On June 5, 2021, the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF-21) began with the International Educational Session on the topic "A Modern University Between Global & Local Challenges: Life after the Pandemic".
The pandemic has made adjustments to higher education worldwide. However, higher education now faces the consequences of the pandemic, and universities have to adjust to the challenges and understand the new environment. The issues of increasing educational inequality and quality, the funding crisis and budget cuts, the digital divide, the innovative learning environments and teacher change along with high graduate unemployment have become top priorities for many universities.
At the International Educational Session, representatives of Qatari and Russian universities and public funds shared their experiences in overcoming the most pressing problems, which have appeared in the scientific and educational ecosystems of both countries over the past two years.
Alexander Linnikov, Vice-Rector for International Cooperation, joined the session on behalf of the Financial University. In his presentation, Mr Linnikov highlighted the changes that had taken place in the higher education systems of Qatar and Russia as well as the strengths of the national education systems that had been exposed by the pandemic.
"We have done a great job in responding to the pandemic. Despite the fact that the universities of Qatar and Russia are quite conservative, we managed to react quickly to all changes and to achieve the goal of preserving sustainable development! The main question we are facing today: what are we going to do tomorrow?" says Alexander Linnikov.
In addition, Alexander Linnikov noted that a key aspect of transitioning to the new reality is online education, which helps to create certain points of intersection and connect people, ensuring effective interaction in universities.
