unfortunately, we are only able to meet 10% of our demand. This indicates a shortage of talented young people, and we recognize the need to begin cultivating them from an early age. Svetlana Reshetnikova, Head of Supplemental Education for Children and Teachers at the Russian Foundation for Educational Programs (RUSNANO Group), emphasizes the importance of this process. Investments in education and the development of the younger generation are key to the success of the Russian economy and innovative technologies. Svetlana Reshetnikova emphasized that the general education system is often insufficiently flexible. At the same time, supplemental education plays a key role in filling gaps and providing modern skills necessary for the business sector and the country's economy. This education is focused on the interests of schoolchildren, who, according to Reshetnikova, are striving for modern forms of learning, such as improved project work. Instead of writing traditional essays, students want the opportunity to work in teams and develop real-life projects. Parents, the education system, and the students themselves are already showing interest in the effectiveness of such projects and their applicability to real-life situations. While creating strong clubs in every school can be challenging, there is an opportunity to combine the efforts of corporations and educational institutions remotely using trackers and online systems. This will ensure access to high-quality supplementary education for all schoolchildren. Building a school and equipping it with modern equipment is a manageable and well-studied process. Over the past hundred years, Russia has undergone three waves of large-scale educational institution construction programs. I am confident that we will successfully address this challenge in the new wave. However, recruiting staff, training them, and launching the school as a well-motivated institution are key tasks. It is important to ensure high-quality solutions to these issues throughout the country. This will require significant effort and attention to detail, especially in the area of additional education in new schools.
