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Higher Education Systems and Institutions, Russia

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• Isak Froumin 3 &
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European Commission. 2012. Higher education in the Russian federation . Tempus. http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/tempus/participating_countries/overview/russia_country_fiche_final.pdf . Accessed 18 Jan 2017.

Federal Law on Education in the Russian Federation No. 273-FZ of 29 December 2012 year. 2012. Rossiskaya Gazeta No. 5976 of 31 December 2012. http://www.rg.ru/2012/12/30/obrazovanie-dok.html . Accessed 11 Nov 2015.

Froumin, Isak, and Yaroslav Kouzminov. 2015. Supply and demand patterns in Russian higher education. In Higher education in the BRICS countries: Investigating the pact between higher education and society , ed. Simon Schwartzman, Rómulo Pinheiro, and Pundy Pillay, 97–124. Dordrecht: Springer.

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OECD. 2007. Thematic review of tertiary education. Country background report for the Russian federation . Paris: OECD.

OECD. 2013. Education at a glance 2013. Paris: OECD. Publishing. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1787/eag_highlights-2013-en . Accessed 11 November 2016.

OECD. 2016. Education at a glance 2016 . Paris: OECD Publishing. http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/education-at-a-glance-2016_eag-2016-en . Accessed 21 Jan 2017.

OECD Data. 2017. Gross domestic spending on R&D . https://data.oecd.org/rd/gross-domestic-spending-on-r-d.htm . Accessed 21 Jan 2017.

Platonova, Daria and Semyonov, Dmitriy (2017) (forthcoming). Russia: The institutional landscape of Russian higher education. In: 25 years of transformation of post-soviet HE systems , ed. Smolentseva, Anna, Huisman, Jeroen, and Froumin, Isak, London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Russian Education. 2017. Federal universities . http://www.edu.ru/abitur/act.73/index.php . Accessed 21 January 2017.

Statdata. 2017 ‘Ethnic composition of Russia’ [ Nacionalnyy sostav Rossii ]. http://www.statdata.ru/nacionalnyj-sostav-rossii . Accessed 19 Jan 2017.

World Bank. 2017a. Gross domestic product 2015 . http://databank.worldbank.org/data/download/GDP.pdf . Accessed 17 Jan 2017.

World Bank. 2017b. Gross domestic product 2015, PPP . http://databank.worldbank.org/data/download/GDP_PPP.pdf . Accessed 17 Jan 2017.

Related Websites

Federal state statistics services (FSSS) 2017. http://www.gks.ru/

Ministry of Education and Science of Russian Federation 2017. http://mon.gov.ru/

Study in Russia 2017. http://studyinrussia.ru/en/

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Froumin, I., Zagirova, F. (2020). Higher Education Systems and Institutions, Russia. In: Teixeira, P.N., Shin, J.C. (eds) The International Encyclopedia of Higher Education Systems and Institutions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8905-9_377

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4 trends that will shape the future of higher education

Higher education needs to address the problems it faces by moving towards active learning, and teaching skills that will endure in a changing world. Image:  Vasily Koloda for Unsplash

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• Measures adopted during the pandemic do not address the root causes of the problems facing higher education.
• Institutions need to undertake true reform, moving towards active learning, and teaching skills that will endure in a changing world.
• Formative assessment is more effective than high-stakes exams in equipping students with the skills they need to succeed.

Since the onset of the recent pandemic, schools and universities have been forced to put a lot of their teaching online. On the surface, this seems to have spurred a series of innovations in the education sector. Colleges around the world embraced more flexibility, offering both virtual and physical classrooms. Coding is making its way into more school curricula , and the SAT exam for college admission in the US has recently been shortened and digitized , making it easier to take and less stressful for students.

These changes might give the illusion that education is undergoing some much-needed reform. However, if we look closely, these measures do not address the real problems facing higher education. In most countries, higher education is inaccessible to the socio-economically underprivileged, certifies knowledge rather than nurtures learning, and focuses on easily-outdated knowledge. In brief, it is failing on both counts of quality and access.

Have you read?

Four ways universities can future-proof education, the global education crisis is even worse than we thought. here's what needs to happen, covid-19’s impact on jobs and education: using data to cushion the blow, higher education trends.

In the last year, we have started to see examples of true reform, addressing the root causes of the education challenge. Below are four higher education trends we see taking shape in 2022.

