MAIKOP, August 18 (Itar-Tass) —— Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has ordered the ministry of education and science to sum up the results of the national discussion of a bill on education, and relevant proposals from regional authorities and to submit a report on the matter.
“The bill was widely discussed, and the discussion still goes on,” he said on Thursday at a meeting of education specialists in the Adygean capital city Maikop. “Proposals have come from more than 40 regions and I would like the ministry of education and science to sum up the results.”
“As a proverb has it ‘measure thrice and cut once,’ so I would like to see a good report on the matter,” the president said.
According to the president, the bill tackles the whole range of aspects, from organizational and legal to socio-economic ones, and in the long run it influences long-term development of Russia society, the future of the country’s economy and culture. That is why it was decided to submit the bill for popular discussion.
The first edition of the bill was posted on the website of the ministry of education and science in May 2010. Then it was updated and presented for further consideration of the general public. Over the past two months, the site has been visited by 12 million people, who have left 11,000 comments.
“Basic conclusions have been reported to me and I hope they have been taken into account while updating the bill,” Medvedev said and promised to hold more conferences on this issue.
“Later in the month, the commission on top priority national projects and demographic policy will hold a meeting to discuss the implementation of the initiative “Our New School.” Other meetings dedicated to problems of education are also planned. I think we must outline basic provisions of the bill, i.e. those that are related to improving the quality of educational services and guarantees of the right to pre-school, general and vocational education,” Medvedev added.