South Ural State University has become the main venue for the Second Forum of Regional Methodological Associations. The big-scale event, organized by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Chelyabinsk Region and the Chelyabinsk Institute for Education Development, has brought together more than 700 participants: teachers, methodologists, and heads of educational organizations from across our region. The forum focuses on the current issues related to the development of a sovereign education system and unified methodological support for school education.
The forum’s opening ceremony and plenary session were held in the assembly hall of SUSU. The participants were welcomed by Vitaly Litke, Minister of Education and Science of the Chelyabinsk Region; Alexander Wagner, Rector of SUSU; Ivan Borovykh, Acting Rector of the Chelyabinsk Institute for Education Development; and heads of educational organizations. The key topic of the plenary session was the methodological mission of regional and municipal associations of educators in supporting changes in the content of general education.
Vitaly Litke, Minister of Education and Science of the Chelyabinsk Region, addressed the forum participants with words of welcome:
“Today, we regard regional methodological associations as a resource for supporting education professionals in implementing the state policy as a whole, as well as our TEMP74 Educational Strategy—the strategy for the development of network-based specialized education. The role of regional methodologists in these processes is practical: it is aimed at harmoniously bringing together schools, science, and methodology to develop applied solutions. Our forum is a platform for professional interaction and new horizons for network cooperation. Today, we are bringing together the scientific potential of South Ural State University, the methodological expertise of the Chelyabinsk Institute for Education Development, and the resources of municipal methodological structures. Such multilevel integration will allow us not only to discuss the current challenges, but also to offer teachers specific, scalable—and therefore efficient—solutions for their professional practice.”
In his speech, Vitaly Litke also addressed the current priorities in implementing of the state policy in the field of general education in the context of strengthening our country’s sovereign education system.
Managing the implementation of the state policy in schools—that is, organizing work in a way that contributes to achieving the ideological and technological sovereignty—is a strategic goal for every school leader, school team, and teacher. Universal tools are used to address the new challenges that the education system is facing, and their range is expanding and evolving from year to year. In the near future, priority will be given to updated instruments, such as education quality assessment, methodological services, workload harmonization, and the “Lean School” initiative.
In his welcome speech, the SUSU Rector Alexander Wagner emphasized our university’s role in training teaching professionals and developing modern educational technologies:
“The content of school education is changing rapidly: new teaching approaches and digital tools are emerging, including artificial intelligence technologies. It is particularly important that these changes do not remain merely at the level of regulatory documents and methodological recommendations, but find clear and practical application in the educational process. That is why professional dialogue is so important today. It gives us an opportunity to discuss the current challenges, exchange practical experience, and jointly determine what methodological support should look like in order to truly meet the needs of teachers and pupils.”
Ivan Borovykh, Acting Rector of the Chelyabinsk Institute for Education Development, focused his presentation on updating the objectives and content of regional methodological associations of educators within the regional system of scientific and methodological support for education professionals. He noted that the institute implements the federal Unified Functional Model for Institutes of Education Development and Advanced Training and serves as a core resource centre within the regional educational ecosystem.
“Our country’s sovereignty is built on the consistent quality of education in every region. Regional methodological associations are the key drivers of this strategy. Our common task is to transform state priorities into strong educational practice.”
The plenary session concluded with a presentation by Alena Zamyshlyaeva, Director of the SUSU Institute of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and Head of the VirtUm Centre for Top-level Academic Programmes in the Field of Artificial Intelligence. Her presentation was titled “Artificial Intelligence in Education: From a Digital Tool to a New Culture of Learning and Teaching”.
“We train users of artificial intelligence systems: from beginners with no programming knowledge to those who already work in IT. Our task is to teach people how to solve practical problems in the fields where they work. This may be education, or perhaps you may want to develop a system for yourself, for another person, or for your home—and that is also possible. For students who are already involved in IT, we offer more advanced training. I know that among students in the 10th and 11th forms, there are some who can outperform any university student. They would benefit from a course offering an in-depth immersion in advanced artificial intelligence technologies and the implementation of a real project addressing a practical challenge. I encourage you not to be afraid of artificial intelligence technologies, but to use them for your own purposes and benefit. I wish you productive work,” Alena Zamyshlyaeva addressed the forum participants.
Following the plenary session, 12 thematic sections began their work, focusing on the activities of regional methodological associations in such subject areas as Primary Education, Russian Language and Literature, History, Social Studies, Geography, Music, Visual Arts, Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Foreign Languages, Technology, Physical Education, and Fundamentals of Security and Defence of the Motherland. During the sessions, educators will present their work plans for the 2026–2027 academic year and discuss key objectives for providing methodological support to school education.
Unique practical programs have been developed for the forum’s 700 participants, who are divided into 12 sections. These programs include participation in specialized section meetings, tours around the SUSU’s modern laboratories, and an intensive subject-focused training course on artificial intelligence at School 21, Sber’s School of Digital Technologies, located at our university. School 21 offers a unique peer-to-peer learning methodology, in which each participant simultaneously acts both as a learner and a mentor while developing modern digital and AI competencies. The forum will become an important step towards building a unified regional system of methodological support for educators and strengthening the human resources potential of the Chelyabinsk Region.