Russian Federation

The longstanding humanistic tradition of Russian education was revived during the socioeconomic reforms of the 1990s. At the same time political cataclysms and financial problems created serious obstacles on the way of educational development. Profound democratic changes and new requirements of society brought about the need for innovations in the Russian educational system. Its priorities and goals were laid out in the Federal Program of the Development of Education (1999) and the National Doctrine of Education (2000). The main objectives were further formulated in republic, regional, and local programs, with regard to national, territorial, socioeconomic, ecological, cultural, demographic, and other peculiarities. The necessity to function in the context of a market economy calls forth for the introduction of new economic mechanisms, encouragement of nongovernmental investments in education, and attracting businesses and prospective employers to social partnership with educational institutions. Other major challenges facing Russian education are: the development of the legal and normative bases, state standards and corresponding curricula; social support of teachers and students; harmonization of national and ethnocultural relations; preservation of all languages and cultures of the Russian Federation, including ethnic minorities; enhancing the prestige of the Russian language as one of the uniting factors in the multinational state; and integrating the Russian educational system in the world educational community. Educators believe that the democratization of the school life will allow to bring up personalities, capable of humanistically oriented choice and individual intellectual effort, respecting themselves and others, independent in thought, and open to unexpected ideas and alternative opinions.