OREANDA-NEWS. December 08, 2009. The Expert Council at the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS Russia) for Developing Competition in Education and Science discussed the draft amendments to the Federal Law "On Education" and the Regulations on Licensing Educational Activities. The amendments concern civil liability insurance of institutions (organizations) of secondary professional and higher professional education, providing educational services on a paid basis, in terms of compliance with the Federal Law "On Protection of Competition", reported the press-centre of FAS Russia.

Representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, the Federal Service for Control over Education and Science, the Federal Service for Insurance Control, the National Insurers Union, the heads of educational institutions (organizations) of all business legal structures and forms of ownership, and representatives of insurance companies took part at the Meeting of the Expert Council.

According to the draft amendments, private and state educational institutions, providing educational services on a paid basis, should insure their educational activities in order to grant a guarantee to the students if the insured event occurs. An insured event can be suspending activities of an educational institution, or annulling its license, or withdrawing its State accreditation, or terminating activities of an educational institution, or other cases.

Participants emphasized the importance of granting guarantees to the students when institutions (organizations) of secondary professional and higher professional education provide educational services on a paid basis. Civil liability insurance of institutions (organizations) of secondary professional and higher professional education seems to be the best form of such guarantees.

At the meeting, members of the Expert Council gave their comments and proposals to the draft amendments and the concept of a draft law on insurance of educational activities.

The Antimonopoly Service will summarize all proposals to the draft amendments to the laws on education related to civil liability insurance of students and their parents as legal representatives by institutions (organizations) of secondary professional and higher professional education providing educational services on a paid basis, and forward the draft amendments to the Russian Ministry of Education and Science, the Working Group for Drafting the Federal Law "On Education in the Russian Federation".

"The draft amendments to the laws on education, discussed at the Expert Council, are aimed at social protection of the interests of the population and providing quality education", emphasized Mikhail Fedoryenko, the Deputy Head of the FAS Russia's Department for Control over Social Sphere and Commerce.