1. Learning from everywhere

There is recognition that as schools and universities all over the world had to abruptly pivot to online teaching, learning outcomes suffered across the education spectrum . However, the experiment with online teaching did force a reexamination of the concepts of time and space in the education world. There were some benefits to students learning at their own pace, and conducting science experiments in their kitchens . Hybrid learning does not just mean combining a virtual and physical classroom, but allowing for truly immersive and experiential learning, enabling students to apply concepts learned in the classroom out in the real world.

So rather than shifting to a “learn from anywhere ” approach (providing flexibility), education institutions should move to a “learn from everywhere ” approach (providing immersion). One of our partners, the European business school, Esade, launched a new bachelor’s degree in 2021, which combines classes conducted on campus in Barcelona, and remotely over a purpose-designed learning platform, with immersive practical experiences working in Berlin and Shanghai, while students create their own social enterprise. This kind of course is a truly hybrid learning experience.

2. Replacing lectures with active learning

Lectures are an efficient way of teaching and an ineffective way of learning. Universities and colleges have been using them for centuries as cost-effective methods for professors to impart their knowledge to students.

However, with digital information being ubiquitous and free, it seems ludicrous to pay thousands of dollars to listen to someone giving you information you can find elsewhere at a much cheaper price. School and college closures have shed light on this as bad lectures made their way into parents’ living rooms, demonstrating their ineffectiveness.

Education institutions need to demonstrate effective learning outcomes, and some are starting to embrace teaching methods that rely on the science of learning. This shows that our brains do not learn by listening, and the little information we learn that way is easily forgotten (as shown by the Ebbinghaus forgetting curve , below). Real learning relies on principles such as spaced learning, emotional learning, and the application of knowledge.

The educational establishment has gradually accepted this method, known as 'fully active learning'. There is evidence that it not only improves learning outcomes but also reduces the education gap with socio-economically disadvantaged students. For example, Paul Quinn College, an HBCU based in Texas, launched an Honors Program using fully active learning in 2020, combined with internships at regional employers. This has given students from traditionally marginalised backgrounds the opportunity to apply the knowledge gained at university in the real world.

3. Teaching skills that remain relevant in a changing world

According to a recent survey, 96% of Chief Academic Officers at universities think they are doing a good job preparing young people for the workforce . Less than half (41%) of college students and only 11% of business leaders shared that view. Universities continue to focus on teaching specific skills involving the latest technologies, even though these skills and the technologies that support them are bound to become obsolete. As a result, universities are forever playing catch up with the skills needed in the future workplace.

What we need to teach are skills that remain relevant in new, changing, and unknown contexts. For example, journalism students might once have been taught how to produce long-form stories that could be published in a newspaper; more recently, they would have been taught how to produce shorter pieces and post content for social media. More enduring skills would be: how to identify and relate to readers, how to compose a written piece; how to choose the right medium for your target readership. These are skills that cross the boundaries of disciplines, applying equally to scientific researchers or lawyers.

San Francisco-based Minerva University, which shares a founder with the Minerva Project, has broken down competencies such as critical thinking or creative thinking into foundational concepts and habits of mind . It teaches these over the four undergraduate years and across disciplines, regardless of the major a student chooses to pursue.

4. Using formative assessment instead of high-stake exams

If you were to sit the final exam of the subject you majored in today, how would you fare? Most of us would fail, as that exam did not measure our learning, but rather what information we retained at that point in time. Equally, many of us hold certifications in subject matters we know little about.

Many people gain admission to higher education based on standardized tests that skew to a certain socio-economic class , rather than measure any real competency level. Universities then try to rectify this bias by imposing admission quotas, rather than dissociating their evaluation of competence from income level. Many US universities are starting to abandon standardized tests, with Harvard leading the charge , and there have been some attempts to replace high-stake exams with other measures that not only assess learning outcomes but actually improve them.

Formative assessment, which entails both formal and informal evaluations through the learning journey, encourages students to actually improve their performance rather than just have it evaluated. The documentation and recording of this assessment includes a range of measures, replacing alphabetical or numerical grades that are uni-dimensional.

The COVID-19 pandemic and recent social and political unrest have created a profound sense of urgency for companies to actively work to tackle inequity.

