Nature:
On being elected president of Russia earlier this year,
Vladimir Putin decided to conduct a massive reform of the
country's university system. According to an external audit
commissioned by Russia's Ministry of Science and Education,
almost 500 of the country's 600 or so public higher-education
institutions are not up to international standards,
particularly in terms of "quality of students, research
intensity and productivity, and the amount of teaching space,"
writes Quirin Schiermeier for
Nature. As part of his proposed education overhaul,
Putin plans to shut down the most severely underachieving
schools, increase funding to a smaller number of
higher-performing universities, raise academic salaries, and
offer bonuses for special achievements in teaching and
research. Although many Russian academics complained about the
criteria chosen for the audit, others emphasized the benefits
that will be realized, especially in the areas of science and
innovation.
