Extortion in schools related to text books and other subjects needs to be eliminated, Tatarstan education minister says

To supply school students, a special republican electronic text book fund has been set up. Tatarstan education and science minister, Engel Fattakhov, said at an end-of-year staff meeting, delivery of text books from publishing houses directly to municipalities had been arranged. The problem with supply of text books should be solved in 2013, he added, although much depended on clear-cut orders from the schools.
To improve the text books methodical website contents, a board of experts had been assembled, whose task was to thoroughly check the existing and planned text books, he explained.
“The topic of extortions in schools related to text books and other subjects needs to be got over with,” the minister urged.
Summing up the year, he said 170 secondary schools, including 5 correctional ones, had been renovated. About the same number was planned to be renovated in 2013, he added.
The list of problems the minister brought up included some school graduates not receiving graduation certificates and lowered quality of teaching mathematics.
“A sharp decrease is seen in grades 9 and 11 in conducting the final certification,” E. Fattakhov said, adding that one of the causes was substandard methodical training in schools.
The ministry worked to identify and support gifted younger people, the Tatarstan team of secondary school students for 5 years in a row holding the lead in the Volga Federal District, the minister went on to report.
A total of 6.9 billion roubles had in 2012 been brought in the education sector through implementing a priority national project, four federal, eight republican and ten departmental programmes.
“In the new year, the task is to increase our participation in federal projects, programmes and competitions, including through municipalities, schools and educators boosting their effort,” E. Fattakhov demanded.