The meeting focused on the development of education in the country in the light of Vladimir Putin's state-of-the-nation address to the Federal Assembly and the State Duma amendments to the legislation on the division of authorities, the governmental press service told journalists.
"At the July 8 meeting, which focused on key trends of government work, the cabinet of ministers announced that the modern economic development and global competition increase requirements to the higher education quality," the press service said.
The solution of Russian education problems should be complex and based on the results of the experiments carried on to upgrade the educational system.
Taking into account the education priorities of society and each family, the government, regional authorities and business communities can and should back educational institutions, teachers and students, Mikhail Fradkov believes.
Mikhail Fradkov and heads of higher educational institutions discussed the change of the legal basis in the education sphere under new conditions of its functioning, the extension and consolidation of universities' autonomy, and the organizational and legal status of educational institutions, the governmental press service reported.
Moreover, the sides considered the forecasts of labor market demands in training of qualified specialists, the expansion of enrollment conditions of talented students on the basis of varied contests and other aspects. In this connection the Russian Education and Science Ministry, Finance Ministry, and Economic Development and Trade Ministry were proposed to consider the expansion of targeted support for higher education in the 2005 draft budget and for the following years.
MikhailFradkov focused on such vital issues as the financing of modernization of university libraries and equipment and construction of additional hostels, the press service said.
