It is impossible to argue with the fact that the country's educational system is the cornerstone of state-social development. The prospects of 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. The main educational reforms in Russia often took place against the background of sharp changes in society.
Pages of history
The starting point in this regard can be considered the XVIII century. During this period, the first educational 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 education centers appeared, the Academy of Sciences and Moscow University, as well as new types of schools: nautical, mathematical, digital (state). The education system began to be of a class nature, specialized educational institutions for the nobility appeared.
The traditional step-by-step learning system 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 levels of higher, secondary and primary education. A number of large universities have opened.
Education reform in Russia was continued in the 60s. XIX century, becoming part of a whole range of social changes. Schools became nonsense and generally accessible, a network of zemstvo institutions appeared, universities received autonomy, and women's education began to develop actively.
The reactionary stage following 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 curriculum of gymnasiums and real schools were close to each other, among the students the number of philistines increased. In 1916, a draft amendment 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 turn in the life of society and the state, affecting all spheres of life. The area of education was no exception. The Soviet government took a course towards the elimination of illiteracy, the accessibility and unification of education, and the strengthening of state control. The first reform of the formation of a new formation in Russia was the decree of 1918, which approved the provision on a unified labor school (a number of its principles were valid 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.
The period of the 20-30s. became an era of experimentation in education. Unconventional forms and teaching methods, a class approach, sometimes led to unexpected results. Changes affected not only schools and universities. Notable were the reforms of art education in Soviet Russia. The need for change has matured at the beginning of the century. The academic teaching system did not meet the demands of the time. Reform of art education in Soviet Russia changed the format of instruction, students were given the freedom to choose teachers. The results of such changes were not the most brilliant, therefore, two years later many features of academic training were returned to the system of art education.
The traditional elements of instruction have also returned to school and university education. On the whole, the Soviet education system stabilized by the mid-60s. A reform of secondary education has taken place in Russia, which has become 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 institutions demanded modernization. In the context of a change in the political and economic course, the next reform of the education system in Russia was to:
- contribute to strengthening the democratic system, the development of national identity;
- facilitate the transition to a market economy;
- build on the principles of openness and differentiation;
- create various types of educational institutions, programs, specializations;
- provide the student with the opportunity to choose while maintaining a single educational space.
The process of change was not straightforward. On the one hand, a variety of types of educational institutions and curricula was ensured, universities received academic autonomy rights, and the non-state educational sector began to develop actively. In 1992, the 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 decrease in the level of state support and funding against the background of a difficult socio-economic situation nullified many positive undertakings. Therefore, by the beginning of 2000. the question was again raised about the reform of education in modern Russia.
The doctrine of domestic education
It was in this document that the main priorities of further changes in the educational system were formulated. 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 of training and education of the younger generation, the means and ways to achieve them, the planned results up to 2025 were determined. The tasks of education were directly related to public:
- growth of the state’s potential in the field of science, culture, economics 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;
- versatile development;
- constant updating of content and training technologies;
- introduction of distance education methods;
- academic mobility;
- systematization of work with gifted students;
- environmental education.
One of the directions of the education reforms in Russia was determined by the modernization of the regulatory framework ensuring this sphere of social development. Moreover, the state must guarantee: the implementation of the constitutional right to education; integration of science and education; activation of public-public administration and social partnership in education; the opportunity to receive quality educational services by socially vulnerable groups of the population; preservation of national educational traditions; integration of domestic and world education systems.
Stages and goals of change
The concept of large-scale changes was formulated by 2004. The government 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 associated 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. For this, a transition to a two-tier form of higher education (undergraduate + graduate) was required. 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 a normative-per capita principle of financing.
At the beginning of educational reforms in Russia, an innovation was also approved, which causes controversy to this day. We are talking about the widespread introduction of a 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 stage in the reform of the education system in Russia was the introduction of new federal standards at different levels of education. Standard - a set of requirements for a particular educational level or specialty. The first steps in this direction have been taken since the beginning of 2000, but the new format was developed only ten years later. Starting in 2009, vocational education standards were introduced, and from September 1, 2011, schools began to work on 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 reform of education in Russia in this direction, the standard determined the structure of training programs, the conditions for their implementation and compulsory educational results. Changes have been made to:
- content, goals, forms of organization of the educational process;
- a system for evaluating 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 provisions establish two levels of educational outcomes, compulsory and advanced. All students must reach the first. The level of achievement of the second depends on the intellectual needs and motivation of the student.
