The Modernisation of Education Through the Prism of Social Policy

Abstract

In judging the success of educational reform it is necessary to define what modernization means in social discourse. In this article, the question is studied from the point of view of the social policies of the state in the Russian Education System. This is seen to be covered by three key areas; the battle against corruption in higher education, the adoption of a Unified State Examination System and the entry of Russia into European Educational systems like the Bologna Process. The process of studying these reforms in sociological research has revealed deep dissatisfaction at the lack of progress. The general public has shown negative responses to the reforms attempted by the Russian authorities in the name of modernization. The traditional Russian questions, ‘who is to blame?’ and ‘what is to be done? have been raised in this area. This article looks to provide answers to these questions by characterizing relations between education and the state, which is presented as still authoritarian in its essence. It also analyses the mechanisms used to achieve this renewal and modernization. These projects are found wanting due to the nature of authoritarian social policy, which does not reflect the real concerns of the education system or the concerns of the larger population. Instead, reform inspired from above is implemented poorly and does not bring modernization to the education system.  This underlines the point that the main problem in Russia is the lack of any real incentive to knowledge due to a lack of demand for skilled labor in the economy. Efforts to achieve social modernization without serious attempts at political reform are unlikely to have the desired effects, as increasing ‘inequality’ in education, especially between regions and the centre, remain unchecked. Once again, this is an area where an authoritarian political system fails to reflect the real needs of society and pathway to modernization is blocked.