It is impossible to argue with the fact that the country's educational system is the cornerstone of state and social development. The prospects for the intellectual and spiritual improvement of the population largely depend on its content, structure and principles. The education system is sensitive to changes in the field of social development, sometimes becoming their root cause. That is why periods of state change have always affected education. Major education reforms in Russia often took place against the backdrop of dramatic changes in society.
History Pages
The starting point in this regard can be considered the XVIII century. During this period, the first education reforms in the history of Russia began, marked by the transition from a religious school to a secular one. The changes were primarily associated with a large-scale reorganization of the entire state and public life. Large educational centers appeared, the Academy of Sciences and Moscow University, as well as new types of schools:navigational, mathematical, digital (state). The education system began to have a class character, specialized educational institutions for the nobility appeared.
The traditional graduated system of education began to take shape at the beginning of the 19th century, during the reign of Alexander I. The charter of educational institutions was adopted, providing for the levels of higher, secondary and primary education. A number of major universities have opened.
Education reform in Russia was continued in the 60s. XIX century, becoming part of a whole complex of social changes. Schools became classless and public, a network of zemstvo institutions appeared, universities received autonomy, women's education began to develop actively.
The reactionary stage that followed this brought to naught many positive changes in the field of education. However, by the beginning of the 20th century, the situation began to improve, the curricula of gymnasiums and real schools were brought closer to each other, and the number of philistines increased among the students. In 1916, a draft of changes was prepared, providing for the abolition of class restrictions and the autonomy of schools.
Education reforms in Russia in the 20th century
The revolutionary events of 1917 meant a sharp turning point in the life of society and the state, affecting all spheres of life. The field of education was no exception. The Soviet government took a course towards the elimination of illiteracy, the general availability and unification of education, and the strengthening of state control. The first reform of education in Russia of a new formation was the decree1918, which approved the provision on a unified labor school (a number of its principles were in effect until the 90s of the last century). In the field of education, free and gender equality were proclaimed, a course was taken to educate a person of a new formation.
Period 20-30s. became an era of experimentation in education. Non-traditional forms and methods of teaching, class approach sometimes led to unexpected results. The changes affected not only schools and universities. The reforms of art education in Soviet Russia were also noteworthy. The need for change began at the beginning of the century. The academic system of teaching did not meet the demands of the time. The reform of art education in Soviet Russia changed the format of education, students were given the freedom to choose their own teachers. The results of such changes were not the most brilliant, therefore, two years later, many features of academic education were returned to the system of art education.
Traditional elements of education have also returned to school and university education. In general, the Soviet education system stabilized by the mid-1960s. There was a reform of secondary education in Russia, which became universal and compulsory. In 1984, an attempt was made to balance the priority of higher education with additional vocational training in schools.
Change of landmarks
The next large-scale changes in the sphere of management, the system of government, which occurred in the 90s, could not but affect education. Moreover, by that time, many educational structures required modernization. In the context of a change in the political and economic course, the next reform of the education system in Russia was supposed to:
- contribute to the strengthening of the democratic system, the development of national identity;
- facilitate the transition to a market economy;
- build on the principles of openness and differentiation;
- create different types of educational institutions, programs, specializations;
- give the student the opportunity to choose while maintaining a single educational space.
The process of change has not been straightforward. On the one hand, a variety of types of educational institutions and curricula was ensured, universities received the rights of academic autonomy, and the non-state educational sector began to develop actively. In 1992, a law on education in the Russian Federation was adopted, emphasizing the humanistic and social essence of the education system. On the other hand, a sharp decline in the level of state support and funding against the backdrop of a difficult socio-economic situation nullified many positive undertakings. Therefore, by the beginning of 2000. the question of education reform in modern Russia was raised again.
Doctrine of domestic education
It was in this document that the main priorities for further changes in the educational system were formulated. The key provisions of the National Doctrine were approved by the federal government in 2000. At this stage of the reform in the field of education in Russia, the goals were determinedtraining and education of the younger generation, means and ways to achieve them, planned results up to 2025. The tasks of education were directly connected with the public:
- growth of the state's potential in the field of science, culture, economy and modern technologies;
- improving the quality of life of the population;
- forming the basis for sustainable social, spiritual, economic growth.
The following principles were formulated in the doctrine:
- lifelong education;
- continuity of educational levels;
- patriotic and civic education;
- diverse development;
- continuous updating of content and learning technologies;
- introduction of distance education methods;
- academic mobility;
- systematization of work with gifted students;
- environmental education.
