The Future of Education

In situation when new channels and sources of information appear and sharp increase of the ability to get access to any segments of information the school is loosing the monopoly in development of knowledge, skills and behavioral models.

It is necessary to provide way out from the boundaries of formal education. Schools in many countries turn from the monopoly into an educational and social coordinator. Success of such activity depends on the maturity and development degree of the sphere of non-formal and informal education. It is this sphere where governmental and non-governmental sources are invested at the moment.

International studies of the last 40 years give evidence that support of all forms of education after school and during vacations have critical importance for the psychological and social development of children, for their educational achievements.   The specificity of the non-formal  education of children, that is displayed in the voluntary character and the liberty of choosing an educational program and the place where to perform it.   

In the Soviet times, the system of non-formal education for children was a strong out-of-school factor of socialization. Now Russia is among few countries that provides its state funding.

But over the three last decades, the system of non-formal education has lost a great part of its resource base. Public services often offer archaic programs. On the other hand private sector of non-formal education that focuses on the changing needs of families is booming. Sphere of informal education and socialization of children – media sphere, Internet and entertainments – is practically not included into the field of the State educational policy in spite of these trends. Russia falls essentially behind the countries in Western Europe in the number of children TV and radio channels, special  educational on-line services

This study presents results of the first Russian survey of the non-formal education sphere  in 2013. 5,000 parents of children were surveyed in the 1000 services of non-formal education (state, municipal, private organizations).  The survey polled parents of children from 2 to 19 years, mean age - 10  years.

The study allowed getting data on the contingent and programs of non-formal  education of children, parents strategies and beliefs.

The main findings of the study show that:

- proportion of schoolchildren who get non-formal education services is about 59%;

- preschoolers, school children and adults are studying at the non-formal services, the pupils of primary and basic level of general school prevailing; the proportion of senior pupils is lower;

- enrolment growth over the past years can be seen in all age categories of pupils, excluding the senior pupils;

- the average age at which to begin visiting non-formal Services is 6 years;

- the most demanded occupations are sports, fine arts,  music and dancing. Next in popularity are subjects of the school curriculum and foreign languages​​.  

 - about 90% of Russian children use the Internet.  Average age go online in Russia - 10 years.