Putin urges overhaul of university admissions to meet job market needs
The President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, has called for a reduction in the number of students enrolling in higher education programs deemed "outdated" for the current job market.
- I am requesting the government to implement a comprehensive set of measures aimed at enhancing the quality of admissions to universities for fee-paying students. By 2026, this process should follow new principles, avoiding excessive enrollment in fields that are not in demand by the economy and labour market, - stated Putin during a meeting of the Council for Science and Education.
Many unnecessary specialists
He mentioned that enrolment in these areas "sometimes simply appears unattractive."
The President added that, for these specializations, there is a "very low level of readiness of specialists who ultimately are not needed by anyone" that has been observed.
Earlier, during the meeting, the Minister of Science and Higher Education, Valery Falkov, highlighted that the severe shortage of skilled workers in the labour market, especially engineers, "definitely calls for the regulation of fee-paying university admissions."
- Currently, fields such as economics, management, and law are predominant. Paid enrolment should also reflect the needs of the state - emphasized Falkov.
In light of this, he requested the authority for the Ministry of Science and Higher Education to approve plans for fee-paying university admissions "irrespective of their departmental affiliation."
An excess of lawyers and economists
Additionally, Falkov suggested that preferential education loans with an interest rate of 3% should be offered "only to candidates in priority fields, primarily engineering."
- Presently, over one-third of these loans are used for studies in economics and law, which clearly does not align with the workforce needs - said Falkov.
Russian universities have previously faced criticism for producing an "excess" of lawyers and economists.
As far back as 2018, Rosobrnadzor noted the difficulties young graduates in these fields faced in securing employment.
- This is the largest area in which Russian universities continue to educate students. The question remains – why saturate the labour market when admission numbers are already planned, coordinated with regions, and declared according to specific needs? Why produce ten times more lawyers and economists when they struggle to find jobs? – exclaimed then Deputy Minister Natalia Naumova.
