Russian Education System: Lessons in Indoctrination

Written by Uilson Jones

The power of education is often repeated time and time again, turning it into a rather dry bit of cliché. However, the phraseology of just how crucial the educational system is, must not be looked at with boredom nor disdain. Rivera Sun, author and advocate for social justice, states that: “Whoever educates children controls the future”, and that “if we want a democratic future, we must plant the seeds in our little dandelions nationwide and ensure that our education is governed of, by, and for the people” (Sun, 2013). This often-repeated notion appears prescient not only in the centuries before our time, but also the point of time we found ourselves in currently – perhaps even more so. The current article aims to produce an overview and analysis of the Russian educational system, particularly after Russia’s full-scale incursion into Ukraine in 2022. This would therefore include the changes made to the educational system and its devastating implications for Russia’s youth, and by extension its future. The following is an attempt to break down the fundamental restructuring of schooling and as such the content of lessons, mandatory activities and extracurriculars involving school-age children.

Patriotic Education

Beginning on the 5th of September 2022, the Russian government imposed a series of major alterations for the ways in which Russian children are taught. The Russian government came out with a website known as ‘Conversations about the Important’ (Разговоры о Важном, n.d.). This website is being used as a portal for schoolteachers that outlines a strict curriculum to be followed when instructing a weekly class for pupils of all ages, ranging from that of first grade to the very end of secondary school. Far from a candid recommendation provided by the Russian government, this website acts as a comprehensive tool for teachers, with prepared presentations, instructions on what to say to children in the class, behaviour and conduct, amongst others. Schoolteachers are expected to abide by this curriculum and have no real agency to act otherwise. Every Monday, the first class each grade has is this carefully constructed propaganda lesson – Conversations about the Important. Rather than being purely optional, its is mandatory and covers a wide variety of topics from Russian history and current events which paint the picture in the way that Putin’s dictatorship craves. As an example, let us take an excerpt from a file dedicated to the class on the 7th of November 2022 in the name of the Day of National Unity. Filtering for grades 5-7, one can stumble upon this piece of text:

The excerpt is translated as follows:

Conversation

Teacher: Children! Quite recently we talked with you about the important role of a father in the family and raising children, about traditional Russian values, which are crucial to safeguard and pass onto the next generations. We came to the conclusion, that family – is the most important thing in the life of every person, it is support and support [опора и поддержка are synonyms for support in the Russian language], it is love and understanding. The citizens of a government are also one big UNITED family. And we – citizens of Russia – are a big family, in which we need to support and take care of one another. We have a governmental holiday, symbolizing our community cohesion – The Day of National Unity. It is as important now as ever, given that in the last years according to will of the people of the Russian Federation, five new territories entered: Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts.

For this reason, the theme of our lesson is: “We – are one country!” [Author’s emphasis]

[Translated by Author]

In case this is seen as a one-off let us observe a few stanzas of a poem to be taught to Russian schoolchildren for grades three and above. This lesson was titled: Our Country – Russia.

Translation:

Teacher: We know that the wisdom of the people is reflected in its proverbs and sayings. Let us remember the proverbs about the motherland and the love towards it.

A person without the motherland, is but a nightingale without a song.

Don’t spare your strength nor life, for the motherland.

There are many different countries, but there is one motherland.

There is nothing in the world that is better, than our motherland.

You cannot change your motherland for anything.

Everyone loves their motherland.

The happiness of the motherland is worth more than life.

We will stand like a mountain for our native land.

For the motherland, it is not scary to die.

Love the motherland – Serve the motherland. [Author’s emphasis]

[Translated by Author]

 

These two excerpts reveal the severe propagandization evident in the Russian educational system. Not only are Russian children being force-fed Kremlin’s dogma about its current war in Ukraine, but there also appears to be a sharp increase of ultranationalist messaging and militarism within schools, where arms are observed to be side by side with textbooks (Institute of Mass Information, 2023). Having taken these excerpts as a starting point, one must look at other exercises that Russian students have no choice but to take part in. After which, it is necessary to analyse the causes and effects of such a policy on Russia, as well as its future generation.

