Today the government is discussing the medium term priorities for the development of the education system in Russia.
"The modernization of education is one of the main objectives for our country," he said. "This task is not only important but also difficult, given the size of the Russian Federation."
Mr. Fradkov said there were three main objectives to modernize the education system: to ensure the accessibility of education, raise the quality of professional education and to ensure the availability of funding for education.
"We will have to create mechanisms that ensure equal access to education for young people no matter where they live," Mr. Fradkov said.
He also said that the connection between business and education needed to be maintained and that businesses should determine "what is taught and how."
In his opinion, salaries in the education sector are unsatisfactory.
"In regard to the availability of funding for education," he said, "some improvements have already be made. In 2003, 2.8% of the GDP was spent on education, and in 2004 it may reach 4.9% of the GDP. However, the availability of funding and salaries in the education sphere are unsatisfactory."
According to him, the sector does have internal reserves, but it should also attract investments. "We must determine the priorities for modernizing education, taking into account social and economic development," Mr. Fradkov said.
