Rustem Khamitov: "We can start e-learning system only with joint efforts"

The first meeting of the Presidential Council of Bashkortostan devoted to development of e-learning was held in Ufa.

"Globally e-learning is developing very quickly and successfully. But we stuck in organizational issues, issues of interaction. If further progress goes at such a pace it will result in complicated processes developing, including in education. The complicated processes in terms of loss of priorities, students, the most intelligent professionals", said in particular Rustem Khamitov.

He noted that nowadays the leaders of e-learning are the United States of America, and South Korea in some areas.

"These universities like Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford and Harvard have actually made a revolution in e-learning, uploading free courses and an enormous amount of materials, forming the entire infrastructure of e-learning. These universities do not teach tens and hundreds but millions of students. Ideologically major U.S. universities actually have already been working in another dimension. There are private entities - "Udacity", "Coursera". Number of students at these websites increases", said the President RB.

Rustem Khamitov added that "Universities in terms of e-learning are at risk. Some experts believe that it will lead to a devaluation of the teaching staff".

He also recalled that last week the Republican Association of E-learning was formed, which included ten renowned universities - Bashkir State University, Aviation and Petroleum Universities, Pedagogical University, the University of Economics and Service, Bashkir Medical University, Academy of Public Administration, VEGU, Academy Science and the Institute of Information Technology "IT" .