" However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results”

— Winston Churchill

In this blog post, TSU Rector Eduard Galazhinskiy reflects on the progress of TSU’s pilot programs, as assessed by the State Duma Committee on Science and Higher Education. He also touches on the broader challenges of implementing a national pilot project, a topic highlighted at the 3rd Tomsk International Forum "Transforming Education."

— Professor Galazhinskiy, would you agree that amidst the wide array of activities at a classical university, the core pillars are education and research? These are the foundation of a university’s institutional identity. Both demand the implementation of thoughtful strategies, and the higher the university’s status, the more ambitious those strategies should be. How strong are Tomsk State University’s strategies as one of Russia’s leading institutions, and what are the current outcomes? Are the initial expectations being fulfilled?

— Let’s start with TSU’s educational strategy. Broadly speaking, our strongest initiative is rooted in the university’s participation in the pilot project aimed at transforming Russia’s higher education system. Over the past year and a half, we’ve accomplished a tremendous amount of work. Currently, TSU is running 42 pilot programs: 27 undergraduate and 15 master’s programs.

Despite the inevitable challenges that come with any experiment, TSU has confidently launched these programs and continues to support them at a high level. However, it’s important to recognize the immense effort behind this success. Our faculty and staff have been working tirelessly, often beyond regular hours, facing intellectual, physical, and emotional demands.

Their work goes far beyond developing the content of these programs. It also involves defining and refining the core principles that underpin them, such as their academic rigor, practical orientation, and relevance. They’re building partnerships with key stakeholders, navigating legal and financial frameworks, analyzing vast amounts of data on shifting labor market demands and demographic trends, and preparing countless reports. This is uncharted territory, with no well-trodden paths to follow, which means taking on significant risks and responsibilities.

At the same time, the national pilot project cannot stretch on indefinitely—Russia urgently needs skilled professionals in all sectors. The challenge of identifying effective approaches to restructuring higher education and individual programs, within tight timeframes and under such complex circumstances, is one of the most pressing tasks assigned by the government to the Ministry of Education and Science and the six participating universities, including TSU.

Maintaining the integrity of this experiment relies heavily on thorough evaluation and feedback mechanisms. This was a key focus of the recent on-site session of the State Duma Committee on Science and Higher Education, which we discussed in the previous blog post. During this session, several roundtables were held, bringing together representatives fr om national and regional legislative bodies, Tomsk universities, and leaders fr om key industries such as law and chemistry. Students also actively participated.

Two of these roundtables centered on TSU’s pilot fields: law and chemistry. Their topics—"Approaches to Ensuring the Quality of Higher Legal Education" and "Modernizing Chemical Education to Secure Technological Sovereignty"—reflect their dual purpose: to present the interim results of TSU’s pilot programs and to identify priorities for these fields within the broader Russian higher education landscape.

The stakes are high, but so are the opportunities. These pilot programs are not just about improving education at TSU; they are about redefining what higher education can achieve for the nation as a whole.

— What specific priorities were discussed?

— Some of the priorities were general and relevant to most educational disciplines, though here they were discussed in the context of legal and chemical higher education. These included partnerships with industry stakeholders, increasing the number of practice-oriented activities while maintaining a balanced approach to theory and practice, enabling students to enter their professions quickly by engaging in real-world projects during their studies, and creating a new model of educational standards with a unified core for all undergraduate programs.

There was also discussion about broader implementation of one-year master’s programs aimed at developing highly specialized skills, such as research and management competencies.

At the same time, more specific priorities were highlighted. For example, in the realm of legal education, there was a notable focus—perhaps for the first time in a long while—on fostering a mature personal perspective among future lawyers. This means that beyond imparting professional knowledge, educational programs must emphasize the development of moral and ethical qualities. These are critical for success in the legal profession and align with employer expectations.

When it comes to chemical education, its development and modernization were viewed as inseparable from the goal of strengthening the country’s technological independence. This close linkage underscores the pivotal role of chemistry in achieving national sovereignty in key industries.

— Why do you think moral and ethical qualities have gained such importance for lawyers today? Why is this so crucial for employers?

— First, laws are becoming increasingly complex, and society now expects more than just expertise from lawyers—it demands honesty and integrity. People don’t just want legal professionals to perform their formal duties; they expect actions that sustain trust in the legal system. Lawyers are, in essence, guardians of justice, and any breach of moral principles undermines confidence in the rule of law itself.

