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THE PLACE AND ROLE OF SUPPLEMENTARY PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN IN THE SYSTEM OF LIFELONG EDUCATION
I. E. Panova A. V. Kapitonov
A Russian Federation law dated July 10, 1992 (N 3266-1), "On Education”, defines lifelong education as the process of implementing successive primary educational programs and a variety of additional educational programs.
Currently, the educational system of the Russian Federation implements the primary general education and primary vocational education programs. Basic education programs aimed at solving the problems of forming a common cultural identity and adapting to life in society provide a basis for informed choice and the development of vocational education programs. These include educational programs for preschool education, and general education (primary education, basic education, secondary (full) general education). The main educational programs are successive, that is, each successive program is based on the previous one. Primary professional education programs are aimed at addressing problems of cultural, intellectual and professional development to meet the needs of society and the state in training skilled workers and professionals, academic and teaching staff and the proper level of qualification.
In addition, the present system of education implements supplementary educational programs. The implementation of supplementary educational programs, which include additional general education and additional vocational programs are implemented within each educational level. Additional vocational programs are aimed at professional development, improvement of professionally significant qualities, acquiring new vocational skills required to perform a certain type(s) of professional activity, new job functions and official duties. One should distinguish between the implementation of additional professional training programs in relation to employees, job and training.
A supplementary professional education specialist can be trained within professional development programs, vocational training and internships. The purpose of professional development is to update the theoretical and practical knowledge of professionals. Further training is conducted at least once every five years during a the time that a specialist is continuously employed. An internship is intended to form and consolidate practical skills, abilities and skills acquired through theoretical training, as well as research into best practice. During retraining, specialists can learn new
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kinds of professional activity (a duration of study of over 500 hours) as well as acquire additional qualifications (a training period of more than 1,000 hours).
With respect to further professional education of workers, the terms “qualification improvement” and “professional re-qualification” have slightly different semantic meanings, but in legal terms they are not defined. The model provision of lifelong professional economic training of personnel for the national economy (approved by a resolution of the Goskomtrud (State Committee for Labor and Social Problems) of the USSR, the Gosobra-zovaniye (State Education Committee) of the USSR, and the Secretariat of All-Union Central Council of Trade-Unions of the USSR, dated June 15, 1988 (№ 369/92-14-147/20/18-22) is the only legal instrument still current and to some extent continuing to determine the forms and methods of the further professional education of workers. According to the document, supplementary vocational education of workers is represented by the following training programs: qualification improvement programs for workers, professional re-qualification programs (development of new non-related occupations), and job training programs for second (related) professions. Supplementary educational programs are aimed at personality development and its general culture and individual capabilities, development of socio-cultural values, professional orientation, organization of creative work, meaningful leisure activities, promoting a healthy and safe lifestyle, and health promotion.
A special place in lifelong education programs belongs to supplementary education. Its specific features are that the concept of “program of supplementary education for children” combines both the implementation as additional educational programs and training programs. The latter are used in education along with educational programs. The educational programs of supplementary education for children include programs of various kinds.
From a legal standpoint, there is currently only one legally valid document (Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, dated May 3, 2000, № 1276, “On state accreditation of educational institutions for supplementary education of children”), which determines the total number of directions of supplementary education and their names. According to the document the system of supplementary education programs implements ten educational areas: science and technology, sports, technical and sports, artistic, aesthetic, tourist and ethnographic, environmental, biological, military, patriotic, social, pedagogical, cultural, and natural-scientific. The programs of supplementary education for children do not have sepa-
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rate levels of education. Hence, the implementation of the program does not correlate clearly with the physical age of children of different ages and can range from 6 to 18 years old. Currently, the programs of supplementary education for children are being developed and realized at supplementary educational establishments, associations and in academic communities. In Russia, educational institutions for supplementary education for children that were joined in a network numbered 8,857 establishments at the beginning of 2009.
Lifelong education is aimed at forming and developing the creative abilities of children, meeting their individual needs with intellectual, moral and physical improvements, and organizing their free time.
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