Report - UNDP Russia

• Steady decrease in the percentage ofengineering students and graduates in all highereducationstudents and graduates;• Only state universities offer training in the field.However, there are a number of importantquestions, the answers to which help to obtain anaccurate picture of prospects for the powerengineering industry in Russia:1. Does the power industry really need 29,000engineers every year?2. Does the quality of education of these newengineers meet current and forecast needs of theindustry?There are serious questions marks over thequality of students, who are being prepared forcareers in the power industry. Analysis of universityadmissions in 2009 shows that all types ofengineering higher education in Russia areexperiencing a serious crisis: up to 50% of thoseadmitted to higher education schools had scoredonly three out of five for mathematics and physicsin the five-point system, which is used to assessRussian school pupils (a score of three is equivalentto ‘satisfactory’ or a C-grade). It is unlikely that thesestudents will be capable of acquiring the necessaryprofessional competencies 17 .Power engineering and electrical equipmentis currently among the most popular engineeringspecializations, attracting relatively strong applicants.The average school-leaving exam score of studentsapplying successfully for state scholarships to studypower engineering and electrical equipment is 64.1.However, the average score for applicants who obtaina scholarship in humanity subjects is 76.4, and ineconomics and management it is 71.4. Clearly, thebest school leavers have limited interest inengineering professions 18 .As can be seen from the table, the quality ofstudents admitted to study power industryspecializations is as dubious as for other engineeringprofessions. It should be noted that the minimumadmission requirements at Moscow universities 19correspond to a weak 3 (weak C-grade): a score of48.1 in the school-leaving exam for a statescholarship and 42.7 for admission as a tuitionpaying student (Table 3.1.2).There is much stratification both within singleuniversities and between different universities.Comparing admission scores for state-funded places,the threshold for courses within the powerengineering and electrical equipment group was 57,to study nuclear reactors and energy installations atMIFI, while the admission score to study nuclear andparticle physics at the very same school was only 42.And the admission score for plasma powerinstallations at MAI was just 33 20 .The higher education process itself is alsoriddled with problems. In the spring of 2009, researchwas carried out at a number of engineeringuniversities across Russia to find out whether theTable 3.1.2Average score achieved at 2009 school-leaving exam among applicants to study power engineeringand electrical equipment at Moscow and Siberian universities 21State scholarshipsState scholarship studentsTuition paying studentsavailableAverage score Admission score Average score Admission scoreMoscow Siberia Moscow Siberia Moscow Siberia Moscow Siberia Moscow Siberia2382 1040 64.1 68.8 48.1 58.9 53.6 49.9 42.7 41.717State exam and university admissions. Average score of applicants admitted to Moscow universities on the basis of state exam results,August 2009. M. GU-VHSE, 2009, page 12.18State exam and university admissions. Average score of applicants admitted to Moscow universities on the basis of state exam results,August 2009. M. GU-VHSE, 2009, page 69.19These include: Moscow N. Bauman State Technical University (MGTU), Moscow Power Engineering Institute (MEI), Moscow Physics-Engineering Institute (MIFI), Moscow State Institute of Steel and Alloys (MISIS), Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI), Moscow State RailUniversity (MIIT), Moscow A. Kosygin State Textile University, Moscow State Industry University, Moscow State Engineering EcologyUniversity, Moscow State Applied Bio-Technology University.20State exam and university admissions. Average score of applicants admitted to Moscow universities on the basis of state exam results,August 2009. M. GU-VHSE, 2009, pages 45-46.21State exam and university admissions. Average score of applicants admitted to Moscow universities on the basis of state exam results,August 2009. M. GU-VHSE, 2009, page 73.71