Vladimir Konstantinovich, Doctor of Economics, professor, and mentor to many, is a towering figure in the history of Kazakhstan’s accounting and auditing. His name is forever entwined with the establishment and development of these fields, and he is deservedly called as the founding father of Kazakhstan’s financial audit and accounting systems.
The interview with V.K. Radostovets,
published in October 1978 under the heading “Invited Guest”
in the national newspaper “Leninskaya shmena” No. 200
HOW TO BECOME A PROFESSOR…
- Vladimir Konstantinovich, when do you think it is time to take your first steps into science?
-Judging by the erudite applicants who sometimes come to us, these steps can be taken already at school. Sometimes you think: if I knew as much as they do at 17... I envy them.
Great opportunities for scientific work open for students in higher educational establishments. The Student Research Society (SRS) gives a lot to those who have a passion for research. As well as serious work on term papers and diplomas. Our students are engaged in scientific work and in practice in sponsored farms, where we implement our new developments. The main thing is that a student should accustom himself to independent, serious work from the first year. Otherwise, it will be difficult for him to become a good specialist, and even more so a scientist.
Actually, I believe that a person should be prepared for scientific work with his whole life. In higher educational establishments there is an active accumulation of knowledge, mastering theories. Then the future scientist should check them in practice, accumulate practical experience, practical knowledge. I believe that a person who decides to become a scientist, after the institute, must necessarily go to work in production (at least in our specialisation this requirement is mandatory), to thoroughly study in practice what he is going to develop and transform theoretically. I do not approve of those young people who, having gone through the chain comprising of the school - institute - postgraduate studies, then stay to work at the institute without having obtained the production experience. What can such a scientist write of practical value? It is not the first year that I have been observing postgraduate students and I see that those who come from industry work faster and more fruitfully.
Vladimir Konstantinovich himself, working in the Central Statistical Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan, became fascinated by the introduction of new forms and methods of accounting at industrial enterprises. The rich practical material accumulated then formed the basis of all his scientific work. In the opinion of professor V. K. Radostovets it was the foundation of his scientific research. At that time, he worked and studied by correspondence at the All-Union Institute of Economics. He graduated from the institute with an external degree - in three years and received a diploma with honours. He completed his post-graduate studies as an external student, defended his candidate's thesis, and only seven years later - his doctoral thesis. He was in a hurry: he had big plans for the future. At the age of 29 he entered the institute, and at the age of 45 he became a Doctor of Science, Economics. Today Professor Radostovets is known all over the country, he has 150 scientific works. He is the author of 65 books and manuals on economics, including several university textbooks, which are used by thousands of students today.
- Vladimir Konstantinovich, what do you consider the most important in your work?
- The most significant thing for me is the publication of a good book. Now the fourth edition of the textbook, which I consider my main work - Accounting in Agriculture - is being published. I am proud of it.
I usually “work out” the future book during my lectures at the institute. By the faces of students you can see what is clear to them and what is not. Then I carefully finalise the lecture - the future chapter of the new book. I have published textbooks for almost all the courses I read to students.
I would like to advise young scientists: do not be afraid to write “to the basket”. I know scientists who do not dare to start working on a book, fearing that it will not be published. If - good it will always find both a reader and a publisher. The main thing is to write in such a way that you are understood.
- Vladimir Konstantinovich, what kind of people do you think can become scientists? Do you need any special qualities?
- A man of science must be extremely focused and purposeful. I know a lot of smart people who will never become scientists, because they are frightened by the prose of scientific work - hard, patient work. When every day, wherever you are and whatever you do, you are committed to your work, it is worthy of respect. Science values hard-working people, and I myself respect hard work, regardless of profession. This quality is especially valuable in scientists.
- You do a lot of scientific work; you have time to do a lot in a day. How do you organise your work?
- I always have several works started. I write a book, and next to it I have an article, someone else's abstracts and thesis for review. If suddenly I don't have any figures or facts at hand for my main work, it's not worth it, I quickly switch to something else. Changing jobs is a good holiday. The main thing is not to waste a minute.
- Vladimir Konstantinovich, in addition to your scientific work and management of the Accounting Department, you are also the head of the Institute's largest faculty. Doesn't the dean's work interfere with your scientific work?
- On the contrary. You can't sit in your office all the time, bury yourself only in science - you can't!
A person has to be in a collective all the time. If I visit the dean's office during the day, at the defence of diplomas or dissertations, at the academic council, meet with students, I come home inspired. After that I sit down and write alone with pleasure. I have never taken a day of extra leave to prepare a dissertation. If you study constantly, 4-5 hours a day is enough for scientific work. I would like to advise young, beginning scientists not to study in the office! From there you will not see anything new, you can only analyse and summarise.
- You have been teaching at a university for about twenty years. What requirements do you think a teacher should meet today?
- First of all, he or she must know everything, at least strive to do so. Students are such people that they will ask about anything. It is important in a lecture to be able to orientate yourself correctly. And for this you need to know the basics of related specialties and, of course, your own specialty thoroughly.