Propagandizing School Life

In addition to these official changes made to the educational curriculum, there have been other unofficial ongoing developments to Russian schools. The sharp rise of Putin’s cult of personality has been observed to radically alter the lives of students, and school staff. To name but one example of how this changed the landscape, we can look at what a school day was like on the day of Putin’s birthday. Across various regions of Russia, students (oftentimes of very young age) were forced to send their leader birthday wishes (The Moscow Times, 2024). In a school in the Rostov region, children were told to kneel in the form of Putin’s name, stating that “we’re proud that the best president in the world rules over our country” (The Moscow Times, 2024).

Amnesty International (2023) has designated Russia’s new history textbooks as propaganda aimed at indoctrinating the next generations, not only in Russia, but also the temporarily occupied territories in Ukraine. These textbooks preach a dangerous form of alternate history. The editors and authors have peddled Kremlinite propaganda, and thus align the story to fit the dominant narrative in Russia. A reality in which Russia invaded a sovereign neighbour, butchering and terrorizing its population and occupying its territories suddenly evaporates. Replacing it is a faux reality, regurgitating that Russia is simply defending itself and going so far as to claim that the decision to live under occupied territories was the ‘will of the people’. The erasure of history is proceeding with a reinvigorated pace. Understanding these developments is of crucial importance, yet even more so is fighting back against the tide of reactionary ideas.

 

Reference List

Amnesty International. (2023). Ukraine/Russia: New history textbook is a blatant attempt to unlawfylly indoctrinate schoolchildren in Russia and Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/09/ukraine-russia-new-history-textbook-is-a-blatant-attempt-to-unlawfully-indoctrinate-school-children-in-russia-and-russian-occupied-ukrainian-territories/.

Institute of Mass Information. (2023). Guns and textbooks side by side: The Russian policy of militarizing children as violation of human rights. https://imi.org.ua/en/monitorings/guns-and-textbooks-side-by-side-the-russian-policy-of-militarizing-children-as-violation-of-i51954.

Pазговоры о Bажном [Conversations about the Important]. (n.d.). https://razgovor.edsoo.ru/.

Sun, R. (2013). The Dandelion Insurrection: Love and Revolution. Rising Sun Press Works.

The Moscow Times. (2024). Russian schoolchildren forced to send Putin birthday wishes on-camera. https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/10/07/russian-schoolchildren-forced-to-send-putin-birthday-wishes-on-camera-a86597.

Cover Image from Meduza

    Russia Strikes Again: The Devastation of Ukraine’s Largest Children’s Hospital 

    Written by Uilson Jones 

    For many people around the world, Monday mornings consist of a rush to their place of employment or attending classes at school, going about their day without the slightest disturbance – apart from the casual annoyance due to traffic delays and the like. For Ukrainians, Mondays (as well as every other day) begin and end in destruction, bloodshed and grief. 

    On Monday July 8th, Russia launched a massive barrage of missiles against key points of civilian infrastructure in Kyiv and many other urban centres. Amongst these structures was Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital, Okhmatdyt. As a result of this vicious attack against Ukrainian children, a staggering 36 people were killed and another 140 injured, according to Andriy Yermak (BBC, 2024). These figures which are initial estimates, are expected to climb much higher given further investigation. The missiles struck surgical, oncological and toxicological departments, virtually levelling these intensive care units where children with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses were being treated (UNSC, 2024).  

    The immediate aftermath on the scene was one right out of a horror movie – yet this was a brutal reality for Ukrainians on the ground. Hundreds of children with chronic illnesses, medical personnel, and staff were being rapidly evacuated from the shattered ruins of the building. Roads and highways in Kyiv were blocked up with waves of ambulances attempting to get on site in time to save as many lives as possible. A horror of unimaginable scale erupted as civilians on the scene, rescue teams, ambulances and fire brigades attempted to do everything in their power to lend their helping hand. 

