President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Friends,
I am delighted to congratulate all school and university students of our vast and boundless country, your parents, families and friends, teachers, educators and mentors on Knowledge Day.
The day marking the start of a new academic year has always been a major occasion, filled with care and hope, the joy of socialising with friends, as well as positive emotions and kindness across all generations.
On a special note, I would like to send my warmest greetings to first graders. You are embarking on a captivating and at the same time responsible new stage in your lives. School is more than just lessons. It opens a huge world in which you will discover so many new things. I wish you every success, while your mothers, fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers will always be there for you.
Of course, everyone studying in schools and universities today is thinking about the future, who they will become and what they will achieve. I am convinced that your dreams will come true as long as you put in the hard work and persist in your efforts. As for us, our goal as adults is to assist you in growing up as decent individuals and find your true vocation, to do everything to enable you to fully unlock your potential so that you can confidently storm the peaks you have chosen for yourselves based on the latest knowledge, as well as our traditions and culture.
Of course, there can be challenging moments, daunting tasks and tests on the educational track, just as it happens in our lives. It is essential that you believe in yourselves and never divert from your forward-looking trajectory. You have a wealth of opportunities lying ahead of you. Apart from a wide range of programmes for school and university students, there are also new large-scale projects that are being launched or are carried out in the economy, research, education, and high technology.
We all want Russia to become stronger, and you, our young citizens, must have the opportunity to discover new horizons and succeed in your professions, while deriving a genuine sense of satisfaction and joy from your endeavours, knowing that your work benefits people, your hometowns or villages, and our entire country in its vastness.
Today, advanced technology is penetrating every sphere of our life, including schools, colleges and higher education institutions. But there are things which these solutions will never replace: the warmth of human communication, the wise word of a teacher, friendship, mutual support and a shared dream.
Special words of gratitude go to your teachers and mentors. They care for you as if you were their family, trying to pass on and instil in you the values that make us a single nation and a united country. I have no doubt that in many years and even decades, you will still remember with sincere gratitude their advice, care and the way they selflessly invested themselves in your future.
I would like to wish you to keep aspiring to acquire new knowledge and make new discoveries, treasure and cherish your friends and families, and always remember that you are the ones who will continue our great Motherland’s track record of victories and achievements.
Congratulations on Knowledge Day!