Russia’s State Duma passed in the first reading yesterday the bill authorizing religious universities to grant state certificates of degree. The bill was elaborated two years ago, but its submission to the State Duma has been always shelved. Some orthodox seminaries fear the loss of independence, while the Moslems apprehend that their educational institutions won’t get the state accreditation and will be closed in the next move.
Photo: Grigoriy Sobchenko
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Religious Education to Be Recognized as Higher
Russia’s State Duma passed in the first reading yesterday the bill authorizing religious universities to grant state certificates of degree. But even though the religious universities will be sanctioned to accredit their educational programs as the state ones, they won’t get the state institution status.
The essence of amendments to the Act on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations and the Act on Education is authorizing religious institutions to claim accreditation for their programs, should they be in line with the state standard, and grant state certificates of degree under them.
The bill on equaling the status of certificates of degree given by religious educational institutions and secular universities was elaborated two years ago. It was approved by the RF Education and Science Ministry and by the Government’s Commission for Regional Associations, but its submission to the State Duma has been always shelved. In each confession, there are believers that challenge the initiative. Some orthodox seminaries, for instance, fear the loss of independence, while the Moslems apprehend that their educational institutions won’t get the state accreditation and will be closed in the next move. Another hurdle is the disputes about education’s clericalization.
But the advocates of the bill have ultimately prevailed. Even President Vladimir Putin stepped in to defend the bill on the eve of its submission to the State Duma, Putin said the chance to give the state certificates of degree “will improve the quality of education as well as the prestige of higher religious institutions.”
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Nov. 14, 2007
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