On October 5, 2026, at the invitation of the rector of the Russian Orthodox University of St. John the Theologian, Deputy head of the World Russian People's Council, Deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation A.V. Shchipkov, the Governor of the Kurgan region V.M. Shumkov visited the university. The head of the Kurgan region delivered a lecture to students of the Theological and Law faculties, as well as the Faculty of Psychology of the Russian Pedagogical University. Metropolitan Daniel of Kurgan and Belozersky attended the meeting.
The meeting was opened by the Rector of RPU A.V. Shchipkov, who welcomed the head of the Kurgan region, noting that the university is connected with the region by the experience of productive collaboration on many projects. So, in 2026, on the basis of agreements between the governor of the Kurgan Region and the rector of the Russian Orthodox University, the Russian Orthodox University, within the framework of the VRNS Education project, conducted a course of lectures on understanding tradition for deputy principals of schools for educational work, head teachers, history teachers and other school specialists of the Kurgan region, which brought together more than 700 teachers. Currently, students from the Kurgan region who have enrolled in the university as part of the diocesan enrollment are enrolled in various university courses.
The rector of RPU asked the governor to tell the students about the leadership of the region these days, how the interaction of authorities is organized, what priorities should be in the work of the head of the subject of the Russian Federation.
V.M. Shumkov spoke about the modern features of the development of his native Kurgan land and the positive transformations that have radically changed the face of the region in eight years. The governor spoke about improving the management efficiency of the budget network, which made it possible to optimize the management staff and restore public confidence in the government. V.M. Shumkov noted that since 2020, the Kurgan region has been implementing a program for individual development of the region, which has reduced the region's debt to the state from 93% in 2017 to 16.6% in 2025. The head of the Kurgan region spoke about regional measures to support large families: thanks in no small part to this support, fertility rates in the Kurgan region already exceed the national ones. At the same time, V.M. Shumkov expressed his conviction that "the basic conditions for demographic growth are faith, traditions, one's home in one's native land, as well as the passion of the nation, the desire to live here and now." Speaking about the anti-abortion measures being taken in the Kurgan region, V.M. Shumkov noted that "the basic principle in this matter is not to act with prohibitions, but to build a system of incentives and antistimuli." Thus, starting in 2022, the "I am a Citizen" course has been introduced in educational organizations in the region, which consists of five modules: patriotic, labor, and spiritual and moral education, family values, and life safety. The head of the Kurgan region spoke about the large-scale restoration of temples in the region, as well as the upcoming complete restoration of the Dalmatovsky Monastery ensemble.
At the end of the lecture, the Rector of RPU thanked V.M. Shumkov for his visit to the university and the opportunity for students to learn first-hand about church-state relations using the example of a particular region of Russia and the positive experience of the region's development based on the principles of value foundations.