The Forum's work on Diversity, Equality, Inclusion and Social Justice is driven by the New Economy and Society Platform, which is focused on building prosperous, inclusive and just economies and societies. In addition to its work on economic growth, revival and transformation, work, wages and job creation, and education, skills and learning, the Platform takes an integrated and holistic approach to diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice, and aims to tackle exclusion, bias and discrimination related to race, gender, ability, sexual orientation and all other forms of human diversity.

The Platform produces data, standards and insights, such as the Global Gender Gap Report and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 4.0 Toolkit , and drives or supports action initiatives, such as Partnering for Racial Justice in Business , The Valuable 500 – Closing the Disability Inclusion Gap , Hardwiring Gender Parity in the Future of Work , Closing the Gender Gap Country Accelerators , the Partnership for Global LGBTI Equality , the Community of Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officers and the Global Future Council on Equity and Social Justice .

The International School in Geneva just launched its Learner Passport that includes measures of creativity, responsibility and citizenship. In the US, a consortium of schools have launched the Mastery Transcript Consortium that has redesigned the high school transcript to show a more holistic picture of the competencies acquired by students.

Education reform requires looking at the root cause of some of its current problems. We need to look at what is being taught (curriculum), how (pedagogy), when and where (technology and the real world) and whom we are teaching (access and inclusion). Those institutions who are ready to address these fundamental issues will succeed in truly transforming higher education.

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Vladimir Putin proposes moving Russian defense chief in surprise reshuffle amid Ukraine war

MOSCOW, May 12 (Reuters) -  Russian President Vladimir Putin  has proposed a  surprise new defense minister , nominating civilian Andrei Belousov, a former deputy prime minister who specializes in economics, for the job more than two years into the Ukraine war, the Kremlin said.

Putin wants Sergei Shoigu, defence minister since 2012 and a long-standing ally, to become the secretary of Russia's powerful Security Council, replacing incumbent Nikolai Patrushev, and to also have responsibilities for the military-industrial complex, the Kremlin announced on Sunday.

The changes, certain to be approved by parliamentarians, are the most significant Putin has made to the military command since  sending tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine  in February 2022 in what he called a special military operation.

The shake-up gives Shoigu a job that is technically regarded as senior to his defense ministry role, ensuring continuity and saving Shoigu's face. Valery Gerasimov, the chief of Russia's General Staff and someone with a more hands-on role when it comes to directing the war, will remain in post.

Sergei Lavrov, the country's veteran foreign minister, will also stay in his job, the Kremlin said.

The appointment of Belousov, a civilian official known for his economic decision-making rather than battlefield knowledge, is the biggest surprise.

Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin's spokesman, told reporters that the change made sense because Russia was approaching a situation like the Soviet Union in the mid-1980s, when the military and law enforcement authorities accounted for 7.4% of state spending.

That, said Peskov, meant it was vital to ensure such spending aligned with the country's overall interests , which was why Putin now wanted a civilian with an economic background in the defence ministry job.

"The one who is more open to innovations is the one who will be victorious on the battlefield," Peskov said.

The change is also likely to be seen by an attempt by Putin  to subject defense spending to greater scrutiny to ensure funds are effectively spent after a Shoigu ally and deputy defense minister was accused by state prosecutors of taking a bribe.

More From Forbes

What's the role of college presidents in fostering civic engagement for democracy.

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DEMOCRACY / Traffic sign

Over 60 college and university presidents are uniting to foster democracy and civic engagement during this “ urgent moment for American higher education.” The initiative, called College Presidents for Civic Preparedness , falls under the auspices of the Institute for Citizens & Scholars . The initiative is focused on preparing “the next generation of well-informed, productively engaged, and committed citizens; defending free expression, civil discourse, and critical inquiry as essential civic norms; and increasing thoughtful engagement and better understanding by students for the effective functioning of our democracy.”

Raj Vinnakota, President, Institute for Citizens & Scholars

According to Raj Vinnakota , president, of the Institute for Citizens & Scholars, “College Presidents for Civic Preparedness is truly unique as it was created by, with, and for college presidents. In 2021, [we] held conversations with numerous presidents from a range of institutions on higher education’s important role in cultivating effective citizens. It became clear that there is more that college presidents could do to advance civic preparedness—and that collaboration and partnership would drive [a] more successful, sustained impact.” He added, “We have already seen [a] significant impact, as presidents have proven their commitment to advancing civic preparedness and uplifting free expression.” For example, presidents have spread the message in student orientations, faculty trainings, graduation speeches, new courses, and speaker series. The initiative’s website provides considerable detail on the work of the group across various colleges and universities, demonstrating its actions toward fostering civic dialogue.

