Over the last decade essential changes have taken place in Russia's education system. Educational establishments have received economic independence and have more autonomy to organize the educational process. Instructors have more possibilities to choose reading materials and teaching methods. New forms of high-school-level educational institutions – advanced high-schools of various specializations – are the results of the programme to increase the level of education. Private educational institutions have been created and, if one includes the commercial divisions of state institutes for higher education, today these private establishments number more than state ones.
Presently more than eighty million people, around sixty percent of Russia's population, are connected with the sphere of education.
In 2004, 16,1 million people were taught in middle schools. Around 28,7 million people took part in various forms of education, not including after-day programmes for children.
More than 2,5 million people (not including preschool teachers and personnel, personnel in children's homes and in boarding schools) are employed in teaching.
In current demographic conditions where women give birth on average to 1,2 children, there are almost 50 million parents who have received basic formation in educational institutions.
At the beginning of the 2004–05 school year, 662 state and municipal colleges and universities, more than 1,823 of their subdivisions (which teach more than 5,9 million students), and 315 private higher education universities that have received government accreditation were functioning. There were 2,627 state and municipal vocationall schools and community colleges with 2,6 million students.
Over the last ten years the share of people receiving initial professional training has decreased and the share of those receiving higher education has grown at an impressive rate. In 2004, 480 out of every 10,000 people were students, compared with 327 in 2000 and only 189 in 1995.
In 2004 almost 593,4 billion roubles or 3.6 percent of GDP was allocated from the consolidated budget for education. Thus, four fifths of the expenses on education were covered by regional and local budgets.
The educational and material resources of general educational establishments (schools) are out of date. In the 2003–04 school year 37 percent of functioning schools, containing 42 percent of students, required major renovations. The buildings of four percent of functioning schools were deemed hazardous. In 2004, in 24 of the Russian Federation's subjects not even one new school was put in operation.
Insufficient scholastic materials and literature is a problem at all levels of the education system. In many instances, the development of textbooks is not systematic.
Research into the quality of education, including international research, revealed a decrease in the high-school-level education in Russia, insufficient support by modern scholastic materials, a lack of material resources generally, and a low level of of professional training among many of the teachers.
The working group has several suggestions on how to further modernize national education:
To develop an optimum model of budgetary support for all levels of education. The general education (full high-school level) should be free. While preserving a sizeable amount of private higher education it is necessary to support it with a flexible system of educational credits.
To restore social infrastructure to best provide children of all ages with various forms of recreational and physical events, healthy leisure and after-day classes according to their interests.
To consider using the results of the single national test as one of the possible means of entering the system of higher education alongside with traditional entrance exams, as well as the results of the academic and professional competitions.
To develop systems for continuing education, for professional training and development, and for enabling each member of society to adapt both professionally and socially during their entire life.
To create a national system to provide quality education and guarantee that students receive new knowledge and skills according to relevant standards. It is essential to update the technical foundations of the educational and research process which forms young graduates.
To organize a number of pilot projects toassist in adjusting instruction process to the principles of the Bologna process.
To develop a system of encouragement for institutes of higher education actively engaged in innovative activities in the field of education.
To develop effective measures for material and moral support for all instructors and faculty.
To classify institutes of higher education having determined which leading institutes should became points of reference for the growth of the national system of higher education.
To provide the legal and financial support that would help promote the integration of research done in academia, industry sectors and institutes of higher education.
To systematize the legislative base in the sphere of education, having developed the Education Code.