In an effort to improve the education system in Russia, Education Minister Sergei Kravtsov has announced plans to raise the status of teachers and strengthen the educational work in schools. During an interview with NTV's Pozdnyakov program, Kravtsov called the status and prestige of the teacher's work the most important challenge for the Russian education system.

"Today we are discussing with the deputies of the State Duma the question of fixing, perhaps, a special status for teachers," said Kravtsov. "This would give them protection, among other things, from the various wrongful actions that often occur against the teacher."

Kravtsov also highlighted the importance of the teaching profession, stating that it is one of the key professions and depends on what is invested in the younger generation. He also emphasized the importance of parents respecting the teaching profession and being allies. To facilitate this, the Ministry of Education established a Parents Council last year to discuss issues of cooperation between parents and teachers and parental involvement in the life of the school.

Additionally, Kravtsov announced that each school will have its own theater by 2024 and that a large program initiated by the President to overhaul schools continues. Educational institutions also receive funds for school equipment - about 6.5 million rubles.

He also commented on the introduction of school uniforms, stating that each school should establish its own style and format and discuss this with parents and students, instead of having a single uniform for all schools as it was in the Soviet Union.

In conclusion, Kravtsov stressed that all decisions relating to education should be discussed with parents and teachers and worked through methodically. The education system affects the majority of the country - about 80 million citizens.

In December 2022, the Institute of Foreign Languages and International Cooperation (IFLIC) of the TSPU will celebrate its 90th anniversary.

The Institute was created by the decision of the TSPU's Academic Council in August 31, 2020 by merging two structural units of the university - the Faculty of Foreign Languages and the Department of International Cooperation.

The first mention of foreign language education in the Tomsk Industrial and Pedagogical Institute dates back to December 10, 1931: On this day the first German teacher V.V. Medlina was hired.

In 1932, at the Institute was created Department of Foreign Languages, which was the ancestor of the IFLIC. The department was headed by V.A. Kopylov, a lawyer who was fluent in German and had experience in teaching it. In December of that year, by order of the People's Commissariat of Education of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, departments were consolidated all over the country, including the Tomsk Industrial and Pedagogical Institute. The Department of Linguistics, headed by the highly qualified linguist G.T. Chuich, was created at the Faculty of Literature. It united seven disciplines, one of which was the German language. In 1933 the Department of linguistics was renamed into the Department of General and Russian linguistics. In addition to Slavists, there were also German language teachers.

In the same year the RSFSR was radically changing the way foreign languages were taught in high schools. In order to prepare highly qualified specialists it was recommended to pay more attention to foreign language education of students. 

In 1936, the Department of Foreign Languages is established again, headed by L.L. Beke. He was an erudite, highly qualified specialist, who knew several European languages. It was he who would become the first Dean of the Faculty of Foreign Languages.

In 1947 the Soviet linguist, ethnographer and archaeologist, Doctor of Philological Sciences, Professor of the Institute Andrey Petrovich Dulzon developed a plan of research work on the study of the indigenous peoples of Siberia and their languages, collecting historical, ethnographic, archaeological and linguistic material in the expeditions in the Tomsk region and Krasnoyarsk territory. On the basis of A.P. Dulzon's personal study of linguistics, a Laboratory of languages of the peoples of Siberia was opened. Together with his students, the Professor led 35 complex expeditions to the north of the Tomsk region and to the Krasnoyarsk area to gather material on the Chulym-Turkic, Ket, Selkup, Khanty, Mansi, Nganasan, Shor, Evenki languages.

Today the Laboratory is renamed to the Department of Languages of Siberian Peoples, and its archive, which was collected over 70 years as part of a comprehensive program to study the origin and evolution of Aborigines of Siberia and their languages, is one of the most valuable collections in the field of autochthonous languages and cultures of Siberia.