Second, in the age of the internet and instant information sharing, a lawyer’s reputation can be tarnished in seconds. If a legal professional acts unethically or incompetently, the fallout quickly becomes public knowledge. Employers understand that trustworthy lawyers with high moral standards are a safeguard against reputational crises.

Legal practice often involves ambiguous situations wh ere knowledge of the law alone may not provide a clear solution. This is wh ere ethics come into play—they help define the boundaries of what is acceptable and guide decisions that are not only legally sound but also morally fair.

Finally, today’s employers seek not just specialists who know the law but also leaders capable of making sound decisions. Lawyers with strong moral standards can anticipate pitfalls and protect the interests of their company or organization. This makes them invaluable to businesses, government agencies, and public institutions alike.

— Speaking of chemical education, how can it be more closely aligned with strengthening the country’s technological sovereignty?

— The roundtable format didn’t allow for detailed discussions, but the topic was addressed in broad terms. I believe there is a wide range of opportunities here. For starters, the chemical industry forms the backbone of many sectors—fr om materials production and pharmaceuticals to energy and agriculture. Training highly skilled chemists with expertise in advanced methods and technologies enables the creation of innovative products and solutions to replace imported counterparts. This is particularly important given the current global economic climate, which requires us to rely on our own resources and independence.

It’s essential to remember that universities are not just educational institutions but also research hubs. Involving students in real-world research projects allows for the development of innovations that can be implemented in industry. This contributes to the creation of new technologies that enhance production capacities and boost the country’s competitiveness on the global stage.

Modernizing chemical education through updated curricula, integration of practical experience, and interdisciplinary approaches equips graduates to tackle emerging challenges and drive innovation. Strengthening technological sovereignty is impossible without professionals who can effectively work with contemporary methods of synthesis, analysis, and production. Updating university programs to include cutting-edge practices ensures the development of such talent.

This approach requires the creation of an entire ecosystem wh ere science, industry, and education operate in synergy.

— Why were law and chemistry the two areas of focus during the autumn session of the State Duma Committee on Science and Higher Education in Tomsk? After all, TSU offers over 40 pilot programs across various disciplines.

— There are several reasons. First, the experiment is only in its second year. The experts’ attention was naturally focused on the programs included in the initial phase of the pilot, which happen to include one law program and two in chemistry.

The second reason is historical. TSU, as one of Russia’s oldest universities, has deep-rooted traditions in both legal and chemical education and research. The first law faculty east of the Urals was established at the Imperial Tomsk University in 1898. The first chemistry departments at TSU were also founded over a century ago. As a result, these fields have long been prominent and attract the attention of experts eager to study successful models and best practices in education.

There is also another noteworthy coincidence. The chair of the State Duma Committee on Science and Higher Education, Sergey Kabyshev, is a distinguished jurist of the Russian Federation and a professor at Moscow State Law University named after O.E. Kutafin. He has been deeply involved in improving Russia’s higher education system in general and legal education in particular for many years. His analysis is always characterized by a fresh perspective, objectivity, and the ability to identify "growth points" grounded in fundamental values. This approach resonates with us, which is why his expert opinion on TSU’s pilot "Law" program was particularly important to us.

For reference:

According to S.V. Kabyshev, "the philosophical quintessence of the modern national model of legal education can be represented as the following logical square: (1) Legal cognition, which implies systemic and holistic legal thinking aimed at understanding the meaning, idea, and purpose of law; (2) Love of justice, an unconditional pursuit of truth, goodness, and fairness; (3) Patriotism, or serving one’s country in any legal capacity; (4) Progressivism, which entails leveraging modern technologies in law while simultaneously fostering development and innovation in society through legal means."

S.V. Kabyshev also highlights that «the current Education Law, while linking the development and implementation of educational programs to the acquisition of competencies, does not define the term 'competence.' At the same time, it uses the term alongside concepts like 'knowledge,' 'skills,' 'abilities,' 'experience,' and 'capabilities' to characterize the focus of education and training. As a result, the concept of 'competence,' which has become central in modern federal educational standards and programs, remains legally ambiguous. In some cases, it overlaps with related but qualitatively distinct phenomena, while in others, it subsumes them. This exacerbates the problems inherent in the dominance of the competency-based approach, which, however, should play a subordinate, utilitarian role relative to the approach grounded in academic knowledge."'