Today, great demands are made on the quality of our classes. Over the years of my teaching career, I have become increasingly dissatisfied with my lectures. When I first started working, I allowed myself to go to lectures without notes. I was even proud of it then. But in recent years, I don't come to class without detailed lecture notes. Of course, I don't have to read everything, I just look through it, but everything is strictly sequential. You can't remember everything, but the responsibility in front of the audience is enormous. A student expects a lot from a professor. And now I rarely think that I have given a good lecture.
- Do you see your students as future scientists?
- In each stream, there are many capable people among the students who can be scientists. Many of them work successfully in the student scientific society. I am now watching with interest the fate of one of my students, whom I noticed in the Student Research Society, where she made her first steps into science. Now Tatyana Nikolayevna Malkova is one of the leading associate professors of our institute, at the age of thirty-two she is finishing her doctoral thesis. She is goal-oriented and hard-working.
Unfortunately, after graduation, most talented students are lost sight of, travelling in different directions. But we should keep in constant touch with them, attach them to our departments. And we should do it already at graduation, taking into account the recommendations of teachers, according to the special decision of the government commission. Then we would constantly have fresh creative forces. And there are a lot of capable young people coming to us every year.
I would also like to say to young people: do not be afraid of difficulties, seemingly unattainable tasks. I once had such a situation: soon after entering the postgraduate programme, I was sent a list of philosophical works... on 30 pages. I then decided that it was impossible for a person to read so much at once. I had a strong desire to give up everything. But then I managed to grasp not only the programme, but also to prepare my dissertation.
Set important goals for yourself, take on what is least understood, what requires in-depth research. Only such work can bring satisfaction to a scientist.
And one more danger I would like to warn young people about: be afraid to settle down on what you have achieved. I know scientists, even young ones, who do not want to work anymore after defending their thesis. In my opinion, the worst thing is when a person, having received a title, does not see any further prospects.
There are, of course, difficulties that do not depend on students, but are embedded in the teaching system. For example, we are now trying to prepare a multi-skilled specialist. Of course, they are needed, but much more “narrow” specialists are needed now. Especially for science. Here it is necessary to know one thing perfectly. It would be desirable that people who go into science, would specialise in some narrow, specific area of it. And, in my opinion, the narrower it is, the more essential what a scientist can give. Even if it's not much, it's valuable, necessary.
And there is one more problem that institutes need to address. Many scientists suffer from the fact that they are unable to write, to express their thoughts simply and clearly. Unfortunately, we do not teach this to students. And this is very important. You can know everything perfectly well, but you must also present your knowledge in such a way that it becomes the property of others. I think institutes, especially technical ones, should already do something in this regard.
- Vladimir Konstantinovich, how do you see the modern student?
- Of course, first of all, it is someone who studies well. But we have a lot of such students. And not every student who studies well becomes an excellent specialist. There are many cases when the opposite happens. Why? In my opinion, in institutes we currently still teach students to take and accumulate knowledge and pay less attention to their ability to apply this knowledge in production. It is not uncommon for a graduate to start everything anew at an enterprise: the institute required one thing, but a particular plant required something else. And the young specialist “retrains”. It seems to me that the institute and the enterprise should be connected as closely as possible. For a student, this connection should start long before graduation. For example, we are now sending students to undergo an internship at an enterprise in one industry, and then sending them to work in another industry.
In my opinion, there is a need for long-term concrete planning of the distribution of young specialists. So that a student would know from the third year onwards in which branch of the national economy he/she would work, right down to which enterprise. Then, having been there several times in practice, he would not come to the production after the institute as an inexperienced beginner. And the plant would treat the student more responsibly during his internship - after all, they are preparing a future specialist for themselves.
But a lot, of course, depends on the student himself. I would like students not to be afraid to come into conflict with the established order, not to be afraid to defend the knowledge they were given at university. In general, in my opinion, a modern student should be an active, not indifferent person. It is not for nothing that when entering a higher education institution, it is taken into account whether the applicant has participated in social work. This is not just a formality, but our requirements for today's student as a future production manager. As a rule, our students who actively participated in the social life of the institute and in Komsomol work make good specialists.
- A famous proverb begins: “The root of learning is bitter...”. Do you agree?
- In my opinion, on the contrary. If it is properly extracted and used, it is the sweetest root! Probably, this proverb came from ancient times: the roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet. And our students today have everything - beautiful educational buildings, libraries, gyms, hostels, scholarships. Of course, the subjects are more complicated now, and sometimes it is difficult to cope with a heavy load. But to have an opportunity to learn something new and interesting every day, in my opinion, is a joy. And no student will say that it was bitter to study. What about me, I would like my student years to be repeated....…
The interview was conducted by G. Rybakova
This site honors the memory of Vladimir Konstantinovich Radostovets, a visionary whose profound impact on Kazakhstan’s economic development and thought will continue to inspire generations to come.