Globalization and Education (Amina Umalatova)

Globalization influences all spheres of our life: education, culture, business, trade, politics, environment and even our mentality. It connects different countries and nations, makes their cooperation easier. It makes everything and everyone similar or even identical.                                                                                

Globalization has a multi-dimensional impact on the system of education. Russia was not an exception and in 2005 Russia’s State Exam was introduced as an experimental step before making it compulsory. The introduction of Russia’s State exam as the only way to assess the knowledge of Russian pupils who are leaving schools has become one of the most controversial issue recently.                                       The reasons of globalization in the sphere of education:                            

1) The idea of such a novelty is to ease the life of the school leavers giving them an opportunity to pass school leaving exams and university entrance exams, having just taken Russia’s State exam in certain subjects. The officials claim that such a system exists in most developed countries and Russia, being a part of the global system (or at least preparing to be such a part), should introduce similar objective methods in assessing the knowledge of school leavers;                                    

2) Another objective is to reduce corruption since the test is supposed to be checked by independent experts and computers.                                                 Russia is a member of Bologna declaration that was signed by 29 European countries. The purpose of it is to create a single European higher education area by making academic degree standards and quality assurance standards more comparable and compatible throughout Europe.                                   

Some differences of Russian education:                                                     

1) the problem of the core and the periphery. This problem doesn’t exist in US. Historically, the intellectual potential of Russian education was concentrated in the leading Moscow Universities. The creation of scientific, educational centers in Russia requires money and time. It’s more prestigious to study in Moscow and Saint-Petersburg Universities. Schools are larger and more expensive, of course;

         2) the problem of shift toward two-level education (bachelor and master).We doesn’t have such a system. We have 5 years in University after which we get a specialist diploma that gives us opportunities to get practically any kind of job (I mean the rank). You can be a minister having a specialist diploma;                            

3) the immobility of professors. In Russia, as a rule, one teacher belongs to one university. It has its advantage because it creates commitment and scientific basis in school. But on the other hand, it limits professional contacts;                     

4) the problem of language barriers. Students are taught translation techniques but are not really able to communicate when they find themselves in language environment.                                                                               

Russian education has always been one of the best education systems and Russian professionals are working all over the world. So, globalization in Russian education might be seen as integration into international education and also as a starting point of destroying national educational system