    What of the response of Russian officials around the globe? The course of action taken by Russian officials was to outright deny its involvement in the Monday attack, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. An unending tirade followed, pointing fingers at the West and Ukraine for the decimation of the children’s hospital. Russia’s Council President for July went so far as to state the following: “If this was a Russian strike, there would have been nothing left of the building and all the children would have been killed and not wounded” (UNSC, 2024).

    Shamelessly covering up this hideous war crime, he chose to boast about the might of the Russian war machine – or whatever is left of it after struggling against the significantly smaller military might of Ukraine for two and a half years. A war that was supposed to last three days is rapidly approaching its third year as Ukrainians have been able to bog-down their opponent (Defense One, 2022). With slow and modest gain on the front lines, the consistent strikes on civilian infrastructure have been evident. Over the course of this time, the UN has verified 1,878 Russian attacks against various civilian infrastructure facilities, of which 249 (only in 2023) were directly attributed to Russian invaders (UNSC, 2024).  

    Now, one must reasonably pose the following questions: How long will it take for some states to deny the visibly absurd statement that Russia is not targeting civilians? India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a visit in Moscow during that time, willingly praising Putin for his hospitality, whilst the Indian Embassy was located only a few hundred meters away from Russian-induced destruction. Furthermore, how can it be justified to have a party that initiate attack at the head of the Council, supposedly supporting universalist principles of world peace and human rights? The term ‘war criminals’ has been applied time and time again to the Russian military and its officials, in numerous and ongoing UN investigations regarding human rights concerns in Ukraine (UNHRC, 2024).

    The Council is not the place for cheap and dirty politics. It is a place for upholding the necessary values of the international community, ones that are being violated every hour of every waking day by the so-called Russian Federation. How can one speak of ceasefires and peace deals with Russia, when the Russian military is so blatantly destroying every aspect of Ukrainian society, including the most vulnerable sections of its population – children with chronic illnesses? It is due to these indiscriminate strikes levied against civilian infrastructure, that the European Parliament has declared Russia to be a ‘state sponsor of terrorism’ (EP, 2022). 

    These attacks by the Russian government will not cease on their own. Ukraine must be granted the full right to defend itself in any manner it so pleases. As it currently stands, Russia is using bases deep within its territory to carry out such acts. Ukraine has not yet received the permission to nip these in the bud to definitively safeguard its people (Politico, 2024). Furthermore, Ukraine requires urgent humanitarian and lethal aid to be able to cope with said attacks. This means modern medical and technical equipment, more air defence systems, shells, artillery systems and far more. In history, the world has learned the hard way of what happens when imperialistic states with totalitarian leaders are able to get away with widespread murder and occupation. One hopes that these mistakes will not be repeated, not only for the sake of Ukrainian children and the rest of its population, but also for the sake of the entirety of Europe.

    These important decisions were of absolute necessity already in 2022. One can only agitate and hope for their implementation now and in the near future. Negotiation is impossible, when the opponent is so willing to decimate the most defenceless sections of Ukraine’s population. Without urgent aid, we will surely hear of many more such egregious events taking place. Immediate steps need to be taken in order to ensure the safety of children given the ongoing state of war, and stronger measures need to be put into place which can allow children to study, heal, rest and play in peace. 