Today, the structure of the Institute of Foreign Languages and International Cooperation includes five Departments ( Department of Romance-Germanic Philology and Foreign Language Teaching Methodology, Department of English Philology and Intercultural Communication, Department of Translation and Translation Studies, Department of Siberian Languages, Department of Business Communication in Russian and Foreign Languages), as well as the International Cooperation Department and the Information Resource Center for Language Training. The mission of the Institute is to train highly qualified competitive bachelors, masters and postgraduates in the field of teacher education, linguistics, intercultural communication, translation and translation studies. All programs provide for the study of two foreign languages in various combinations according to the learner's choice. The Institute provides a stable and effective system of cooperation between the TSPU and foreign scientific and educational organizations.

Today, IFLIC is a dynamically developing structure with more than 75 employees and more than 650 students. The Institute regularly organizes scientific and educational events: all-Russian and international conferences, language competitions, master classes, aimed at improving the content and technologies of education to ensure high quality of education to meet the challenges of our time.

The Institute celebrated its anniversary year with a number of significant events: in 2022, the Institute launched a dual degree programme together with the Jilin University of Foreign Languages (Jilin, China, Changchun). The Open Interregional Foreign Language Contest for schoolchildren "Alterlingua", which allows participants, winners and prize-winners to get up to 10 extra points for the Unified State Examination in foreign languages, was included into the list of the Ministry of Education; the scientific project of the Institute got support of the Russian Science Foundation in the contest of small individual scientific groups' projects for 2023-2024.

This time the Russian Science Foundation selected 2017 works: 54 projects were submitted by pedagogical universities, of which four were submitted by the Tomsk State Pedagogical University. In terms of the number of scholarships won, our university was among the top three pedagogical universities.

The final topic of the dialogue between representatives of foreign universities and TSPU experts was "Computer-Assisted Language Learning". They discussed the possibilities of independent learning of a foreign language with the help of the modern computer technologies. The lecture was delivered by Vadim Yurievich Zyubanov, Head of the International Cooperation Department of the Institute of Foreign Languages and International Cooperation of the TSPU.

The project of the Department of International Cooperation of the Institute of Foreign Languages and International Cooperation of the TSPU won in the category "International Student Recruitment" of the annual international award EEUA 2022.

The Tomsk State Pedagogical University started a series of "Young Scientist" meetings with partners from Brazil, China, and Vietnam. The event is organized by the staff of the International Cooperation Department and the Scientific-Educational Center of Theoretical Physics of  the Tomsk State Pedagogical University. The first lecture on "Intercultural Communication" was held by Vadim Yurievich Zyubanov, Head of the International Cooperation Department.

In 2022-2023 academic year the Tomsk State Pedagogical University for the first time will launch a double degree program with the Jilin University of Foreign Languages (Changchun, PRC). The new program (44.03.01) in the field of pedagogical education "Russian as a foreign language" is focused on teaching foreign students from the People's Republic of China.

On October 4 more than 800 guests gathered in the Tomsk Philharmonic Hall. The occasion of the meeting was quite serious - it was the 120th anniversary of the Tomsk State Pedagogical University. Governor of Tomsk region V.V. Mazur, Chairman of the Tomsk Region Legislative Duma O.V. Kozlovskaya, representatives of Roscosmos, managers, employees and students of the Big University of Tomsk and different educational organizations of the region gathered to congratulate the TSPU on its anniversary.

The national anthem of the Russian Federation opened the ceremony. Andrei Nikolaevich Makarenko, rector of the Tomsk State Pedagogical University, was the first to address the guests and spoke about the formation and development of the Tomsk Pedagogical University and the achievements of the university throughout the years:

"Today we have gathered to celebrate the present of our university and to draw parallels with its past and future, - the head of the university began his speech. - Tomsk Teachers' Institute was founded 120 years ago on July 1, 1902 by a supreme command of Emperor Nicholas II. It was one of the first seven institutes that initiated the history of higher pedagogical education in Russia".