Jonathan Holloway, president, Rutgers University

“In an era of extreme political polarization, increasing social instability , and declining faith in the nation’s institutions, I am more committed than ever to working with university presidents to prepare students to be engaged and educated citizens,” Rutgers University president Jonathan Holloway said. “Together, with our students, we will explore how we can preserve our freedoms while being respectful and openminded, intellectually honest and curious, and civil, decent, and understanding of one another.” 1 Holloway views education not only as a means of imparting knowledge but as a vehicle of fostering democratic values and engagement.

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The presidents will pursue a set of collective actions through the initiative. These include: 1. Meeting “regularly and confidentially for peer learning and the exchange of information, ideas, practices, and tools;” 2.) Helping “faculty engage effectively with free expression and civil discourse in the classroom;” and 3.) Creating and capitalizing on opportunities for “shared advocacy and public outreach on civic preparedness in higher education.”

Garry Jenkins, president, Bates College

From the perspective of Garry W. Jenkins, president of Bates College in Maine, “The ability to manage disagreement while seeking common ground and pursuing productive solutions is critically important in a democracy. Today, unfortunately, our society is in urgent need of developing such essential skills.” He continued, “It’s clear to me that both our nation’s K-12 schools and higher education must develop, promote, and nurture the democratic skills and values of tolerance, pluralism, negotiation, and respect for different views.” Jenkins’s viewpoint is grounded in the recognition of broader societal needs and the responsibility of educational institutions to address them.

Roslyn Artis, President of Benedict College.

Presidents of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), as well as other types of Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), are also involved in the initiative. Roslyn Artis, the president of Benedict College in South Carolina is one of these presidents. She shared, “This collective approach affords us the opportunity to share best practices and to critically interrogate ideas, policies and programs for potential implementation on our campuses. While there is no one-size fits all solution, presidential participants are committed to finding constructive solutions and creating deep engagement around notions of civic engagement on college campuses.” Artis stresses the need for critical evaluation of ideas and policies to effectively promote civic engagement on college campuses.

Matthew vandenBerg, President, Ohio Wesleyan University

Matthew vandenBerg, the president of Ohio Wesleyan University stated his rationale for joining the group: “Our nation and world face daunting, vexing problems too often exacerbated by an insufficiently educated populace, cultural tribalism, the dramatic erosion of civil discourse, and a reluctance to engage in constructive dialogue. Working together, American higher education can help to build fundamentally stronger communities by developing more educated, engaged, grace-filled, and solutions-oriented citizens.” From vandenBerg’s perspective, it is vital to provide a holistic approach to higher education.

The consortium, which was first announced with 15 members in August 2023, has grown significantly, demonstrating momentum for this kind of leadership movement across higher education.

1 I am a professor at Rutgers University.

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clock This article was published more than  1 year ago

DeSantis signs bill to defund DEI programs at Florida’s public colleges

Joining a national wave of conservative attacks on programs that promote diversity in higher education, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a bill into law Monday to defund such efforts at the state’s public colleges and limit how race can be discussed in many courses.

Critics of the new law worry it is trampling on academic freedom and could hurt efforts they say are critical to serving increasingly diverse student populations. But DeSantis and other opponents of diversity, equity and inclusion programs say they reinforce racial divisions and promote liberal orthodoxy.

“If you look at the way this has actually been implemented across the country, DEI is better viewed as standing for discrimination, exclusion and indoctrination,” DeSantis said at a news conference at New College of Florida in Sarasota. “And that has no place in our public institutions. This bill says the whole experiment with DEI is coming to an end in the state of Florida.”

DeSantis, who is expected to launch a bid for the White House, has made “culture war” issues a major focus as governor.

Florida’s new law joins legislation in 19 other states where lawmakers have targeted diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, according to a tracking project from the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Under the new law, Florida’s public colleges are prohibited from spending state or federal money on DEI efforts. These programs often assist colleges in increasing student and faculty diversity, which can apply to race and ethnicity, as well as sexual orientation, religion and socioeconomic status. The bill does not prohibit colleges from spending money on such programs if they are required by federal law.