    References

    • Copp, T. (2022). ‘The convoy is stalled’: Logistics failures slow Russian advance, Pentagon says. Defense One. https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2022/03/convoy-stalled-logistics-failures-slow-russian-advance-pentagon-says/362666/. 
    • Corp, R, & Herrmannsen, K. (2024). Children’s hospital hit as Russian strikes kill dozens in Ukraine. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cl4y1pjk2dzo. 
    • European Parliament. (2022). European Parliament declares Russia to be a state sponsor of terrorism. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20221118IPR55707/european-parliament-declares-russia-to-be-a-state-sponsor-of-terrorism.  
    • Melkozerova, V. (2024). Zelenskyy urges Biden to allow Ukraine to hit Russian airfields to stop Kremlin bombing campaign. Politico. https://www.politico.eu/article/volodymyr-zelenskyy-biden-putin-bomb-strikes-russia-bombing-ukraine-war-kremlin/ 
    • UNSC. (2024). Russian Federation’s Attack on Ukainian Children’s Hospital ‘Not Only a War Crime’ but ‘Far Beyond the Limits of Humanity’, Medical Director Tells Security Council. https://press.un.org/en/2024/sc15761.doc.htm. 
    • UNHRC. (2024). Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine. https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/iicihr-ukraine/index.  
    • Cover Image via Official Website of Ukraine 

    Universal Periodic Review of the Russian Federation

    • The Russian Federation has provided free state education since its formation in 1991. The Ministry of Education and Science centrally regulates education, while regional authorities may regulate and control education within their competencies and the helpful framework of federal law.
    • In recThe Russian Federation has shown significant progress in early childhood education rates in recent years. Enrolment of 3–5-year-olds has increased from 53% in 2005 to 83% in 2017, only slightly below the OECD average of 87% in 2017 (although there are still regional inequalities among enrolment rates). [i] 99% of children in early childhood education attend a public institution.
    • It is also impressive that 95% of adults between 25 and 64 have completed upper secondary education, well above the OECD average of 79%. [ii]
    • Broken Chalk is pleased to note that the share of people with tertiary education in the Russian Federation is among the highest among the OECD countries: 63% of 25–34-year-olds, compared to an OECD average of 44%.[iii] Moreover, in 2018, 63% of young adults aged 25-34 in the Russian Federation had completed tertiary education, the second highest rate after South Korea and significantly higher than the OECD average of 44%.[iv]
    • Despite all the improvements, the country’s educational sector does show severe issues. Problems often relate to regional inequalities, socioeconomic inequalities, and discrimination based on ethnicity.
    • The Russian Federation still spends one of the lowest amounts per student (USD 8 4791 in 2016) among the OECD countries: merely half the amount of the OECD average (USD 15 556).[v] Despite this, Russian students score 481 points in reading literacy, mathematics, and science, just below the OECD average of 488 issues in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). [vi]
    • As the Russian Federation ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1990, the state must commit to carrying out its duties and obligations, including the insurance of free compulsory education and equal opportunity for all children. Broken Chalk urges the Russian Federation to address all issues which prevent the realisation of the rights set out in the Convention.

    by Johanna Farkas

    Download PDF

    44th_Session_UN-UPR_Country_Review_Russian_Federation

    [i] OECD. “Education at a Glance: Russian Federation.” OECD. OECD, 2019. https://www.oecd.org/education/education-at-a-glance/EAG2019_CN_RUS.pdf. (Accessed 19 January 2023); 1, 3.

    [ii] OECD. “OECD Better Life Index.” www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org. https://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/countries/russian-federation/. (Accessed January 12, 2023).

    [iii] OECD. “Education at a Glance: Russian Federation.” OECD. OECD, 2019. https://www.oecd.org/education/education-at-a-glance/EAG2019_CN_RUS.pdf. (Accessed 19 January 2023); 1.

    [iv] OECD. “Education at a Glance: Russian Federation.” OECD. OECD, 2019. https://www.oecd.org/education/education-at-a-glance/EAG2019_CN_RUS.pdf. (Accessed 19 January 2023); 2.

    [v] OECD. “Education at a Glance: Russian Federation.” OECD. OECD, 2019. https://www.oecd.org/education/education-at-a-glance/EAG2019_CN_RUS.pdf. (Accessed 19 January 2023); 2.

    [vi] OECD. “OECD Better Life Index.” www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org. https://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/countries/russian-federation/. (Accessed January 12, 2023). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/337821304_Educational_Inequality_in_Israel_From_Research_to_Policy. (Accessed 19 September 2022); 14.