The rector pointed out that the key vector of the university's strategic development is pedagogical education and pedagogical science, and its mission is to contribute to the accumulation of human capital in the region and the country by means of pedagogical education. For the success of these goals, new institutes and training centers began to work on the basis of the TSPU. In recent years, the Institute for Development of Pedagogical Education, which included the Park of Innovative Educational Practices and Scientific and Educational Interdisciplinary Center of Pedagogical Technologies for Human Development, has been opened at the TSPU. The Institute of Childhood and Art Pedagogy and the Technopark of Universal Pedagogical Competencies have been launched. The Kvantorium Pedagogical Technopark named after the People's Teacher of the USSR B.I. Vershinin is in the process of establishment, and a number of projects to help teachers and parents have been launched.

According to Makarenko, the Tomsk State Pedagogical University is always open for cooperation. The Tomsk State Pedagogical University is part of the Big University of Tomsk project and actively interacts with its other representatives through joint initiatives. The history of the Pedagogical University is definitely created by the people. Andrey Nikolayevich stressed the fact that Tomsk State Pedagogical University became the Alma Mater for many outstanding personalities, including Heroes of the Soviet Union and Socialist Labor, People's Teachers of the USSR and RF, Olympic champions, honored figures of science and art, famous artists, musicians, and specialists of large international organizations and enterprises of Tomsk.

"The Tomsk State Pedagogical University is one of the best universities in Russia and the world, so it keeps and multiplies high positions in international and national ratings, but this is only the beginning of the glorious way. Everything has just begun!" - summed up the Rector of the TSPU.

Vladimir Vladimirovich Mazur, governor of the Tomsk region, delivered his warm congratulations:

"It is difficult to list all the merits of the TSPU, but one thing is certain: the word 'teacher' is very precious to all of us, as we all remember from our first school desk. The TSPU train teachers that children really love. And the school, as Andrey Nikolayevich noted, is the future of our country. So much is connected with teachers. I want this connection of generations closely unite each of us. And I wish more professional, human and modern work in your life, because it brings good, joy and confidence to everyone who leaves the walls of the school and the Pedagogical University"

Vladimir also said that the established connection between Tomsk universities is very important and should be maintained. After congratulations, the Governor presented the awards. The K. D. Ushinsky Medal of the Russian Ministry of Education and a name watch were presented to Professor Valery Vladimirovich Obukhov, who served as rector of the Tomsk State Pedagogical University from 2001 to 2019. University employees also received honorary awards from the Russian Ministry of Education.

Chairman of the Tomsk Oblast Legislative Duma Oksana Vitalievna Kozlovskaya continued the anniversary program. She addressed congratulations from her and the whole deputy corps and presented the university staff with honorary awards from the Tomsk Oblast Legislative Duma for their fruitful work in training highly qualified personnel.

Acting Mayor of Tomsk Mikhail Arkadievich Ratner congratulated everyone on the significant event and awarded the representatives of the Tomsk State Pedagogical University with letters of gratitude from the Mayor for many years of diligent work, successful work in science and education, and high professional performance.

The cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev, Denis Matveev, and Sergey Korsakov delivered their warm words straight from the International Space Station, and their colleague Alexander Cherniavsky, advisor to the General Designer of the Sergei Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia, congratulated the Tomsk State Pedagogical University on the anniversary and gave space gifts to Andrei Makarenko and the TSPU. 

In the hearts of everyone lives the memory of those who wrote the history of the Tomsk Pedagogical University with their work, founded faculties and new scientific directions, headed the departments. These people were honored in a special part of the evening, dedicated to the employees of the University, who themselves became its history.

