A meeting was held at Saratov State University with Deputy Prime Minister of Saratov Region – Minister of Education of the region Mikhail Orlov. The event was attended by Chair of the Saratov Regional Duma Committee on Education and Culture Alexander Blatman. Vice-rectors, deans of faculties, directors of institutes, and students of pedagogical training gathered in the Assembly Hall, Bldg. 10. The topic of the conversation was the up-to-date issues of teacher training in Saratov Region.
The meeting was opened by SSU Rector Alexei Chumachenko. ‘Today, we will talk about the school as one of the key links in the educational chain. This is the key point for further professional development and develops guidelines for choosing a profession. Without the coordinated work of the middle management, further operation of the mechanism is impossible,’ he said. The rector called the acute shortage of teaching staff one of the key problems in the school education system. Graduates of Saratov State University can provide all possible assistance in solving it.
Minister Mikhail Orlov, using his personal example, tried to show young colleagues that school is a place where you can implement all your plans, work for pleasure, and have financial stability. The students learned about social support measures for young teachers working from 1 to 3 years old. In Saratov Region, allowances and payments are provided for young teachers. Financial rewards also apply to participants in the Teacher of the Year, Master of the Year, Nursery School Teacher of the Year, and Recognition Award applicants.
Special benefits are expected for teachers who have decided to work in rural areas. This category of teachers can apply for the solution of housing and communal services, social mortgage, as well as participation in the Rural Teacher federal programme. Today, there are 73 teachers in the region who have received such social support.
It was not only social and material issues that worried the students in the hall. The participants of the discussion asked the minister questions, referring to him as an experienced teacher and mentor. The questions concerned, for example, methodological subtleties in the work of a teacher and bureaucratic costs. He said that since 2024, the department subordinate to him had simplified the reporting procedure for schools. This is due to the transfer of all documentation online to a single platform, which greatly simplifies the work of teachers. To simplify the start in the career, each teacher is assigned a more experienced mentor who provides full educational and methodological support in the first year of teaching.
Chair of the Saratov Regional Duma Committee on Education and Culture Alexander Blatman also said hearty words to young colleagues, ‘One should live by pedagogy, love school, and not be afraid of children.’
The deputy's confidential conversation with the students allowed to dismiss some worries and concerns that worry teachers-to-be.
The students shared their thoughts and wishes with the guests. Based on the responses from the audience, it was possible to understand that not only social support measures are important for teachers-to-be, but also the status of teachers in the public, parents, and students themselves. They discussed the ways of interaction of teachers with the school administration, the parent community, the legal protection of the public life of teachers, as well as the development of competencies were discussed. Besides, a detailed portrait of a modern teacher was considered.
In conclusion, SSU Rector Alexei Chumachenko summed up the meeting results. ‘You need to be a school person – this is perhaps the most important thing. And the conditions for the development of teachers in our schools are quite decent.’ He thanked the guests for their interest to the university and the support from the regional ministry.
Find the information on measures to support young teachers in the presentation from the meeting.