Excerpt from S.V. Kabyshev's report, “The Formula of Russian Legal Education,” 2023.

We were equally fortunate with the expert for the chemistry pilot program. I’m referring to Alexander Georgievich Mazhuga, the first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Science and Higher Education. He’s a renowned Russian chemist, a professor at the Faculty of Chemistry at Moscow State University, a professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and one of the youngest-ever doctors of science in chemistry. For several years, he served as the rector of the D.I. Mendeleev University of Chemical Technology. His groundbreaking research in medical and nanochemistry has led to the development of methods for creating diagnostic and therapeutic drugs. Mazhuga is an example of how a researcher can transcend the lab and influence decisions at a national level.

In other words, the evaluation of the current progress and future prospects for TSU’s legal and chemical pilot programs was carried out by individuals who are not only political figures, due to their positions in the Duma, but also accomplished scientists and professors with extensive university experience. Their opinions and recommendations were, therefore, incredibly valuable to us.

— And how were the interim results of the pilot programs in these two fields, achieved by Tomsk State University, assessed?

— The results were rated quite highly. This is evident from some of the key decisions made during the roundtables. For instance, Sergey Kabyshev proposed including representatives from TSU’s Institute of Law in a working group tasked with preparing specific proposals for amending federal legislation and educational standards as part of the development of a new higher education model.

Alexander Mazhuga also shared an important conclusion: Tomsk should take a central role in training specialists in chemistry-related fields. This perspective was likely shaped not only by the presentation of the acting dean of TSU’s Faculty of Chemistry, Alexey Knyazev, on workforce preparation for the chemical industry but also by the federal and regional delegations’ visit to the Engineering Chemical Technology Center in the Tomsk Special Economic Zone.

— Eduard Vladimirovich, let’s now turn to another event recently hosted by TSU, which also relates directly to pilot programs but on a national scale. I’m referring to the 3rd Tomsk International Forum on “Transforming Education,” held in early November. What are your impressions of the forum? What key issues were addressed?

— According to the organizers, the third annual "Transforming Education" forum was the most representative in terms of the number and diversity of participants. It was organized by TSU in partnership with other leading universities and educational development institutes, with support from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Russia.

To give you an idea of its scale, our minister, Valery Falkov, described the forum in his online greeting as "a full-fledged federal event with international status," reflecting the breadth and prominence of the participants. Indeed, colleagues from all the "experimental" universities attended. Just from HSE University, 30 participants flew in!

There were leaders of four federal educational and methodological associations (FUMO), a large team from the University of the Bank of Russia, Sberbank, Alfa-Bank, the National Agency for Qualifications Development, and the Association of Classical Universities of Russia (AKUR). Industry leaders also participated, including representatives from the oil industry, IT, drone manufacturing, and other sectors.

Overall, 164 universities participated in the forum, which, as always, was held in a hybrid format. This included not only Russian but also Chinese and Brazilian universities. What is happening now in Russia’s higher education system is of great interest to many foreign educational institutions, especially partners within the BRICS intergovernmental association.

The level of engagement from professional communities was exceptionally high. The forum operated over three days on TSU’s main campuses, simultaneously across four main tracks, all of which can be explored on the forum’s website.

The forum’s structure was extensive, encompassing various labs, discussion panels, roundtables, expert project sessions, and masterclasses.

As for the forum’s central theme, it was focused on updating the model of professionalization and career strategies for youth within university education practices.

— What message did you share with the forum participants?

— At the beginning of the plenary session, I felt it was important to share a few key points.

First, the forum brought together a community of people who are genuinely ready to take responsibility for the future of Russian higher education, sharing this responsibility with the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation. Any norm is formed and legitimized, among other things, through discussions with the professional community and industry leaders. In this sense, the level of representation at the forum and the public interest it attracted were unprecedented.

Second, we needed to find answers to extremely complex questions. For instance, how can Russia’s leading universities, which are part of the pilot and have diverse educational traditions, collaboratively create a new model of higher education that works for the entire country? What institutional mechanisms should form the foundation for transforming the national higher education system?

Third, the forum included industry leaders, without whom it turned out to be impossible to develop the necessary approaches to the new higher education model. Only together with them can we realign higher education to address new frontier tasks and fit into the new qualification framework. The involvement of representatives from the federal educational and methodological associations in these changes also became a key factor in tackling these challenges.

