Russia’s Critical Shortage of Teachers in STEM Subjects Threatens Country’s Development, ‘Nezavisimaya Gazeta’ Says

Paul Goble
    Staunton, Dec. 17 – Russia is currently experiencing critical shortages of teachers in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), something that threatens the country’s development, according to the editors of Moscow’s Nezavisimaya Gazeta; and the government is not responding to this crisis with the necessary urgency.  
    At present, the editors say, almost one school in four does not have a teacher of physics and almost one in two does not have a chemistry instructor, a lack that means a large swath of young people are never exposed to those disciplines and thus are less likely to go into them professionally (ng.ru/editorial/2024-12-17/2_9158_red.html).
    Many Russians, including members of the Duma, are disturbed about this and are pressuring the government to do more. The government in response has announced plans to solve the problem by 2030; but, the editors say, it has not committed anything like the funds necessary to attract more teachers in these fields.
    Lest the situation deteriorate further, Nezavisimaya Gazeta says, it would be a good idea to consider forming social councils that could take responsibility for particular schools and offer to fill key teaching slots with those who have expertise in STEM subjects acquired not by teacher training but by life experiences.
    Such people, the paper suggests, would attract young people into these fields before Russia falls even further behind other countries.