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Student rights commissioner to be elected in online voting

The idea was suggested by Dmitry Livanov, RF Minister of Education and Science

MOSCOW, December 24 (Itar-Tass) — An online voting to elect a Commissioner for the Rights of Students in the Russian Federation begins at the website of the All-Russia Student Forum (www.stud.forum.ru) on Monday and will continue until December 27. The idea was suggested by Dmitry Livanov, RF Minister of Education and Science.

Candidates for the position are the following persons: Vyacheslav Aderikhin, head of the Student Programmes Department of the Russian Youth Union, Sergei Bagrov, Secretary of the Student Union Committee of the oscow State Institute of Radio Engineering, Electronics and Automation, Maya Grenaderskaya, deputy head of the personnel policy department of the Russian State Agrarian University RGAU-MSKhA named after K.A. Timiryazev, Alexei Kazak, head of the Russian Trade Union of Students, Artyom Krapivka, chairman of the trade union organization of students of the Railway Transport Institute, Vladimir Marchenko, head of the Student coordinating council of the All-Russia Education Trade Union, Vassily Ovchinnikov, Chairman of the Board of the Youth Initiative of Regions, Samvel Papoyan, chairman of the Council of Students of medical and pharmaceutical institutions of higher learning at the RF Ministyr of Health, Artyom Khromov, Chairman of the Russian Student Union, and Yegor Yakorev, Director of the Third Sector Center of Civil Initiative.

They were nominated by members of the Council on Youth Affairs at the Ministry of Education and Science, who, in their turn, had been elected within the scope of a wide-ranging public discussion.

The principal aim of the Commissioner's activities will be "to represent and uphold the rights of srudents, as well as to establish a constructive dialogue between studentry and state authorities", a Ministry official said.

In order to attain these goals, the Commissioner will be given an opportunity to apply directly to the Mnistry leadership and to the structural subdivisions of the Education Ministry. The Commissioner will be bringing the position of the Ministry to the notice of studentry, engage in legal education of students, monitor student conflict situations, and regularly present information on the work done and monitoring results at sessions of the Council on Youth Affairs and of the Education Ministyr Board.

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