    Cover image by Petr Kratochvil on Public Domain Pictures.

    Russia’s Invasion to Ukraine: Who Will Pay the Price for This War?

    Mahmud Darwish once wrote about war:

    “The war will end. The leaders will shake hands. The old woman will keep waiting for her martyred son. That girl will wait for her beloved husband. And those children will wait for their hero father. I don’t know who sold our homeland But I saw who paid the price.”[1]

    Over the years, many countries have been destroyed by war and dictatorship. Many of these countries were developed before war had ruined them; full of culture and advancements, like Syria, Palestine, Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Yemen, and many more.

    The greed and selfishness of dictators and corrupt politicians have caused nothing but loss to these countries. Many innocent lives have been lost; many countries are suffering from poverty as a result of poor governance by oppressive regimes. National infrastructures have collapsed because of wars, while these countries’ environments have also been greatly affected.

     

    The Costs of War Project, Watson institute of international and public affairs, Brown University, 2021

     

    Ukraine has now joined the train of the countries that have been destroyed by war due to the greed of dictators. Vladimir Putin didn’t only invade a neighbouring sovereign state, but his regime also exercises full censorship regarding the Russian presentation of and discussion on the war. Independent Russian media outlets and journalists who speak out against Putin’s regime and tell stories about Russians suffering under his leadership, are harassed, intimidated, and unlawfully detained. The same treatment is meted out to protestors who oppose Putin and the crimes committed by his regime in Ukraine, such as forcing young Russians to join the armed forces without informing them that they are going to participate in the invasion of Ukraine. All these are textbook examples of the workings of a totalitarian state.

     

    How has Ukrainian education been affected by the war?

    The impact of the war is clearly visible in the education sector: there is limited access to education due to a shortage of educational materials and poverty. Many educational facilities, such as schools and kindergartens, have been destroyed or damaged due to the war, which endanger the future of children in Ukraine. [2]

    UNICEF recently published a report regarding the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. According to the report, the invasion has left more than 350,000 school children with no access to education, as school infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed. At the same time, the teaching methods Ukrainian teachers were trained to use have often become insufficient in these new circumstances, which also limit children’s access to quality education. This means, that the war has taken away the chances for Ukrainian children to have safe shelter, water, or proper education. [3]

     

    Some issues Ukrainian child refugees face in host countries

    Many Ukrainians have sought refuge in different countries since the start of the war. There has been a lot of concern for child refugees and how they can be incorporated into school systems in other countries, especially because of language barriers. Despite these challenges, schools in Poland, for example, have approached these issues with a positive attitude and welcomed Ukrainian child refugees trying to help their integration as much as possible. Polish teachers have been providing support for the new Ukrainian students to overcome the language barrier and adapt to the Polish education system[4].

    However, not all countries have taken the challenge of this child refugee influx so well. Ukrainian children in the UK are facing significant challenges, as registering and integrating new students with often little or no knowledge of the English language exceeds the capacities of most British schools. Added to this, insufficient funding for the education sector puts UK schools under a lot of pressure, and results in refugee students being turned away [5]

    The war’s effects on international students in Ukraine

    International students who studied at Ukrainian universities, many of whom came from Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East, also became victims of the war. Many of them were not able to complete their studies and were forced to escape to other countries in the hope that they would be able to come back to Ukraine soon and complete their studies.[6]  Many of these foreign students have actually struggled to find refuge or to flee since they were not Ukrainian citizens and so their cases were handled differently by potential European host countries. Moreover,  at least two foreign students were killed in the early days of the war.  [7]

     

    The effect of war on Post-Soviet States and on Russia:

    Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, citizens of post-Soviet states have been living in fear that Putin’s control will overtake their countries. An example from Azerbaijan is particularly worrying, where the Azerbaijani President, Ilham Aliyev, signed an alliance agreement wit Russia. The 43-point agreement includes an educational and economic alliance which inevitably increases the Putin regime’s influence in Azerbaijan.[8] For example, Russian language is becoming mandatory in educational institutions, more so than it previously was in post-Soviet States.[10]

    Lately, Russia’s Ministry of Education has started to spread propaganda via online education in an effort to influence children with ideologies that glorify Putin’s leadership and justify Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by explaining “why the liberation mission in Ukraine was necessary”.[11] There is a high risk that these lessons will contribute to the creation of a generation that supports both the war and Putin’s dictatorship in Russia, which poses a threat to the potential of a future democratic Russian society.

     

    Hopefully, the day will come when wars end, and displaced people can return to the homelands where they left their loved ones. Leaders will shake hands to establish peace in the world, but at what cost will this happen when so much damage has been done already? Well, the homeland was sold for sure, and it was its very own people who paid the price.

     

    By Zinat Asadova

     

    Sources;

    1. “The war will end” Poem by Mahmud Darwish
    2. Save the Children. (2022). Ukraine: Attacks on schools endangering children’s lives and futures. Retrieved from https://www.savethechildren.net/news/ukraine-attacks-schools-endangering-children-s-lives-and-futures
    3. UNICEF Europe & Central Asia Region (ECAR). (2022). Ukraine Situation Report – 24 February 2022 (p. 2). Retrieved from https://www.unicef.org/media/116031/file/Ukraine-Humanitarian-SitRep-24-February-2022.pdf
    4. Deutsche Welle (DW). (2022). Poland fights to give Ukrainian kids access to education [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.dw.com/en/poland-fights-to-give-ukrainian-kids-access-to-education/av-61185207#:~:text=About%202%20million%20Ukrainians%20have,Poland’s%20education%20system%20is%20enormous.
    5. Abrams, F. (2022). Ukraine refugees may struggle to find places in English schools, councils say. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/education/2022/mar/05/ukraine-refugees-may-struggle-to-find-places-in-english-schools-councils-say
    6. Fallon, K. (2022). Foreign students fleeing Russia’s war on Ukraine hope to return. Aljazeera.com. Retrieved from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/5/they-told-us-to-go-home-student-recounts-ukraine-war
    7. International education’s continuing response to the war in Ukraine. ICEF Monitor – Market intelligence for international student recruitment. (2022). Retrieved from https://monitor.icef.com/2022/03/international-educations-continuing-response-to-the-war-in-ukraine/
    8. Azərbaycan Respublikası Xarici İşlər Nazirliyi. (2022). No:056/22, Azərbaycan Respublikası Xarici İşlər Nazirliyinin Mətbuat xidməti idarəsinin məlumatı (AZ/RU). Retrieved from https://www.mfa.gov.az/az/news/no05622
    9. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. (2022). Declaration on allied interaction between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation. Retrieved from https://president.az/en/articles/view/55498
    10. Aliyeva, J. (2022). Azerbaijani president notes importance of Russian language. Report News Agency. Retrieved from https://report.az/en/foreign-politics/azerbaijani-president-notes-importance-of-russian-language/
    11. Russia’s Ministry of Education Official Page on Vkontakte. (2022). An Open lesson “Defenders of Peace” (Открытый урок «Защитники мира») [Video]. https://vk.com/video-30558759_456242419?list=8411aa6de207bc39a2

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    MAIN CHALLENGES OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION IN RUSSIA

    The Russian Federation itself is a relatively new state. It was shaped 30 years ago after the Soviet Union’s dissolution. Russia has a unique historical, social, and cultural background, with a mix between imperialism, soviet influence, and 30 years of modern history. All these different periods have had an impact on the educational system. There were numerous attempts to reform the education system after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Some of the most significant ones were the 1992 federal law “On Education” innovations, including the possibility of private schools, new textbooks, and school financial autonomy (Dashchinskaya, 1997); the 2003 signing of the Bologna Declaration marking the beginning of a unified European educational space in some Russian institutions; and the introduction of national standardized testing, which has been mandatory since 2009 (Tsyrlina-Spady, 2016).