Particular attention is paid to educational work in the 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 provide for:
- a variety of school programs (the educational institution independently chooses which of the approved educational-methodical complexes to choose);
- expanding the scope of extracurricular activities (compulsory attendance at a wide range of clubs, additional classes)
- introduction of technology "portfolio" (confirmation of educational, creative, sports achievements of the 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 basic school (5-9 grades). A year later, high school students began to study in a pilot mode under the new scheme, and the standard for preschool education was also adopted. This ensured the continuity of programs at all levels of general education.
New school education vectors
Updated regulations governing relations in the field of education have fundamentally restructured the entire educational process, changing the main targets. The reform of school education in Russia provided for the transition from a “knowledgeable” concept of education to an “active” one. That is, the child must not only possess 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 compulsory formation of universal educational actions (UUD) was introduced. Cognitive (ability to logical actions, analysis, conclusions), regulatory (willingness to plan, set goals, evaluate their 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 healthy lifestyle, adaptation skills in the modern world, etc.
- Subject Results. They are associated with the formation of a scientific picture of the world, the student’s experience in obtaining new knowledge in specific disciplines, their application, understanding and transformation.
- Meta subject results. This group is directly related to the development of UUD, the key competencies that form the basis of the “learn how to” formula.
Special attention is paid to the organization of students' design and research activities, the diversity of forms of extracurricular activities, and the introduction of information and communication technologies in the educational process. In educational programs, in addition to the federal component, sections are set up independently by the collective of educational institutions.
Higher Education Reform 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, and on the other, by the idea of integration into the European educational space. The reform of higher education in Russia included:
- strengthening the interaction of science and education;
- the creation of a two-level system of education in universities;
- involvement of 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, as a result of 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 of which more than a hundred were recognized as ineffective and lost their licenses.
The transition to undergraduate programs (4 years) and graduate programs (2 years) in 2009 caused an mixed reaction from interested participants in the educational process. It was assumed that this decision during the reform of education in Russia will satisfy the massive demand for higher education, while contributing to the formation of the category of scientific and educational personnel of the highest level. There has also been a transition to a new generation of federal standards. As educational results, they envisaged a set of general and professional competencies that a graduate should have based on the results of passing the training program. Much attention was 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 educational programs, bringing them more in line with professional standards. According to the developers, this will facilitate the training of specialists who fully meet the requirements of employers.
Education Act of the Russian Federation
The entry into force of this document was 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, to ensure the exercise of the right of citizens to receive it, and to 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 training citizens with special educational needs, foreigners, etc., are clearly defined. The powers of federal and regional authorities, local self-government are differentiated, 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, pre-school (which became the first stage of the general), secondary professional, higher, as well as additional and postgraduate. At the same time, the principle of accessibility and quality of education at all levels is proclaimed. In this regard, the areas of interactive and distance education are regulated, allowing most citizens to receive educational services remotely.
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- increasing the effectiveness of youth policy activities;
- modernization of the educational management system;
- the implementation of popular vocational training programs;
- increasing the importance and dissemination of the Russian language.
In April of this year, a proposal was made to increase education development costs to 4.8% of GDP. The list of priority projects included: providing a variety of forms of early development of children (up to 3 years old), mass introduction of electronic textbooks (with artificial intelligence functions), expanding the network of support centers for talented children, ensuring the innovative development of universities.
It is also assumed:
- create additional places in schools, provide one-shift education;
- satisfy the needs of the population in the services of a nursery;
- make changes to the knowledge assessment system (test work in 6 grades, oral test in Russian for ninth graders, complication of tasks and the introduction of the third required subject in the USE);
- continue to reduce the number of accredited universities, increase the level of training of students;
- to modernize secondary vocational education programs by ensuring a qualification exam and obtaining a passport of acquired competencies.