The Education System in the Russian Federation : Education Brief 2012

Abstract

This study is intended for non-Russian
 researchers wanting to get familiar with the education
 system of the Russian Federation and more generally for all
 those involved in education and education policy. It does
 not represent exhaustive information on the Russian
 education system and all problems and challenges existing
 there, but briefly describes its main features. The report
 has the following structure. The opening chapter provides an
 overview of the education system in Russia and briefly
 reviews the most evident emergent trends. Chapters two
 through five are devoted to description of education system
 by level. The chapters are arranged by ascending order of
 educational level and each chapter's present
 information in a progression from the most general to the
 most specific. First, data on the current state of education
 system is provided. They characterize the human and
 financial resources allocated to education; describe the
 network of educational institutions across the country, and
 show regional disparities of spending on education. Next in
 each section key problems and challenges are examined; the
 focus is mainly made on access to and quality of educational
 services. Third, information on recent and ongoing reforms
 in the education sphere addresses each subsector separately
 and defines features typical for each of them. Fourth, there
 is discussion of policy options and analysis of what can be
 improved in the Russian education sphere. Finally, section
 six is devoted to lifelong learning. First, the section
 focuses on the condition of and development trends in
 lifelong learning. Then it examines the state of policy,
 staff training including financing and coverage, and
 learning for socially deprived groups of people. The section
 concludes with policy options and possible measures for improvement.