    According to an education expert, fundamental changes have come up with the 2009-2010 reforms and the issue of a new law directive (On Education in the Russian Federation, 2012). Crucial reforms included funding schools per student, new standardized tests for school graduates and college freshmen, prioritization of school proximity in the admission process, creation and sustainability of safe school environments, promotion of inclusive education, and gradual termination of specialized educational institutions.

    Photo by Oleksandr P: https://www.pexels.com/photo/boy-looking-on-a-tidied-desk-2781814/ 

    Such successful changes as a consistent investment in education, creation of a national assessment system and the inclusion of obtained scores as main indicators for university admission (providing equal access to universities for all adolescents, including lower-income families and people from distant regions), almost universal coverage of pre-school education, and per capita funding. These changes have allowed Russian students to exceed in results of Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) for 2019, which, upon publishing, showed Russia leading the rankings after the East Asian economies (Shmis, 2021). Nevertheless, the purpose of this article is to shed light on some of the most pressing issues within the Russian educational sector.

    Inclusive education challenges

    There are several types of challenges impeding the fulfillment of inclusive education. Firstly, there are insufficient specialists who possess the necessary skills and expertise to work with children with special needs. A study conducted in the Ural Federal region highlighted that around 60% of respondents noted the absence of highly specialized staff (psychologists, social pedagogues, tutors, etc.), especially in schools in small towns and rural areas (Grunt, 2019). Secondly, there is not enough material. Although most inclusive schools nowadays have elevators, ramps, widened doorways, Braille signs, and sound accompaniment, there is a lack of educational and methodological materials for teaching children with special needs (Mironova, Smolina, Novgorodtseva 2019). Thirdly, the bureaucracy around education is particularly burdensome regarding inclusive education. The distribution of power and responsibilities between teachers, tutors, psychologists, or social workers can pose barriers to reaching agreements. Finally, there is a huge gap in communication, collaboration, and proper interaction between teachers and parents, between children with and without special health needs. Value conflicts become apparent when the classes are mixed with disabled children and. Unfortunately, the actors involved in educational activities are not always willing to comprehend the changes that have occurred in the past few years.

    A decline in the prestige of vocational and technical colleges

    The widespread trend of obtaining a higher education diploma is undoubtedly beneficial for society; however, every coin has two sides. In the case of the Russian Federation, this trend has brought about the oversaturation of the labor market with specialists with higher education. This has, in turn, decreased the prestige of vocational and technical colleges and has resulted in the lack of technical specialists or workers with secondary vocational training (Ivanova, 2016). Russia has one of the highest tertiary attainment rates among the OECD members, as illustrated in Graph 1 below (OECD, 2019). Despite the declining levels of the prestige of vocational studies, vocational programs are still relatively more widespread than in other OECD countries.

    Resource: OECD. (2019). Education at a Glance 2019: Country note. OECD.

    Increase in investment resulting from the new challenges in the educational system

    To increase the quality of Russian education, new investment is necessary. Russia offers great digital infrastructure, so the digitalization and creation of tailored educational platforms is just a matter of extra investment and collaborative efforts. It is crucial to adapt to changing teaching modalities such as hybrid and online regimes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Introducing unique teaching and learning methods will increase students’ motivation and engagement in the process.

    Teaching real-life skills development

    After the participation by Russian students in the PISA assessment of collaborative problem-solving skills (2015), the most significant negative gap was noted between results in mathematics, science, and reading (core PISA tests) and the students’ ability to solve problems collaboratively (Shmis, 2021). As it is one of the vital modern skills, new reforms should be adapted to introduce new aspects of collaborative work in schools and make them a center of obtaining new knowledge and mastering skills necessary for the modern world.

    By Elizaveta Rusakova

    Resources: