OREANDA-NEWS. May 25, 2010. SIBUR concluded an agreement for cooperation with noncommercial Education Support Fund co-founded by Saint Petersburg State University. Within partnership associated with the 15th anniversary of SIBUR, distance education will be carried out for children from educational institutions in the regions of the Company's activities in Tolyatti, Nizhnevartovsk, Gubkinsky, Voronezh, Nizhni Novgorod, Perm, Tomsk, and Tobolsk using up-to-date capacities of video conferencing (VC).

The Fund's activity is aimed at increase in the educational information level, its quality and availability to all parties concerned. The Fund's key program "Gymnasia Union of Russia" supports video-communicated distance education of schoolchildren and teachers. Lecturers from Saint Petersburg State University, the Hermitage, the Russian Museum and educational and cultural institutions are involved in video sessions with thousands of participants.

One of the VC advantages is an opportunity of skill improvement in major scientific centers, and saving of experts' and teachers' time and expenses on their business trips. Meanwhile, the cost of one minute of VC is approximately equal to one minute of mobile communication. Convenience of this communication channel has been repeatedly tested in various training and debating formats, such as academic competitions, contests, and scientific-and-practical conferences of senior pupils. Among other things, over 400 persons from 17 regions took part simultaneously in discussion of improvement of the Uniform State Exam from the school viewpoint.

The program, in which over 65 thousand pupils from 72 regions are already involved, is supported by the leadership of Russia and included in the national project "Education".

The Fund's partners are the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, Saint Petersburg State University, and the leading Russian companies.

In summer of 2010, SIBUR and the Fund will start a preparatory stage of the project under which the equipment will be bought and adjusted for eight best secondary-level educational institutions. Opening of video conferencing offices with participation of the heads of SIBUR's manufacturing enterprises will be intended to coincide with celebratory dates, such as the Knowledge Day and the Teacher's Day.

Special attention will be given during lectures, master classes and seminars to popularization of chemical education with involvement of experts of the Chemical Faculty of Saint Petersburg State University. Furthermore, special lessons are planned for children of SIBUR's employees in broad humanitarian and general educational subjects. In particular, Mikhail Piotrovsky, the Director of the Hermitage, is supposed to conduct a video excursion through the world famous museum at one of the first lessons.

By allotting 9.6 million rubles to implementation of the program in the Company's jubilee year, SIBUR is confirming its reputation of a company focused on support of talented children and youth.