At a meeting of university rectors in Moscow, Mikhail Vinokurov sharply criticized the new unified state exam rules, which from 2009 will be mandatory for all applicants. He called them untimely and too strict, especially because of the requirement to score at least 40 points and choose a major in advance, which in his view greatly limits applicants.
At a meeting of the rectors of Russian universities in Moscow, the chairman of the Council of Rectors of Universities of the Irkutsk Region, Mikhail Vinokurov, voiced his opinion regarding the Unified State Exam.Since 2009, the Unified State Exam has become mandatory for all school students planning to enter higher education institutions, regardless of the chosen form of study (full-time, part-time, accelerated, commercial, and state-funded). A mandatory minimum for entrance examinations has been established. There must be at least three of them. Moreover, universities may choose one or two additional examinations.
Mikhail Vinokurov believes these rules, introduced by the Ministry of Education and Science, are untimely, rigid, and anti-democratic. Previously, applicants were admitted to fee-based programs even with a negative Unified State Exam result; now a positive Unified State Exam result is mandatory. Moreover, the minimum number of points that must be scored is 40 out of 100.
These rules seem especially rigid against the backdrop of the steady rise in unemployment in Russia.
The number of applicants who fail the exam may become alarming, especially considering that a specialty must be chosen before March 1. If previously a graduate could apply to several universities at once, now he must decide in advance; there is almost no opportunity to choose between universities, since the Unified State Exam is different and difficult at all universities.