Rector of Mining University met with young people from Izhora College and the Youth Parliament of St. Petersburg

On Tuesday, March 5, in the public reception room of presidential candidate Vladimir Putin, Rector of Mining University Vladimir Litvinenko, who is also a proxy of the head of state, held a meeting with students of Izhora College and representatives of the Youth Parliament of St. Petersburg.

He recalled that during his address to the Federal Assembly on March 1, Vladimir Putin emphasized the issues of science and education, and stated the need to take additional measures to ensure that "today's teenagers become professionals in their field".

Mining University has been working on these tasks for a long and fruitful time. Specific steps to integrate schools, universities and enterprises, for example, were discussed at the All-Russian seminar "New Approaches to Secondary Education in the Interest of Forming the Country's Technological Leadership". The event, which took place from March 1 to 4, gathered more than 200 school leaders from 60 regions of Russia.

At the meeting with St. Petersburg youth, Vladimir Litvinenko emphasized that young people should consider higher education as a foundation on which their future will be built.

"Mining University, where a pilot project on modernization of the higher education system is being implemented today, provides fundamental education. All obtained knowledge and skills are aimed at giving our graduates a competitive advantage in the labor market. We are doing a tremendous job to educate engineers who will work in the real sector of the economy, primarily in the mineral sector. We live in a country with the richest natural resources. But in order to monetize them, we need, first of all, competent personnel, otherwise no development is possible. That is why one of the priority tasks that Vladimir Putin has set before us is to educate our own personnel. Only true specialists can develop and introduce innovative technologies into production, as well as implement the ideas of rational nature management, which includes, among other things, minimizing the anthropogenic impact on nature. Our mission, which we are implementing today by improving the process of training engineers, is to preserve and strengthen the sovereignty of the state," emphasized Vladimir Litvinenko.

He urged young men and women to get away from gadgets and read more books. After all, excessive fascination with smartphones leads to digitalization of consciousness, when the user makes a request on the Internet and is satisfied with the information that the World Wide Web provides. This impoverishes the person, does not allow him to develop analog thinking, to make independent conclusions.
One of the most interesting questions that was addressed to the rector concerned the personal qualities of Vladimir Putin. To this, the Rector of Mining University answered as follows:

"In life, he is a maximally decent person, who in a difficult moment is ready to put his shoulder and lend a helping hand. We know each other well from St. Petersburg, I have always been impressed by his attitude to science. One of Vladimir Putin's main traits, in my opinion, is modesty. He does not like to be praised. Another character trait of our President is that he is able to consolidate good people and professionals around him".

Vladimir Litvinenko also noted that the presidential election is an important procedure that contributes to the unity of the society. He also urged all those present to come to the polling stations and vote, because "the opinion of every citizen affects the final result."

"We will have to choose a leader and unite around him to maximize the effectiveness of solving the tasks that are urgent for the entire society. One of them, beyond any doubt, is sustainable socio-economic development of the country and improving the quality of life of all its citizens," summarized Vladimir Litvinenko.

The meeting of the Mining University rector with the students of Izhora College and representatives of the Youth Parliament of St. Petersburg took place in the public reception room of presidential candidate Vladimir Putin in the city on the Neva.