Russian education: legal and statistical background

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No. 2 (76), 2014 Authors: Anna Gutnikova, Natalia Kovaleva, Olga Ozerova, Irina Zabaturina, Vera Kouznetsova  Quite a few normative legal acts regulating various issues in education in the Russian Federation were adopted in 2012-2013, starting with the basic policy documents and enactments and ending with bylaws of the Government of the Russian Federation and federal executive bodies (in the first place the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation).

Contents

1.  Review of legislation of the Russian Federation on the problems of education

2.  Statistical characteristics of education development

2.1. Enrolment

        2.1.1 Preschool and general education

        2.1.2. Professional education

2.2. Personnel of the education sphere

Conclusion
Technical comments 

1. Review of legislation of the Russian Federation on the problems of education

Quite a few normative legal acts regulating various issues in education in the Russian Federation were adopted in 2012-2013, starting with the basic policy documents and enactments and ending with bylaws of the Government of the Russian Federation and federal executive bodies (in the first place the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation).

The main vector of education development was defined by the State programme of the Russian Federation “Education development” for 2013-2020 approved by the order of the RF Government dated May 15, 2013 No.792-р and the Federal Law “On education in the Russian Federation” dated December 29, 2012 No.273.

As to preschool and general education the State programme defines two tasks related with the development of the infrastructure and organization and economic mechanisms providing the fullest possible access to services of preschool, general, supplementary education of children and modernization of education programmes in the system of preschool, general, supplementary education of children aimed at comprehensive development of children and achieving a modern quality of learning outcomes and outcomes of socialization. This requires establishing and developing a system of incentives for quality of labour of the pedagogical personnel, implementing modern standards of general education, updating the content, material basis of education, including the development of information technologies.

The Law contains a number of provisions affecting the implementation of professional education. In comparison with the previous legislation the following levels of professional education are introduced: secondary vocational education; higher education – Bachelor’s degree; higher education – specialists’ training, Master’s degree; higher education – preparation of personnel of the highest qualification. Types of education programmes corresponding them are specified.

Taking into consideration the need of revising the structure, content and technologies of implementing education programmes, as well as the need of increasing the accessibility of professional education, the following new opportunities when implementing professional education programmes: using networking formats of implementing education programmes; using distance education technologies, eLearning; using a modular principle of presenting the content of education programmes and designing curricula; using a system of credits. An important novel feature of the Law is defining of eLearning and distance education technologies, as well as the main requirements for implementing education programmes using eLearning and distance education technologies. For converging the professional education programmes and the labour market requirements the students are required to undergo practical training in all main professional education programmes.

Specially noticed should be the provisions on professional studies and non-formal professional education/training.

The Law defines novel approaches to providing information openness of the education process, particularly sets the requirement of disclosing information about the activity of educational organizations in the telecommunication network Internet.

Based on an analysis of legislation a conclusion was made that at present the required legal regulation for implementing new principles and directions of development of general and professional education in Russia stipulated by the state and federal goal-oriented programmes had already been established. The problems of the practical application of this legislation have not been identified to date (as the main legislation in this sphere came into force only on 1 September 2013).

2.   Statistical characteristics of education development

The condition of the education sphere is characterized by the following statistical indicators presented in Table 1 which form an overall picture and provide the changes in the processes taking place, i.e. the information basis of programmes of monitoring of education markets and organizations and analysis of their outcomes.

Table 1.Main statistical indicators of education development

 * Beginning with 2010 including students who study on a contractual basis, but excluding those who passed a short-tem training (less than 500 hours).

** For 2005–2010 the indicator were calculated in terms of 2010 census.

In 2012 about 6 million children (or 62% of the number of children aged 1–6 years) were covered by preschool education services. For the period of 2000-2012 preschool enrolment increased by 1.4 times, while their network decreased from 51 thousand in 2000 to 44 thousand in 2012 (by 14%).

