In St. Petersburg, at the Empress Catherine II St. Petersburg Mining University, the third module of the All-Russian Program for the Development of the Personnel Management Reserve in Science, Technology, and Higher Education took place. Among its participants were leaders of universities, scientific organizations, regional authorities, and research divisions of domestic technological companies.
The program organizers, the Higher School of Public Administration of RANEPA and the Sirius Science and Technology University, are implementing a project commissioned by the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education. Their goal is to form a community of young managers with a shared understanding of the challenges facing the country and equipped with the knowledge, vision, and motivation to provide an adequate response through higher education, science, and technology. Each of the program’s eight modules focuses on a key topic. At the venue of the country’s oldest technical university, discussions centered on the humanitarian dimension of scientific and technological development.
The rector of the Mining University, Professor Vladimir Litvinenko, addressed the personnel management reserve with his vision of key changes in the domestic education system to achieve the primary goal—true national sovereignty. He emphasized that President Vladimir Putin set Russia's course for sovereignty as early as 2000 at the beginning of his presidency. According to the speaker, sovereignty is impossible without increasing the efficiency of the educational system.
«As we know, the Finnish border is not far from St. Petersburg. Until the late 1990s, we saw trains heading west loaded with our gas condensate, ammonia, and other raw materials, while long lines of trucks carried timber. In the opposite direction came high-tech products, such as telephones. Initially, many were pleased with Russia's raw-material specialization in the international division of labor, but soon it became clear that the country was losing its industry. Even in the mining sector, imported technologies dominated, which had to be purchased under highly unfavorable contractual terms» – Vladimir Litvinenko explained.
The rector pointed out that the domestic education system was being reformed according to similarly disadvantageous models. Schools, universities, and vocational education institutions operated without a clear understanding of a unified state policy. The consequences of this lack of systematization are still being felt today. A quick look at the numerous legislative initiatives in education reveals many contradictions. Moreover, the regulatory function is shifting away from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation to other entities, even though these ministries possess all the necessary regulatory tools. The successive waves of "large-scale" projects, competitions, and grants merely illustrate the lack of a coherent system. At best, they address some isolated problems in education but do not bring us closer to the ultimate goal of improving it.
As an example of the problem with centralized regulation, the rector spoke about the experiment in creating a new educational model, which has been conducted for the second year by Empress Catherine II St. Petersburg Mining University. This pilot project, involving six universities across the country, was initiated by the Presidential Decree of the Russian Federation on May 12, 2023. In execution of this decree, the Russian government adopted a resolution outlining the rules for implementing the "pilot." However, at the level of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, there is still no official directive with a detailed work schedule.
Vladimir Litvinenko is convinced that the greatest blow to the domestic personnel training system was the removal of its most crucial component—upbringing. Only education remains, but in the absence of a state ideology, it is doomed to be unstructured. The rector recalled the words of the great Russian scientist Dmitry Ivanovich Mendeleev: "Education without upbringing is the same as a sword in the hands of a madman." Upbringing, in turn, is impossible without a state ideology. In this context, another quote is relevant—from the classic Russian writer Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky: "Without ideology, there is no country".
«Empress Catherine II St. Petersburg Mining University has defined the goal of higher engineering education as shaping a holistic worldview in students regarding their specialty and its place in scientific progress. This worldview motivates graduates toward self-realization within their chosen field. This goal guides the university’s work with every student and postgraduate. In fact, we began reforming postgraduate education even before the launch of the pilot project, understanding that the quality of education is determined by the level of knowledge, skills, and broad outlook of the teacher.
Ideology is the foundation of goal-setting. Goal-setting, in turn, determines motivation. If the Russian education system does not acquire new substance in accordance with this logical sequence, then the country's sovereignty will be at great risk» – said Vladimir Litvinenko.
The Mining University is restoring the educational component in higher education, including through the mentorship system. First- and second-year students receive guidance from senior students and pedagogical mentors-curators to help them adapt to university life. From the third to the sixth year, they are supported by professional mentors from the graduating departments, industrial mentors from enterprises where they undergo internships, and scientific mentors.
"The phrase 'Teacher—nurture your student' is an axiom for the faculty of the Mining University. Within the educational process, the teacher assumes the role of a subject, while the student is the object of pedagogical influence. The ultimate goal is to guide the student toward an awareness of a shared objective, thereby transitioning them into the category of a subject of self-education. This is how continuity is established.
Summarizing his speech, Vladimir Litvinenko once again returned to his key message:
«The country lacks a fundamental document that would define state policy in the field of education. Just as in the fields of mineral resources, foreign economic activity, and all other spheres. Today, it has been replaced by the ‘Foundations of State Policy.’ However, these foundations are too broad in format. They allow for significant leeway in interpretation. And they are not equivalent to a clearly formulated state policy articulated by the head of state, which defines the understanding of goals and approaches to their implementation in education. It should provide guiding directives for the executive branch and set the current agenda for the legislative authority. This is the key problem».
At the conclusion of his speech, the rector of the Mining University reminded young leaders that education is an industry with a long cycle. It is not an area where one should expect rapid and impressive results. Instead, progress must be made through systematic and consistent daily efforts.