Finally, another interim conclusion for pilot participants was that the successful implementation of the project is impossible without genuine research support carried out in a networked format. This research network, which includes all leading pilot universities and their educational development institutes, is professionally analyzing the current changes in the system and launching experimental initiatives. At the same time, we all understand that what we are building today may only yield tangible results for the country in three, five, or even ten years. But this is the responsibility zone of our professional community.

I also cautiously mentioned that a decision has already been made at the national level to develop an education strategy through 2040, covering all areas—from general and vocational secondary education to higher, continuous, and additional education. By the order of the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, we are tasked with delivering a comprehensive strategy for the entire education system by March 1, 2025. This is a large and very complex systemic endeavor.

The materials from our forum should form the basis for this work, which will later be institutionalized and enshrined at the highest regulatory level. In other words, the Tomsk forum was not just about discussing our internal professional issues but a dialogue with key stakeholders. It was a brainstorming session, an expert discussion about the responsible choices involved in transforming the entire national education system.

— What directives did the forum receive from its primary sponsor, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Russia, represented by Minister Valery Falkov?

— Valery Falkov drew our attention to several key points. He began by highlighting that in the past 30–35 years, universities have not experienced the level of labor market pressure that they are facing today. While discussions previously focused on how many specialists were needed and in which industries, today’s employers are equally concerned about the quality of university graduates.

The challenge, he noted, is that the higher education system predominantly relies on linear labor market forecasts, which are often based on employers’ current needs. These forecasts typically look ahead five to ten years at most. The minister acknowledged that while this approach is certainly better than having no data at all, he urged universities to take a much more proactive role in researching the labor market in a broader sense.

This includes identifying long-term trends alongside short- and medium-term ones, rather than simply waiting for workforce projections from staffing agencies and recruitment firms and then restructuring their operations around those predictions. Universities should professionally study the labor market in their own regions as well as in the macro-regions they serve.

As an example of best practices, the minister cited the HSE University Labor Market Research Laboratory, led by Sergey Roshchin, HSE’s Vice Rector for Academic Affairs, who, incidentally, attended our forum.

— Another issue highlighted by the minister concerns the need for universities to accelerate students' entry into the labor market and enhance their motivation to work in fields aligned with their education. These tasks were specifically assigned to the universities participating in the pilot. Valery Falkov emphasized that the Ministry of Science and Higher Education is ready to immediately adopt the best proposals for addressing these challenges from participants of the Tomsk forum.

The third area of focus raised by the minister is the development of a continuing education system, both in the broadest sense and as a distinct educational market. This market is unique, requiring universities to reorganize their activities, often involving different instructors and administrative skills. However, not many Russian universities are currently comfortable operating in this space. In this context, Tomsk State University was highlighted as a successful example, being one of the operators of the "Employment Assistance" program under the federal "Demography" project. TSU has demonstrated its ability to efficiently and effectively retrain and upskill personnel in response to labor market demands.

— Is TSU ready to effectively address the other two tasks formulated by the minister that you mentioned earlier?

— Not only ready, but already addressing them, using the most advanced methods and technologies. For example, TSU’s Applied Big Data Analysis Laboratory, led by Vyacheslav Goiko, studies not only the current "here and now" demand for vacancies but also the evolution of professions in the labor market. A vast number of companies post job vacancies, skill requirements, and candidate qualifications on social media and websites, while candidates themselves leave digital footprints. The laboratory collects and analyzes this data, providing forecasts of various types and timelines.

A specialized platform, RosNavik, has been created, allowing us to identify both disappearing and emerging trends in the labor market. This data is then used to inform the development of new educational programs and the redesign of existing ones at the university.

Regarding the accelerated entry of students into the labor market, most of TSU’s pilot educational programs include opportunities for students to obtain additional qualifications as early as their second or third year of study. These qualifications are highly relevant to many industries and other fields, making TSU one of the first to recognize and act on this trend.

— So, Tomsk, and particularly Tomsk State University, is at the center of events related to the transformation of the national higher education system?

— Absolutely. Today, it is one of the key hubs for monitoring and discussing the progress of such an important process as the fundamental renewal of our country’s higher education system. We all need to recognize this and strive to maintain this level of leadership moving forward.

Eduard Galazhinsky, Rector of TSU,
Member of the Presidential Council for Science and Education,
Vice President of the Russian Academy of Education,
Vice President of the Russian Union of Rectors

Recorded and compiled by:
Irina Kuzheleva-Sagan