Education reform inching forward

As thousands of high-school graduates entered universities on Saturday, a hotly debated bill to reform Russia's education system was inching forward, writes Jennifer Rankin for The Moscow Times.

A controversial plan already three years in the making, the bill promises the biggest shake-up of schools and universities since the 1990s, giving students more choice over the subjects they study and changing how universities are funded. In late July, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev sent the bill to the state duma. It is expected to be signed into law by the end of the year. "The law must not only resolve the problems of education, but become the basis for the development of human capital in the country," Medvedev said in a recent blog post.

The bill aims to cut the number of higher educational institutions, leaving a smaller cadre of better-funded universities that pack a more powerful punch in international rankings.
Full report on The Moscow Times site