Ekaterina Lebedeva: "A country's development and sovereignty depend on quality education"
03 December 2025 11:30 Society The country's higher education system is preparing for a large-scale transformation. As Ekaterina Lebedeva, director of the Nizhny Novgorod Institute of Management, said, from the 2026–2027 academic year universities will switch to an updated model for training specialists.
The key change will be a move to differentiated durations of study. The new system will include three levels: basic, specialized (master's programs, residency) and professional higher education (postgraduate/doctoral studies). The length of study will be determined by the specifics of each profession.
According to Ekaterina Lebedeva, for fields such as engineering, pedagogy and medicine a five-year duration of study will be established. Four-year programs are envisaged, for example, for tourism and hotel services. For the most complex and science-intensive specialties study will last up to six years.
"The durations will be determined by how much time is required for high-quality training in a given specialty. This will allow balancing the needs of the labor market, educational standards and students' interests, who will gain more flexible opportunities to build their careers," Lebedeva emphasized.
In addition, as part of the reform a unified socio-humanitarian "core" will appear in Russian universities — a mandatory block of disciplines that forms students' general worldview.
This "core" will include subjects such as "History of Russia," "Fundamentals of Russian Statehood" and "Philosophy." The courses will be taught during the first two years regardless of the field of study. Teaching materials and assessment standards will be unified.
"Every student, regardless of specialty, must have a solid humanitarian foundation. This is the most important element in the formation of personality and civic responsibility," the institute director explained.
According to her, a similar "core" has already been implemented at the Presidential Academy in Moscow, and from 2026 regional branches will join this practice.
"We strive to give students deep and systematic knowledge that will form the basis of their professional and personal growth. Education quality is the foundation of sovereignty and sustainable development of the country," Ekaterina Lebedeva noted.
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