One of the directions of education reforms in Russia was the modernization of the legal framework that ensures this area of social development. At the same time, the state must guarantee: the implementation of the constitutional right to education; integration of science and education; activation of state-public management and social partnership in education; the possibility of obtaining high-quality educational services for socially unprotected groups of the population; preservation of national educational traditions; integration of domestic and world education systems.
Stages and goals of change
The concept of massive change was formulated by 2004. The government has approved key areas of education reform in modern Russia. These included: improving the quality and accessibility of education, optimizing the financing of this area.
A number of fundamental points were connected with the desire to join the Bologna process, whose tasks included the creation of a common educational space on European territory, the possibility of recognizing national diplomas. This required a transition to a two-level form of higher education (bachelor's + master's). In addition, the Bologna system implied a change in the credit units of learning outcomes, a new system for assessing the quality of programs and the educational process in universities, as well as the per capita funding principle.
At the beginning of education reforms in Russia, an innovation was also approved, which is still controversial to this day. We are talking about the widespread introduction of the unified state exam (USE) in 2005. This system was supposed to eliminate the corruption component when entering universities, to enable talented applicants to enter the best educational institutions.
Introduction of standards
The most important step in the reform of the education system in Russia was the introduction of new federal standards at different levels of education. A standard is a set of requirements for a certain educational level or speci alty. The first steps in this direction began to be taken as early as the beginning of 2000, but the new format was developed only ten years later.years. Beginning in 2009, vocational education standards were introduced, and from September 1, 2011, schools began to work according to the Federal State Educational Standard for elementary schools. The terms of study in general education programs were changed even earlier and amounted to 11 years.
If we talk briefly about the education reform in Russia in this direction, the standard determined the structure of study programs, the conditions for their implementation and mandatory educational outcomes. Changes have been made to:
- content, goals, forms of organization of the educational process;
- a system for assessing and monitoring educational results;
- format of interaction between teacher and students;
- the structure of the curriculum and programs, as well as their methodological support.
The new regulations establish two levels of educational outcomes, mandatory and advanced. All students must achieve the first. The level of achievement of the second depends on the intellectual needs and motivation of the student.
Special attention is paid to educational work in an educational organization and the spiritual and moral development of students. The main results of education include: patriotic feelings, civic identity, tolerance, willingness to interact with people.
Federal standards include:
- variety of school programs (an educational institution chooses which of the approved educational and methodological complexes to choose);
- expanding the scope of extracurricular activities (mandatoryvisiting circles of a wide range, additional classes);
- introduction of "portfolio" technology (confirmation of educational, creative, sports achievements of a student);
- profile nature of education for high school students in several main areas (universal, natural sciences, humanitarian, socio-economic, technological) with the possibility of drawing up an individual lesson plan.
In 2012, the transition to new standards began the basic school (grades 5-9). A year later, high school students began to study in a pilot mode according to the new scheme, and a standard for preschool education was also adopted. This ensured the continuity of programs at all levels of general education.
New vectors of school education
The updated regulations governing relations in the field of education have radically rebuilt the entire educational process, changing the main targets. The reform of school education in Russia provided for the transition from the "knowledge" concept of education to the "activity". That is, the child should not only have certain information on certain subjects, but also be able to apply it in practice to solve specific educational problems. In this regard, the principle of mandatory formation of universal educational activities (UUD) was introduced. Cognitive (ability for logical actions, analysis, conclusions), regulatory (readiness for planning, goal-setting, evaluating one's own actions), communicative (skills in the field of communication and interaction with others).
Among the requirements for learning outcomes, three main groups were identified.
- Personal results. They include the student's ability and readiness for self-development, motivation for cognitive activity, value orientations and aesthetic needs, social competencies, the formation of a civic position, attitudes towards observing the principles of a he althy lifestyle, skills for adapting to the modern world, etc.
- Objective results. Associated with the formation of a scientific picture of the world, the student's experience in obtaining new knowledge within specific disciplines, their application, comprehension and transformation.
- Metasubject results. This group is directly related to the development of ELM, the core competencies that form the basis of the “be able to learn” formula.
Special attention is paid to the organization of project and research activities of students, the variety of forms of extracurricular practice, the introduction of information and communication technologies into the educational process. In addition to the federal component, educational programs include sections that are formed independently by the staff of educational institutions.
