From 5 November to 7 November there was held the All-Russia Meeting of Teachers of Russian Language and Literature and the II Meeting of the Russian Literature Society.

Both meetings were headed by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and MSU Rector Victor A. Sadovnichy. Also the events were attended by Minister of Science and Higher Education Michael M. Kotyukov, Minister of Education Olga Yu. Vasilyeva, Head of the Federal Service for the Supervision of Education and Science Sergei S. Kravtsov, and President of the Russian Book Union Sergei S. Stepashin. President of Russia Vladimir Putin sent there a welcoming address.

On 6 November that address was read by Adviser to the President Vladimir I. Tolstoy at the opening ceremony of the II Meeting of the Russian Literature Society. The Russian President pointed out that if people knew the Russian language very well, they had an opportunity to find their way in the information environment and to develop their personal and professional skills. Vladimir Putin also marked that it was very important to increase the quality of school education and encourage teachers to be creative so that they would be able to meet the modern requirements.

At the beginning of the Meeting of the Russian Literature Society Patriarch Kirill suggested that general cultural course should be taught in Russian schools. According to him, the course goal must be to promote the youth to love the Russian culture and to resist ‘the destructive behaviour models’ found in the Internet and social networks. His idea was supported by Ministry of Education of Russia Olga Vasilyeva. In her opinion, due to the course every Russian citizen must form ‘the important spiritual code connected with the Russian language, history, and literature’. It should be noted that Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia was re-elected as Head of the Russian Philology Society.

At the meeting Rector of Lomonosov Moscow State University Victor A. Sadovnichy suggested that the Year or Reading should be organised in Russia. In his turn, President of the Russian Book Union Sergei S. Stepashin commented on the issue of high book costs and proposed that book should cost less.

1 out of 11 Russian enrolees chooses pedagogy courses, as pointed out Minister of Science and Higher Education Michael M. Kotyukov.

‘Annually, many school graduates enter pedagogy courses and the courses in philology as well. It seems to me the situation next year will be the same as this year and last year – 1 out of 11 Russian enrolees on state-funded courses chooses pedagogy ones,’ noted the minister.

Michael Kotyukov underlined we had to do our best ‘to keep on motivating young people after their entering universities’.

‘It is very important for university graduates to find jobs and solve the issue of pedagogy personnel deficiency now,’ he added.

Saratov University was represented at the forum by Scientific Supervisor of the Institute of Philology and Journalism, Chair of the Department of Literary Studies and Journalism Professor Valerii V. Prozorov; Head of Priority Projects and Programmes Elena G. Yelina; Chair of the Department of Russian Philology and Media Education, Chair of the Research-to-Methodology Council on Pedagogy Education Olga I. Dmitriyeva.

On 5 November Valerii Prozorov presented his report titled the Education and Development of Literature Memory as the Guarantee of the National and Cultural Unity of Russia. He marked that ‘the issue of literature as a course at school is being heatedly debated’ and commented on the methods we should use to make school students get interested in reading themselves.

Valerii Prozorov shared the experience of Saratov University of working with enrolees. Thus, the university has organised a popular interregional contest for high school students titled the Power of Word. The contest is supported by the Government of the Saratov Region and the State Region Duma. Another event aimed to communicate with enrolees in an informal and amusing way is to meet with them at the Enrolee Club of the SSU Institute of Philology and Journalism. Also the Khelstakov Festival is used for this purpose uniting literature, theatre, music, and visual culture.

Resisting the obstacles in a cheerful manner the university staff tries to make the people to be interested in reading and to preserve the reading literature memory. The reader memory is, unintentional, concrete, and expressive. It has always been the essential associative guidance in our emotional evaluation.

‘We like to ponder over patriotism but the basis of our love to the things we know lies in our literature as well, and it helps us understand ourselves and the world. We are Russia until we preserve the literature memory!’ highlighted the professor.

On that day Elena Yelina and Olga Dmitriyeva took part in the meeting of the Federal Academic Methodological Association on Linguistics and Literary Studies. They discussed the peculiarities of school teacher education at university.

Following the materials of TASS