2022 Caspian Forum: Meeting of Council of Rectors of Southern Russia’s Universities Involving Heads of Country’s Leading HEIs

The meeting participants discussed the reorganization of the system of youth policy and educational activities, spoke about technologies that contribute to an efficient educational process, and noted the importance of improving the quality of training qualified HR.

The introductory speech was delivered by the President of the Southern Federal University, Chair of the Council of Rectors of Southern Russia’s Universities Marina Borovskaya. Vladimir Gurba, Deputy Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Southern Federal District, also spoke about the agenda of the event. He noted that now the main task is to improve the quality of educational activities. The speaker particularly noted that it is impossible to build something new on the basis of the existing problems, and that is why it is so important to be able to assess the possible harm to the Caspian region in order to secure it.

Minister of Education and Science of Astrakhan Region Egor Ugarov supported the speaker in this issue. He expressed his hope that the new technological solutions will allow scientists to continue great deeds and put the existing developments into practice.

The head of ASU, in his turn, noted that the forum is already becoming a good tradition. He made several proposals that could form the basis for the joint work of universities. For example, Konstantin Markelov emphasized the importance of developing the Caspian business and its involvement in the scientific and educational community, and also took the initiative to rename the Association for the Promotion of Multilateral Cooperation in Science and Education in the Black Sea Region, which was established last year, into an Association of Caspian Universities.

At the end of the Council of Rectors, the member universities (Southern Federal University, Astrakhan State University, Kuban State Technical University, Volgograd State University, Adyghe State University, and Kalmyk State University) and the Moscow State Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation signed cooperation agreements aimed at promoting efficient functioning of higher education systems, development, and the use of the educational, scientific, innovative and intellectual potential of the parties in the most comprehensive and rational way.