2 million children were in need of places at preschool education institutions. This is higher by 7% than the 2011 level. On average there were 249 children in need of places at preschool education institutions per 1000 children aged 1-6 years./

In the general education system there were 47 thousand of general education institutions at the beginning of 2012/2013 academic year. The enrolment was almost 14 million persons. During a long period of time, from 1998 to 2010, one would notice the trend of an annual reduction of the enrolment at these institutions, this being caused to a certain extent by a demographic decline. Thus, in the period from 2000 to 2010 the enrolment reduced by 34% given the reduction of the school-age population was by 37%. The number of general education institutions of advanced types (gymnasiums and lyceums) has been growing. During the period from 2000/2001 academic year to 2012/2013 academic year the number of gymnasiums, lyceums increased by 1.4 times. During the same period the enrolment in gymnasiums increased by 1.3 times, that in lyceums – by 1.5 times.

The system of lower vocational education is becoming less attractive to the public Since 2000 the number of respective education institutions and the enrolment in corresponding programmes has declined by half, the entrants – by 41%, while the graduates – by 37% (Table 2).

Table 2.Main indicators of activities of education institutions implementing
lower vocational education programmes

* Beginning with 2010, including who study on a contractual basis, but excluding those who passed a short-tem training (less than 500 hours).

At the beginning of 2012/2013 academic year 2087.1 thousand students were enrolled in secondary vocational education programmes. Secondary vocational education is carried out both on a budgetary and a contractual basis. Students who studied on a budgetary basis constituted three fourths (73%) of the total enrolment at the beginning of 2012/2013 academic year (2000/2001 – 67%). The remaining 27% (2000/2001 – 33%) were fully compensating tuition expenditure. The distribution of students by source of financing their studies varies considerably depending on an attendance status. In secondary vocational education programmes the full-time enrolment was 78%, distant enrolment – 57%. Among external students this indicator is minimal – 6%.

At the beginning of 2012/2013 academic year there were functioning 1046 higher education institutions, including state and municipal – 609, private – 437. Besides, the network of affiliates included 1603 institutions. Over the recent years the network has been reducing. The number of higher education institutions decreased by 8% in comparison with 2008. The enrolment in higher education programmes was 6 million students at the beginning of 2012/2013 academic year, the growth being by 1.3 times in comparison with 2000.

The sector of paid tuition in higher education is expanding. At the beginning of 2012/2013 academic year more than half (54.7%) of students of state and municipal higher education institutions were fully compensating the tuition expenditure (at the beginning of 2000/2001 academic year – 34.4%) in spite of the fact that the cost of studies here is steadily increasing. In 2012 the corresponding indicator was 35273.3 roubles per semester, i.e. twice as much than in 2005. What is more at present the paid tuition at state and municipal higher education institutions is more expensive than at private ones. In 2012 the students of the former paid more than those of the latter by 29%, while in 2005 – by 6% only. In 2000 the picture was quite the opposite: students of private higher education institutions had to pay more by 18%.

 2.2. Personnel of the education sector

The average number of the personnel in the education sector has not changed actually in comparison with 2000, being equal to 5.7 million persons in 2012, i.e. 8.4% of the total number of those employed in the economy. The average age of the individuals employed in education was past 40 years, having reached 43 years in 2012 (against 39 years in 2000). One would notice that the age of the individuals employed in education is somewhat higher than in the economy on the whole (40 years).

Most important in the personnel policy in professional education is the issue of salary of the pedagogical personnel. The parameters of increasing the salary of the pedagogical personnel are specified in the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated May 7, 2012 No.597 “On measures of implementing the state social policy”. In 2013 the average salary of the pedagogical personnel at state and municipal preschool education institutions reached 94.9% of the salary level in general education. The ratio between the average monthly salary of the pedagogical personnel at general education institutions and the average salary in the economy constituted 96.9%. In professional education the average salary of teachers and industrial training instructors at lower vocational and secondary vocational education institutions was somewhat less than that of the pedagogical personnel in general education, namely 83.9% of the level of the average salary in the economy. The salary of the teaching staff at state and municipal higher education institutions is considerably higher, being equal to 40 428 Roubles or 134.9% of the level of the average salary in the economy.

Prepated by Anna Gutnikova and  Olga Ozerova