Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Tuesday ordered ministers to look into granting school leavers who have passed university entrance exams deferment from military service, the Kremlin said.
"The president has instructed Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov and Education Minister Andrei Fursenko to consider the possibility of granting draft-age persons who have completed their secondary education deferment from military service," the Kremlin said in a statement.
This would, the statement went on, "give them the opportunity to enter higher education establishments or specialized secondary educational establishments in the same year they finish their secondary education."
Russia's spring draft runs from April 1-July 15 every year. However the majority of higher education establishments usually announce lists of accepted students between the end of July and the middle of August. As a result, many successful applicants do not manage to enter university right after leaving school.
The Defense Ministry on Tuesday said it had started looking into the president's proposal.
Medvedev's move was welcomed by Russia's Students Union.
"Of course we support the initiative and believe that the military service law should be amended," chairman Artyom Khromov said.
His position was echoed by the State Duma deputy in charge of education issues, Lyubov Dukhanina, who said Medvedev's order was in line with public opinion.
"It is very important for young men to enter university right after the completion of secondary education," she said.
Russia is in the process of reforming its armed forces by shifting the focus away from a largely inefficient body of conscripted soldiers toward a smaller professional army. In April, Medvedev said the armed forces would continue using a mixture of conscripts and contracted recruits for the next 10-15 years. The current length of military service for draftees is one year, while the shortest term of a military service contract is three years.
MOSCOW, May 31 (RIA Novosti)
