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CONTINUOUS EDUCATION AS A STRATEGIC PRIORITY OF RUSSIA'S DEVELOPMENT
S. A. Filatov
N. G. Sukhorukova
This article substantiates the conclusion that it is necessary to develop and introduce a new model of education which is adequate to the post-industrial era in the new socioeconomic circumstances. Thus the authors consider the dialectical relationship between the process of developing of a knowledge-based economy and the promising educational model - the system of lifelong education.
Key words: human capital, education model, continuous education system, lifelong learning, knowledge-based economy.
Recently, the Russian economy has been in a rather complex situation. It's not just the economic sanctions imposed on our country by a number of countries. The crisis processes that are mounting in the Russian economy are caused by more fundamental factors. Unfortunately, we have to state that the Russian economic system focused on the export of primary resources (most of all, hydrocarbons) has virtually exhausted its further growth potential. It cannot react to global economic challenges adequately. The fact that the relationship between international oil prices and the national level of business activity has become virtually linear is an evidence of the "one-sidedness" of the Russian economy, of the extreme inefficiency of the economic policy pursued by the Russian government.
No matter how important the measures taken by the authorities aimed at solving the current problems, they cannot replace a holistic strategy of national development whose task is to ensure sustainable development and social security of both the state and every citizen. The search for new sources of economic growth and launching the mechanisms of business activity activation is an important component of that strategy. In our opinion, one of the principal drivers of the Russian economy's development is the activation of human resources, and the creation of real conditions for shaping and efficiently utilizing human capital.
The innovative nature of contemporary economic development, the
increased non-price competition (novelty and quality competition) in the
international and national markets, growing shortage of natural resources and aggravation of environmental problems, bring the main factor of developing the socio-economic system to the forefront: a worker's intellect and professionalism. The need for innovative development of the Russian economy actualizes the development of education as a system of shaping the national intellectual capital and one of the principal spheres of creation of innovation as a vital strategic priority. However, the education system itself must be rearranged radically in order
to realize so great a mission. The issue is not the "improvement" and
"modernization" of education, but shaping and implementing a new future oriented model of educational system that is capable of creating prerequisites for a socioeconomic breakthrough of Russian society. We have pointed out the following fact
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in our works more than once: the principal trend of evolution of the educational system under the current conditions is the creation of a continuous education (lifelong education) system as a conceptually new educational model that is adequate to the post-industrial epoch [5; 6].
It is worth noting that substantial developments in understanding the phenomenon of continuous education took place at the national level in recent years: from perceiving it as some principle of supplementary vocational education, to characterizing it as a promising model of education. At any rate, the fundamental regulatory documents that regulate educational activities and determine the prospects and the direction of development of the Russian educational system state that enforcement of the human right to lifelong (continuous) education is one of the governing principles of state policy in the sphere of education [2], and the creation of an up-to-.date system of continuous education, training and retraining of professional personnel is considered a priority development objective of Russian education [3].
In our view, the practical implementation of those provisions will not only make it possible to solve a number of critical problems of a humanitarian nature; it will also substantially improve the competitiveness and successfulness of both the individual and the national economy as a whole. The point is that the problem of shaping the continuous education system as a new educational model can be interpreted correctly and solved successfully only in the general context of the emergence and development of an innovative, knowledge-based economy. What is meant here is a dynamic economy that is capable of self-development, that permits efficiently using all the production resources (among which knowledge becomes of a paramount importance), to foster the realization of the national intellectual potential on the basis of development of science and education, and the augmentation of demand for it in the economic system based on modern social relations. A new educational model is both a precondition and an effect of such a type of economy. Firstly, in an innovative economy, continuous innovations and modernization of the sphere of public production presuppose vocational training that is continuous as well. Secondly, the education continuity principle can be realized most completely only in a knowledge-based economic system, in the context of permanent demand for human knowledge and skills.
The educational system implementing the principle of continuity is a mechanism of expanded reproduction of educational services in the process whereof the need for education and personal cognitive and spiritual demands are met, and conditions are created for personal self-actualization and the development of an individual’s essential powers throughout his or her life. Accordingly, the principal socio-economic function of education undergoes a substantial change as compared to the traditional educational model: education that previously has been the method of shaping an individual’s economic potential and orientation becomes a priority method of expanded reproduction of human capital as a social form of personal economic culture in a knowledge-based economic system.
Human capital is one of the few competitive advantages retained by Russia that are of great significance from the point of view of innovative development. At present, in respect of the share of adult population that has university and
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postgraduate degrees (29.8% of population aged from 25 to 64), Russia is on a par with such developed countries as Great Britain (28%) and the Netherlands (29.3%), ahead of Sweden (25.4%) and Japan (25.3%), and only Norway (35.2%) and the USA% (31.8%) surpass it. And in view of the share of the adult population having secondary vocational education (35.3%), Russia is undoubtedly the world leader in vocational education level [1, p. 256]. However, a number of negative tendencies that manifest themselves in the above sphere may effectively devalue this competitive advantage over the long term. The case is not only that the level of quality and accessibility of educational services is insufficient by contemporary standards, but a lack of consistency in vocational education, the need for consistency and interconnection between various levels of vocational education. All the above factors discourage the public from shaping a model of educational behavior that would be adequate to the requirements of an innovative economy. E.g., according to the data of an opinion poll carried out by the specialists of the National Research University - Higher School of Economics, in 2012 only 15% of the adult population of the Russian Federation (aged 25-64) took part in various forms of organized continuous education (formal or supplementary). For reference, in Sweden (2007) this figure amounts to 73%, in Norway (2011) to 60%, in Germany (2011) to 50%, and in Great Britain (2007) to 49% [1, p.35].
Thereby, the task of creating a flexible multilevel continuous education system that would respond promptly to changes in the population's needs for education, and efficiently solve the problems of a socio-economic, political, and moral nature in the interests of a person, the state and society is very urgent in Russia. Ensuring the accessibility of quality educational services, and a transition to continuous individualized education for everyone, is one of the principal tasks of creating a knowledge-based innovative economy.
Shaping a continuous education system is a very complex and timeconsuming process. Apart from creating a certain integrated structure from components that were isolated or poorly connected, i.e. educational subsystems of various levels, shaping an adequate organizational and economic mechanism, it presumes institutionalization of continuous education, and its becoming a certain social norm.
The critical steps in shaping the above model of expanded reproduction of human capital in the near term can be as follows: (a) optimization of the shares of the Federal and local budgets in the expenditures allocated for education and personnel training [4]; (b) development of a legal framework and creation of a coordination system of various levels and forms of continuous education (including informal education), with efficient feedback at the federal and regional levels; (c) the inclusion of a new organizational-economic and administrative mechanism into the continuous education system in view of determining the spheres of responsibility for the state and business; (d) shaping a state system of protection of skilled workers' professionalism and the employers' interests (as labor force consumers) by developing state professional standards and the development of a mechanism of enterprise personnel certification as per international standards; (e) creation of information centers (regional and federal portals) ensuring direct communication and feedback between the producers and the consumers of
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educational services; (f) the development of an efficient procedure of statistical recording of continuous education, etc.
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Translated from Russian by Znanije Central Translastions Bureas
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