Reform of higher education in Russia
The idea of the need for fundamental changes at this stage of education was formed at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries. On the one hand, this was caused by certain crisis trends in the field of higher education, on the other hand, by the idea of integration into the European educational space. Higher Education Reform in Russiaprovided for:
- strengthening the interaction between science and education;
- creation of a two-tier system of education in universities;
- involving direct employers in the formation of a social order for specialists of various categories.
In 2005, the process of certification of domestic universities was launched, following which they were assigned a certain status: federal, national, regional. The level of academic freedoms and funding began to depend on this. A few years later, mass inspections of universities took place, as a result, more than a hundred were found to be ineffective and lost their licenses.
The transition to Bachelor's (4 years) and Master's (2 years) programs in 2009 caused a mixed reaction from interested participants in the educational process. It was assumed that this decision in the course of the education reform in Russia would satisfy the massive demand for higher education, while at the same time contributing to the formation of a category of top-level scientific and educational personnel. There was also a transition to the federal standards of the new generation. As educational results, they provided for a set of general and professional competencies that a graduate should have upon completion of the training program. Much attention was also paid to the forms of organization of the educational process, preference was given to practice-oriented technologies (projects, business games, cases).
In 2015, sk adopted a number of provisions designed to improve educationalprograms, bringing them more in line with professional standards. According to the developers, this will contribute to the training of specialists who fully meet the requirements of employers.
The Law on Education of the Russian Federation
The entry into force of this document has become a landmark event in the framework of the new education reform in Russia. The new law, which replaced the 1992 version, was adopted in December 2012 under the number 273-FZ. Its task is to regulate public relations in the field of education, ensure the realization of the right of citizens to receive it, and regulate legal relations arising in educational activities.
The provisions of the law establish social security measures, duties and rights of participants in educational relations (children, their parents, teachers). For the first time, the principles of educating citizens with special educational needs, foreigners, etc. are clearly defined. The powers of federal and regional authorities, local self-government are delimited, the format of state and public supervision in the field of education is established.
The law clearly defines the levels of education in the Russian Federation: general, preschool (which has become the first stage of general), secondary vocational, higher, as well as additional and postgraduate education. At the same time, the principle of accessibility and quality of education at all levels is proclaimed. In this regard, the spheres of interactive and distance education are regulated, allowing the majority of citizens to receive educational services remotely.
Principles and objectives are defined for the first timeinclusive education, which can be carried out both in general education and in a specialized institution.
Informational openness is becoming a prerequisite for the work of an educational organization. All the necessary information is freely available online.
A number of provisions of the law is devoted to issues of independent assessment of the quality of education at the federal and regional levels. The complex of evaluation procedures includes the analysis of educational results, learning conditions, programs.
Prospects for further changes
The vectors of Russia's upcoming reforms in the field of education are determined both within the framework of federal development programs and at the level of operational decisions. Thus, according to the provisions of the target program for the development of education until 2020, the traditional landmarks of modernization remain:
- providing quality, affordable education, consistent with the directions of social development;
- development of modern creative, scientific environment of educational institutions;
- introducing technological innovations in vocational education;
- activation of the use of modern technologies in general and additional education;
- providing the training of highly professional personnel for the modern economic sphere;
- development of a system for effective evaluation of educational outcomes and quality of education.
Another document defining the priority areas of education reforms in Russia is the state development program until 2025. Apart fromthe general aim to improve the rating of Russian education in various international quality assessment programs, it highlights several key subprograms:
- development of preschool, general and additional education;
- improving the effectiveness of youth policy activities;
- modernization of the education management system;
- delivering in-demand vocational training programs;
- raising the profile and spread of the Russian language.
In April of this year, a proposal was made to increase spending on the development of education to 4.8% of GDP. The list of priority projects includes: ensuring a variety of forms of early development of children (up to 3 years old), mass introduction of electronic teaching aids (with artificial intelligence functions), expanding the network of support centers for talented children, ensuring the innovative development of universities.
Also suggested:
- create additional places in schools, provide one-shift training;
- meet the needs of the population for nursery services;
- make changes to the knowledge assessment system (tests in grades 6, an oral test in Russian for ninth graders, complication of tasks and the introduction of a third compulsory subject at the USE);
- continue to reduce the number of accredited universities, improve the level of student training;
- modernize secondary vocational education programs by providing a qualifying exam and obtainingpassports of acquired competencies.
