Medvedev: The Entire State Apparatus [госмашина] Will Fight XenophobiaThe rhetoric is in keeping with Medvedev's image as the more "liberal" of the erstwhile contenders for the office of President in 2008 and is somewhat interesting, though of course actions speak louder than words.
Oct. 1, 2007
Thousands of former students from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe who studied in our institutes and universities during the Soviet era gathered in Moscow today. The Second World Forum of Foreign Graduates of Domestic Institutions of Higher Learning [Второй Всемирный форум иностранных выпускников отечественных вузов] opened in the Hall of Columns of the House of Unions. The participants were welcomed by Dmitrii Medvedev.
The First Deputy Prime Minister spoke about the contemporary higher school of Russia, which prepares specialists who are in demand on the world labor market. This is the main task of the national project titled "Education."
Dmitrii Medvedev, First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation: "The most important task is to adapt our domestic higher school to the demands of an innovative economy, to prepare modern, qualified specialists, competitive specialists, who will be in demand on the global labor market.
In order to do this, in part, we have established business schools in Moscow and St. Petersburg. We hope that these will be world-class business schools. Such an education had not been available in Russia, not to speak of the Soviet Union. We have also established two new federal universities, large universities, which have united a number of smaller institutions of higher learning. These are the Siberian and Southern Federal Universities."
According to NTV's sources, Medvedev also touched on the question of the security of foreign students in Russia. According to the First Deputy Prime Minister, "we are openly looking at a problem which many countries have confronted in recent times, including the problem of xenophobia. Have no doubt: the entire state machine will battle this evil mercilessly," said Medvedev.
What is more interesting is the brilliant idea of having an alumni conference for foreign graduates of Soviet and Russian universities. This is a network which includes many people who have become leaders in their native countries and is a great way for Russia to perform outreach to some of the former Soviet satellites. It looks like the whoever thought of this may have taken a page from the book of the US State Department, which long ago began requiring contractors who organize exchange programs for students to come to the US to include a back-end alumni component. On the other hand, this World Forum looks a bit more top-down than, for example, the self-organized association of Muskie Fellowship Alumni.
1 comment:
Great post - I think this is one issue that the government has simply ignored, if not indirectly encouraged, over the past few years. I like the idea of an alumni conference as well.
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