After that, there were speeches by representatives of the Tomsk scientific and educational complex, represented by Rector of National Research Tomsk State University Eduard Vladimirovich Galazhinsky, Director of Seversk State Technological Academy Sergey Alexeyevich Karpov, Vice-Rector for Educational Activities of National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University Mikhail Aleksandrovich Solovyov, Vice-Rector for Youth Policy of the Siberian State Medical University Alexander Valentinovich Ratkin, Deputy Director for Research Work of Institute of Chemistry and Oil Sergey Vladimirovich Kudryashov. Colleagues congratualte everyone on the occasion and noted that they are always ready for cooperation and development of joint projects with the Tomsk State Pedagogical University.

The video gift for the guests was a story about the important role of teachers in today's world: they work together with parents to bring up humanity in young people. Alexander Gennadievich Saybedinov, Director of the Governor's Svetlensky Lyceum, People's Teacher of the Russian Federation, presented his work, devoted to school and teacher, to the Tomsk Pedagogical University. In response, the Rector of the Tomsk State Pedagogical University awarded the guest of the festival with a silver medal of the Tomsk State Pedagogical University.

The final chord was the demonstration of shots of the modern life of the TSPU: students' everyday life, scientific conferences, projects with partners from Russia and abroad, strategic sessions, summer practices and many other things. The show was accompanied by a live musical performance.

After the ceremonial part, the audience was invited to engage in an informal conversation. In the format of an open microphone, anyone could congratulate the university, talk about their victories in the pedagogical arena, and share memories that are associated with the Tomsk Pedagogical University.

On September 1, the Tomsk State Pedagogical University opened its doors to new teachers who began a chapter of their lives called "Student days". Freshmen, among them winners of special competitions and participants of the "Open Pedagogical Class" project, were warmly welcomed by the university and in the evening all students and staff members were welcomed visited " Breaking into the Tomsk State Pedagogical University".

60 teenagers from the city of Bryanka of Lugansk People's Republic have taken part in the third season of the project of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation "University Shifts" in Tomsk State Pedagogical University.

Children from 14 to 17 years traveled almost four days to join the cultural and educational program "A Date with Russia: New Horizons". 

The town of Bryanka is a remote one, located on the spurs of the Donetsk mountain range. Many of its young residents admitted that they have never been to children's camps.

"We were glad to receive a very friendly welcome in the new city, — says participant Ilya Garbar. — Back on the train we were able to meet and talk to new people, and at the university we were able to get acquainted with our mentors through fun and interesting activities".

Due to their age, the guys are actively interested in learning opportunities in educational institutions of Siberia - universities and institutions of secondary vocational education. Future students will visit universities as part of the program of the shift. At the gala evening concert they were greeted by the rector of the university Andrey Nikolaevich Makarenko:

"We are glad to welcome you on the hospitable land of Tomsk, — Andrei Nikolaevich said to the participants. — Tomsk is a city of youth, a university city, and it is no coincidence that it is a pedagogical university that hosts guests from Donbass. The quintessence of pedagogy is communication, cooperation, and transfer of experience. During these 10 days of University Shifts, you will find new acquaintances, get a lot of new impressions, skills, and abilities. Welcome to Tomsk Pedagogical University!"

After the presentation of the program the whole team went on the first excursion route "Tomsk in legends and tales". The guests visited key historical points of Siberian Athens - Voskresenskaya Mountain, a place of city foundation, White Lake, Lagerny Garden, heard where the names of Tomsk itself and Tom River came from, were able to imagine what the characters of famous city myths looked like and how each of them influenced the birth of Tomsk.

"The sightseeing tour of the city was very educational! — shares Irina Sivolodskaya. — Despite the gloomy weather, we spent this time with benefit and interest. Most of all we were impressed by its scale of the sculptural composition "Motherland Handing Arms to Her Son", dedicated to the Great Patriotic War".

Teenagers from the LNR will further familiarize themselves with Tomsk by visiting historical sites, scientific and cultural locations - museums, universities, etc. In interaction with teachers of the TSPU the participants of "University shift" will be able to increase the level of various skills useful for life. They will also enjoy a tasting of Tomsk products, sporting events, the celebration of Russian Federation State Flag Day, and much more.