TSPU Ranks Among Russia’s Leading Pedagogical Universities for Graduate Employment

From 22 to 24 December, the Management Workshop «Senezh» of the presidential platform «Russia – a Land of Opportunity» is hosting an All-Russian meeting of heads of regional executive authorities responsible for education governance. The event is organized by the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation. Tomsk State Pedagogical University is represented at the meeting by Rector Andrey Makarenko.

At the opening of the meeting, participants were welcomed by Sergey Novikov, Head of the Department for Public Projects of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation..

«The end of the year it is the right time to sum up results, and ours are optimistic. We can confidently say that we have built a system of education that has proven its effectiveness and is providing positive outcomes. At the same time, next year we must focus on issues related to shaping and strengthening the worldview of young people. In today’s environment, this requires serious and consistent efforts», — Sergey Novikov stated..

Minister of Education of the Russian Federation Sergey Kravtsov noted that 2025 had been declared the Year of Children’s Recreation. During this period, around six million children attended approximately 40 000 camps, and one of the key areas of work was aligning educational activities in schools and children’s camps.

«In the coming year, we will focus on children’s mentoring and development. We are setting systemic goals that will allow us to continue building a unified educational environment for children of all ages. These include regulatory frameworks, infrastructure development, workforce training, and, most importantly, cooperation with parents, since mentoring and ensuring equal opportunities for every child is our shared responsibility», — Sergey Kravtsov emphasized.

Among the key innovations of 2025, the Minister highlighted Order No. 704, which reduced the academic workload for school students by introducing unified calendar-based lesson planning, regulating the number of assessments, aligning curricula with the content of state final examinations, and setting standards for the amount of time allocated to homework. A major change planned for 2026 is the entry into force, on March 1, of amendments to the federal law granting priority admission rights to applicants who apply for targeted training programs in secondary vocational education.

Sergey Kravtsov summarized the results of the Ministry’s work together with higher education institutions and outlined priorities for 2026. He also spoke about upcoming changes for applicants to pedagogical universities.

«Starting in 2027, applicants to pedagogical universities will be required to take a subject-specific entrance examination. This measure is intended to attract motivated future teachers and enhance the quality of education. Teacher-training programs remain among the most in-demand fields, as applicants increasingly recognize that practice-oriented education leads to strong employment prospects. For example, from their second year of study, students at pedagogical universities undertake mandatory teaching practice in schools and children’s camps», — said Sergey Kravtsov.

The Minister also announced the top five pedagogical universities with the highest rates of graduate employment in their field of specialization, among which was Tomsk State Pedagogical University.

«According to monitoring data from the Russian Ministry of Education, TSPU ranks first in the number of master’s degree graduates employed in their field of professional training. More than 75% of TSPU bachelor’s graduates are employed specifically in social-sector organizations within the region, — said TSPU Rector Andrey Makarenko. — The high employment rate of Tomsk State Pedagogical University graduates is explained by several factors. First, the majority of our students begin working in educational institutions as early as their third year of study, where they most often gain positive professional experience and secure long-term positions. Second, a key role is played by the university’s systematic cooperation with employers, as well as comprehensive support for students and graduates during their adaptation and integration into educational organizations».

The Minister of Education of the Russian Federation noted that in 2026 special attention will be given to classrooms for teaching music, visual arts, and natural sciences, as well as to further equipping military-patriotic centers at pedagogical universities.

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The All-Russian Meeting of Regional Ministers of Education is taking place from December 22 to 24 at the «Senezh» Management Workshop, part of the presidential platform «Russia – Land of Opportunity». The meeting brings together deputy heads of regional governments overseeing social policy, heads of regional education authorities, representatives of organizations subordinate to the Russian Ministry of Education, and rectors of pedagogical universities. Participants are discussing the results of work in the education sector in 2025, the implementation of key structural initiatives, the development of a sovereign education system, current priorities of state education policy, and plans for 2026.