ITAR-TASS reports that Russians are proud of Soviet education and rushing to return to its brilliant successes:

The state has addressed the needs of education; despite serious problems one feels headway has been made, Russia’s First Vice-premier Dmitry Medvedev declared at a victory ceremony for winners in education activities in 2006. The tasks selected in the framework of the national project enable to attend to the education reform in practical terms, taking over prestigious, verified experience the Soviet education system was proud of, Medvedev said. For the first time over the past decades the state's attention to problems of education is backed by financial resources, he noted. In 2007, the expenditures on education will grow considerably, he said. Financing the system of education is aimed at settlement of the current tasks and improving the quality of education and better adapting it to the realities of the 21st century. Support to teachers for students’ guidance off school, innovation development of schools and support to innovator teachers are a priority of the national project, Medvedev said. Russia is interested in innovation development, and it is vitally important to give an impetus to the system of education in order to go ahead, Medvedev told the victory ceremony on Friday.