Rectors of the country’s largest pedagogical universities discussed the relevance of choosing the profession of a teacher in 2023

By decree of the President of the Russian Federation, 2023 has been declared the Year of the Teacher and Mentor. In Moscow, the rectors of the largest pedagogical universities of the country met with the Deputy Minister of Education of the Russian Federation at a round table. On the eve of the start of the admission campaign to Russian universities, they discussed the relevance of choosing the teaching profession.

Why it makes sense for an applicant to choose pedagogical education in 2023 and whether it is fashionable now to be a teacher – experts answered these and other questions.

“Today we have almost 18 million schoolchildren and they all need teachers. Today, a huge number of schools are being built. As part of national projects, about 400 schools will be put into operation in 2023. Such a rate of commissioning of new school places has not been seen in recent decades.”— noted the Deputy Minister of Education of the Russian Federation Tatyana Vasilyeva.

She stressed that modern schools are fundamentally different from those to which the older generation is accustomed. Now these are high-tech educational institutions equipped with the latest engineering ideas.

“Technology comes to school. Technologies and new technical discoveries are being made in the sciences, which also cannot but affect the preparation of a teacher. In this regard, we must say that teacher training begins at school with career guidance and never ends. A teacher learns throughout his professional life.”– said the Deputy Minister of Education of the Russian Federation.

The meeting also raised the issue of switching to a five-year education system in connection with the exclusion of the country’s universities from the Bologna Convention, which provided for a four-year basic higher education – a bachelor’s degree, and then two years of a master’s degree. Rector of the Tula Pedagogical University Konstantin Podrezov assured that for Russian pedagogical institutions this transition would be almost imperceptible.

“Preparation of bachelors in pedagogical universities, both before the transition to the bachelor’s degree, was carried out for five years, and after the transition to the bachelor’s degree, it is carried out for five years. What did we lose? We were losing what actually makes a teacher out of a person – this entry in the diploma that you are not just a bachelor of pedagogical education, but you are a teacher. This is psychologically important. As for the transition from a bachelor’s degree to a specialist’s degree, it will technically be much easier for us than for classical universities.”– said Konstantin Podrezov.

The participants of the round table agreed that pedagogical education is in demand in Russia, all applicants will have comfortable conditions for studying and developing their potential in many ways in the creative profession – teachers.

“Targeted training. This year, up to 30% of budget places are allocated to target preparation. Therefore, choose a pedagogical education, take logical steps. As we say in our Perm Pedagogical University: “I took a logical step – I entered the pedagogical one”— stated the rector of PSPPU Konstantin Egorov.