Ekaterina Mizulina, the head of Russia's Safe Internet League, has expressed outrage on her Telegram channel over a new proposal regarding university admission rules. Mizulina stated that she felt compelled to use profanity after learning of an initiative put forward by Vladislav Grib, the deputy secretary of the Civic Chamber.
Writing on social media, Mizulina said that she does not normally use foul language, but described the situation as a rare occasion where avoiding it was difficult. Her comments were triggered by a proposal from Grib to introduce a fresh system for selecting prospective higher education students.
According to Grib, admission to universities should be conducted under a combined model requiring both Unified State Exam scores and victories in academic competitions. Under his suggested scheme, applicants would need to demonstrate high state exam results alongside top placements in official subject olympiads.
The Safe Internet League is a Russian non-governmental body that monitors online media and digital content, led by Mizulina as its director. The Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation serves as a consultative state assembly responsible for reviewing legislative initiatives and advising government authorities on public affairs.
Proposed changes to state exams
The debate over university admissions follows earlier proposals to reform Russia's standardized testing system. Andrei Fursenko, a presidential aide and former minister of education and science, previously suggested making the tasks in the Unified State Exam more difficult.
Fursenko pointed out that many high school students currently achieve maximum scores on the state examination yet still fail to secure admission to universities. He also stated that a portion of student academic olympiads should be canceled entirely.
The Unified State Exam, known locally as the EGE, is Russia's mandatory national examination taken by graduating secondary school students to qualify for higher education entrance.
Calls for exam abolition
Other public figures have advocated for the complete removal of the testing framework. Nina Ostanina, chairwoman of the State Duma Committee on Family Protection, Fatherhood, Motherhood, and Childhood, previously announced her intention to introduce a bill to abolish the exam.
Ostanina stated that the existing state exam model is not designed to support the mastery of the standard school curriculum. The State Duma operates as the lower house of the Russian parliament, where legislative committees prepare statutory proposals on education and social policy.
