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| Sunday, 5 September 2004 |
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Features |  |
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Studying in Russia by Danushka Cooray The Russian educational system is one of the most developed and advanced in the world. It is distinguished by its solid methodological basis, high educational standards, advanced didactic methods, accessibility and the state guaranties of the quality of education. In the context of a changing Russian society the educational system has proved to be capable of adapting to rapid transformations of new realities while preserving its wellknown strong qualities. Having given up excessive centralisation and standardisation that hindered its functioning development, the educational system has been acquiring the new qualities of flexibility, democracy, state and public nature of management, and a broad innovative pedagogical approach. In 1990s, a number of international degree programs instructed in English or French were introduced. Now the sector of international programs is booming, indicating the consistent growth. By 2008 Russia will reach the fourth place in the world by the number of international students. Though there is an obvious bias towards engineering and technical specialties, which in aggregate account for more than half of offered disciplines, Russia maintains its cutting edge in high education. All examinations in Russian Universities are taken both written and in oral forms. Written examinations, like in most European and American Universities, are taken in traditional form. At most Russian Universities the students know each other personally, because they learn in particular groups, they all participate in extensive extra-curricular activities, so the ties of university fraternity hold for life. The permanent classes of students are also helpful given that the requirements of knowledge in the obligatory set of subjects in leading Russian universities are higher than anywhere in the world. While, the competition for admittance to private American and European universities is tough (one has, first of all, to graduate from a prestigious high school, have good results at examinations and be distinguished in some special way, like winning a national award, prize etc.), even the leading Russian universities pursue a more democratic policy towards international students. Russia inherited from the USSR highly diversified education system, embracing over 2,700 research institutions and nearly 1,100 higher education institutions (universities, institutes and academies), of which 410 are private. There are 4,671,000 students enrolled in public institutions of higher learning (2,850,000 of them full-time), and 587,000-in private postsecondary institutions. Over the last century the higher schools of Russia produced about 30 million highly qualified specialists. Among its graduates are: prominent scientists and scholars, winners of international and home awards, Nobel Prize laureates. |
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