Education systems and the policies put in place for them vary worldwide. Not one education system can be said to be better than another. This is because the education systems are formulated to serve a country’s needs and interests. The fact that a country maintains its education system as is, without necessarily adopting another’s, shows that the education system is best fit for it. In this essay, Russia’s education system will be discussed at length.
The Russian Education System
Just like any other education system, Russia’s education system maintains the same bodies, programs, and institutions. The Russian education system is comprised of administrative organizations, educational programs and state educational standard, and education institutions (“Russian Education System”, n.d.). These factors are all interdependent and are used to ensure that the educational system is running smoothly.
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There are two educational programs in Russia – general education and professional education. General education is comprised of pre-school education, primary and secondary general education, and basic general education (“Russian Education System”, n.d.). Professional education is comprised of vocational education, non-university and university levels of higher education, and doctoral study programmes. All education programs are taught in Russian.
General Education
The general education in Russia can be divided into two levels. These levels include pre-school and school education (“Education in Russia vs. USA”, 2018). Pre-school education is comprised of a system of kindergartens found all over the country. Facilities offer Pre-school education in Russia from the age of 2 or 3 to 6 or 7 (“Education in Russia vs. USA”, 2018). This education is provided to children as they play.
School education comprises of three levels. These levels include primary, secondary and senior. There are 34 weeks of study per school year with each week having 27 to 38 hours of study (“Education system Russian Federation”, 2015). A typical school year in Russia begins on 1 September and ends on the first week of June. General education is progressive beginning from primary education to secondary and then to higher education.
There are eleven years of general education studies. Primary education runs for four years after which one proceeds to the first phase of secondary education. The first phase of secondary education runs for five years and is the end of compulsory education (“Education system Russian Federation”, 2015). An examination is then taken for one to proceed to the second phase of secondary education. The second phase of secondary education runs for two years.
There are two main examinations taken during the period of general education. Both are referred to as State final attestations (“Russian Education System”, n.d.). When one passes the first test, they are issued with the Certificate of Basic General Education (Attestat ob Osnovnom Obshchem Obrazovanii) (“Russian Education System”, n.d.). This certificate allows them to proceed to the second phase of secondary education. At the end of this phase, if one has passed, they are issued with the Certificate of Secondary Education (Attestat o Srednem Obrazovanii) allowing them to proceed to higher education (“Russian Education System”, n.d.).
Higher Education
In Russia, higher education is taught in four institutions. They include universities, academies, institutes and private institutions (“The Russian education system”, 2015). Universities offer a variety of disciplines while academies offer a single discipline. Institutes offer several disciplines while private institutions offer non-engineering disciplines (“The Russian education system”, 2015).
There are two types of higher education in Russia. They include non-university and university levels of education (“Russian Education System”, n.d.). At the non-university level, one can undertake educational programmes that do not necessarily lead to the attainment of university degrees while at the university level, all programmes studied lead to the attainment of university degrees (“Russian Education System”, n.d.).
Non-University Level
Both levels of higher education are undertaken in different institutions. At the non-university level, one can attend an educational institution known as a Tekhnikum or attend college (“Russian Education System”, n.d.). The duration of programmes at a Tekhnikum is 2 to 3 years if one has completed secondary education (11 years) or more than three years if one has completed the basic general education (9 years) (“Russian Education System”, n.d.).
Colleges can either be independent or constituent. Constituent colleges can be part of universities, academies or institutes (“Russian Education System”, n.d.). The duration of programmes at colleges also differs depending on the certificate one has. If one holds a certificate in basic education, they can take 4 to 4.5 years while a holder of a certificate in secondary education takes 3.5 to 4 years in college (“Russian Education System”, n.d.).
University Level
At the university level, duration of programmes is different. The general length for university curricula is 36 weeks per year (“Education system Russian Federation”, 2015). The class time for each student per week is 27 hours. An academic year starts from September and ends in June (“Education system Russian Federation”, 2015). The academic is comprised of 2 semesters each being 5-month long. The Unified State Examination determines entry.
At the university level, one can attain four different types of diplomas. They include the Intermediate, Bakalavr, Specialist and Magistr diplomas (“Russian Education System”, n.d.). The Intermediate diploma (Diplom o nepolnom vysshem obrazovanii) is issued to those studying for Bakalavr or Specialist diplomas. The diploma shows they have finished their first two years of higher education in a specific field.
Unlike the Specialist diploma, the Bakalavr is a degree. It issued after the successful completion of a four-year study (“Russian Education System”, n.d.). It is offered to all disciplines apart from medicine. The Specialist diploma is offered after five years and is awarded in all disciplines. The Bakalavr degree is required for Magistr studies while the Specialist diplomas are required for entry into doctoral studies (“Russian Education System”, n.d.). Magistr degree is offered after the completion of a two-year course. The Bakalavr degree is academic oriented, the Specialist diploma offers professional practice, and the Magistr is research oriented.
Comparison between Russian and the United States Education Systems
The following table compares the education systems in Russia and the United States:
|
Educational Level |
Russian Federation |
USA |
| Pre-school |
Carried out in kindergartens. Attendance age is 2 or 3 |
Carried out in reception schools. Attendance age is 5 |
| School | Divided into primary, secondary and senior schools. | Divided into junior, secondary and senior. |
| Higher | Entry is determined by a single test (Unified State Examination) or university entrance exams. | Entry is multi-stage and considers school assessments and extra-curricular work. |
Russia’s education system is effective. Russia has been a member of the Bologna Process since 2003. The Bologna Process is an attempt by countries in Europe to reform and internationalize their higher education systems (“The Russian education system”, 2015). Through this agreement, Russia has been able to establish a two-tier curricula structure. Adopting a similar policy with its neighbors will help the United States reform its education system accordingly.
Conclusion
Education systems may vary, but it is the participants who determine the efficiency of each type. Russia’s education system is quite different from that of the United States. However, the United States can borrow from them some policies. The Bologna Process is one policy that stands out and can be implemented by the U.S. in its efforts to reform education in its states.
References
Education in Russia vs. USA. (2018, March 4). Study in Russia . Retrieved 1 June 2018, from https://studyinrussia.ru/en/actual/articles/education-in-russia-vs-usa/
Education system Russian Federation. (2015). Nuffic . Retrieved 1 June 2018, from https://www.nuffic.nl/en/publications/find-a-publication/education-system-russian-federation.pdf
Russian Education System. (n.d.). Retrieved 1 June 2018, from http://www.qqi.ie/QualRec%20Country%20Education%20Profiles/Russia%20Education%20System.pdf
The Russian education system. (2015). Retrieved 1 June 2018, from https://social.hse.ru/data/2015/11/03/1078132692/1%20The%20Russian%20education%20system.pdf