DeSantis’s plan to starve college diversity efforts advances in Florida

The law also forbids public colleges from offering general education courses — which are part of the required curriculum for all college students — that “distort significant historical events,” teach “identity politics,” or are “based on theories that systemic racism, sexism, oppression, or privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United States and were created to maintain social, political, or economic inequities.”

DeSantis said students who want to study “niche subjects,” such as critical race theory, ought to look elsewhere. “Florida’s getting out of that game,” he said. “If you want to do things like gender ideology, go to Berkeley.”

Students can still major in areas such as African American studies and gender studies. But the legislation has inspired concerns that professors will be limited in how they teach those courses — whether they’re part of the general education curriculum or not. For example, the law requires the university system’s Board of Governors to review programs and curriculums on its campuses, identifying any that run afoul of the banned concepts.

The Florida legislation has been met with backlash at both the state and national level, where higher-education experts and First Amendment advocates say the state is trampling on academic freedom. They say the law will have an immediate chilling effect on faculty members, who may avoid covering controversial subjects altogether.

“It’s basically state-mandated censorship, which has no place in a democracy,” Irene Mulvey, president of the American Association of University Professors, said in a recent interview with The Washington Post.

Ousted Florida college diversity leader: ‘I am the first casualty’

Mulvey called the bill in Florida and other legislation like it a “dog whistle appeal” to the conservative base, and part of a “coordinated campaign to maintain White supremacy.”

The governor held the bill signing on the campus of New College of Florida, a public liberal arts college where DeSantis recently appointed a group of conservative trustees. Eliminating New College’s DEI office was among the newly constituted board’s first orders of business.

The signing ceremony drew protesters, whose chants could be heard inside the event space. Christopher Rufo, one of the new trustees, spoke during the event, deriding the demonstrators for what he called their “kindergarten-level protests.” Rufo is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank, where he co-wrote model anti-DEI legislation.

“Florida’s farmers and waitresses and truck drivers should not be subsidizing a permanent bureaucracy of left-wing activists who hate them and hate their values,” said Rufo, a Georgetown University graduate who lives in the Seattle area.

Targeting higher education

Bills targeting college DEI programs in other states have also drawn opposition from students and faculty. In Texas last week, some students waited up to 19 hours for a chance to testify against a bill that would ban DEI offices, the Austin American-Statesman reported . Students said DEI offices offered critical resources for underrepresented minorities and first-generation students, who may need customized help navigating college life.

At the same time, conservatives say the influence of DEI offices has led to the creation of litmus tests for faculty members, who may be required to sign statements committing to diversity. The University of Wisconsin’s system president recently told lawmakers that the university would do away with any such statements.

A spate of new laws have been passed in recent years that shape or ban discussions about race or gender at the K-12 level, but eight states, including Florida, now have “educational gag orders” that apply to higher education, according to Jeremy Young, a program director at PEN America, a nonprofit group that advocates free expression.

“The focus on higher ed has accelerated,” Young said.

The first wave of such legislation targeting “divisive concepts” came in 2021 with laws in Idaho, Iowa and Oklahoma, Young said.

It is fine for lawmakers to set standards for public colleges, such as a civics requirement for students, said Joe Cohn, a First Amendment lawyer. But banning ideas is a different matter. “The case law is clear that the government can’t select certain ideas that it dislikes and ban them from college classrooms,” said Cohn, legislative and policy director at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.

Florida’s efforts to limit concepts covered in college classrooms have already been met with opposition in court. In November, a federal judge blocked the state from enforcing portions of the so-called Stop WOKE Act that restricted what professors could teach.

Nationally, faculty members say, they are concerned about lawmakers making it easier to retaliate against professors for their ideas. A bill in Texas targeting tenure, for example, has been met with fierce opposition .

Florida’s new law states that a personnel decision, such as dismissal, cannot be appealed beyond the university president. That would eliminate opportunities to dispute such actions through arbitration, which is commonly used today, said Andrew Gothard, the president of the United Faculty of Florida, a union representing professors and other groups.

“They’re trying to stop faculty from having any ability to protest being targeted for their political viewpoints,” Gothard said.

DeSantis said Monday he would like to see presidents and trustees, rather than a “cabal of faculty,” empowered to run the universities. The state’s public college governing boards are mostly DeSantis’s political appointees or people with deep ties to the Republican Party. Two recently appointed college presidents include Ben Sasse , a former Republican U.S. senator, who leads the University of Florida; and Richard Corcoran, DeSantis’s former education commissioner, who was named interim president of New College after the governor’s board shake-up.

• The Education Gradebook

Florida again ranked No. 1 for education by U.S. News

• Divya Kumar Times staff

Florida is the top state for education for the second year in a row, according to U.S. News & World Report’s latest ranking announced Tuesday.

The outlet said the state’s standing is “ largely fueled by several stellar metrics in higher education, and less so by Florida’s still fairly strong performance in the prekindergarten- through-12th-grade arena.”

The recognition follows a period of controversial change in the last two legislative sessions for a system that includes 12 public universities and 28 state colleges. Gov. Ron DeSantis and lawmakers have banned diversity, equity and inclusion programs on campuses; approved a measure regulating campus restrooms according to gender; removed sociology from a required courses list; and weakened tenure protections for faculty, among other changes.

In a separate U.S. News ranking, Florida also landed in the No. 1 spot for higher education alone for the eighth year in a row. Students at the state’s colleges and universities had the nation’s second-highest graduation rates and paid the lowest average in-state tuition and fees, the organization said.

The state ranked No. 26 for the average amount of federal student loan debt held by young adults and No. 25 for the share of those 25 years old and above with at least an associate degree.

Many of Florida’s public universities have been climbing in the rankings in recent years. In September, the University of Florida dipped to No. 6 in the U.S. News rankings among public universities after being named a Top 5 school two years in a row. The school was recognized last week by Forbes as one of 10 public “new Ivies.”

“Governor DeSantis and the Florida Legislature have prioritized higher education and ensured our universities have the resources and support they need to focus on academic excellence and provide safe learning environments for all students,” State University System Chancellor Ray Rodrigues said in a news release.

Rodrigues said the state increased funding to the State University System by $1 billion last year.

Meera Sitharam, chairperson of the University of Florida’s faculty union, praised the state for investments in higher education that have kept tuition low. But she said the metrics don’t capture everything, and the recent climate around higher education in the state could erode the education students receive.

“The quality of education and what exactly (students) learn, is hugely connected to the culture and the values, including academic freedom,” she said. “I would say academic freedom is the fundamental value, which is absolutely, the grounds. Without academic freedom, everything will come crashing down. Education simply doesn’t exist. Even democracy won’t exist.”

Jessica Magnani, chairperson of the St. Petersburg College Faculty union, said the ranking was a testament to the work of educators across the state, but that salaries for teachers and faculty have not kept up with either the rise in rankings or the cost of living.

At St. Petersburg College, she said, starting salaries are $39,000 for full-time faculty roles. Florida recently ranked second-to-last of all states for teacher pay.

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She also wondered if the state would maintain its rankings in years to come. “I think we’ve not yet seen the results of the legislation that recently passed,” she said.

In K-12 education, the state ranked No. 10 this year, U.S. News said.

It ranked No. 5 among states for college readiness, No. 12 for preschool enrollment and No. 19 for high school graduation rates.

Florida ranked No. 21 in reading scores from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as “The Nation’s Report Card.” In the same assessment, the state ranked No. 32 in math.

Utah ranked No. 2 for best education state overall and Massachusetts came in at No.3.

Divya Kumar covers higher education for the Tampa Bay Times, working in partnership with Open Campus.

Divya Kumar is the higher education reporter. Reach her at [email protected].

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Weaker Supply Will Drive Platinum Deficit Higher Than Expected in 2024, WPIC Says

FILE PHOTO: An employee holds an ingot of 99.98 percent pure platinum in a workroom during production at Krastsvetmet precious metals plant in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, January 31, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk

By Polina Devitt

LONDON (Reuters) - The global platinum deficit in 2024 will be deeper than previously expected due to lower supply from mines in South Africa and Russia, the World Platinum Investment Council (WPIC) said on Monday.

2024's deficit of 476,000 troy ounces will, however, be smaller than 2023's 851,000 ounces due to a 5% fall in demand, the WPIC, whose members are major Western platinum producers, said in a quarterly report. It had previously projected the 2024 shortage at 418,000 ounces.

"We've got the second consecutive year of deficit, which will be equal to 6% of total demand in 2024," said Edward Sterck, head of research at the WPIC. "The focus is on the supply, which was the second lowest in our time series in the first quarter with the full year also forecast to be near the record low of 2020."

Already announced restructuring and slower than previously expected production ramp-ups amid low prices for palladium and rhodium will cut production from South African mines by 2% this year. Supply from Russia, which plans smelter maintenance in 2024 and continues to deal with damage caused by Western sanctions, will fall by 9% to a multi-decade low.

Meanwhile, demand for platinum, used in catalytic converters to reduce harmful emissions from vehicle exhaust systems among other applications, is expected to fall by 5% to 7.587 million ounces this year after growing 26% in 2023.

Demand from the auto sector will increase by 2% due to slower consumer demand for battery electric vehicles, growth in both heavy-duty and hybrid vehicle numbers, alongside stricter emissions legislation and platinum-for-palladium substitution, which is forecast to reach 742,000 ounces this year, the WPIC, which uses data from consultancy Metals Focus, added.

To cover the deficit, above-ground stocks will fall by 12%, after a 17% drop in 2023 to a four-year low of 3.620 million ounces, it added.

PLATINUM SUPPLY/DEMAND ('000 oz)*

2022 2023 2024 23/22 24/23 Q1 Q4 Q1

change change 2023 2023 2023

Refined Production: 5,520 5,604 5,468 2% -2% 1,192 1,532 1,235

- South Africa 3,915 3,956 3,871 1% -2% 778 1,143 816

- Zimbabwe 480 507 502 6% -1% 116 133 121

- North America 263 276 276 5% 0% 71 72 72

- Russia 663 674 616 2% -9% 180 136 178

- Other 200 190 203 -5% 7% 48 48 48

Change in producer inventory +43 +11 0 +33 -23 0

Total mining supply 5,563 5,615 5,468 1% -3% 1,226 1,509 1,235

Recycling: 1,764 1,557 1,642 -12% 5% 400 338 390

- Autocatalyst 1,323 1,138 1,201 -14% 6% 287 235 275

- Jewellery 372 349 366 -6% 5% 95 85 98

- Industrial 69 71 75 3% 7% 17 18 17

TOTAL SUPPLY

7,327 7,172 7,111 -2% 1,626 1,847 1,625

Automotive 2,763 3,211 3,269 16% 2% 810 816 832

Jewellery 1,899 1,868 1,978 -2% 6% 463 476 486

Industrial: 2,316 2,626 2,242 13% -15% 656 737 612

- Chemical 673 786 529 17% -33% 295 132 142

- Petroleum 193 158 156 -18% -1% 41 38 39

- Electrical 106 89 88 -16% -1% 23 22 22

- Glass 505 701 524 39% -25% 80 310 175

- Medical 275 289 299 5% 3% 75 71 78

- Hydrogen stationary 15 33 75 114% 128% 5 13 14

- Other 548 571 571 4% 0% 137 150 142

Investment: -606 318 99 -69% 198 -71 64

- Bars, Coins 259 323 199 25% -38% 128 61 64

- ETF Holdings -558 -20 -120 40 -116 11

- Stocks held by exchanges -307 14 20 29 -16 -11

TOTAL DEMAND

6,372 8,023 7,587 26% 2,128 1,959 1,994

Balance 955 -851 -476 -502 -112 -369

Above ground stocks 4,947 4,097 3,620 -17% -12%

Source: Metals Focus 2020–2024

(Reporting by Polina Devitt; Editing by Tasim Zahid)

Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters .

Tags: Africa , Russia , South Africa , Europe , mining

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Medical school honored with diversity, equity, inclusion award

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has received the 2024 National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education Institutional Excellence Award for professional schools. The honor recognizes campuswide work by faculty, staff and students who help foster a diverse and inclusive culture based on collaboration, innovation and best practices.

The award is given to institutions that have demonstrated measurable progress in promoting and sustaining innovative diversity efforts within the campus community. Such efforts include curricular reform, institutional leadership and transformation, assessment policies and practices, professional development, accountability measures and outreach efforts.

“Creating and sustaining a climate that is diverse and inclusive takes conscious effort and honest reflection,” said David H. Perlmutter, MD, executive vice chancellor for medical affairs, the George and Carol Bauer Dean of the School of Medicine and the Spencer T. and Ann W. Olin Distinguished Professor. “It is reaffirming to see WashU Medicine recognized for our efforts.”

Read more on the School of Medicine website .

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