“They will become equally mediocre”: schools are preparing a new reform

What will the averaging of the already secondary education lead to

The unified program for schools, which has been actively implemented in our country over the past six months, means a new equalization, combing everyone under the same brush. Recently, such a program was approved for grades 10-11. The mass introduction of this approach will lead to a drop in the quality of secondary education and the destruction of copyright methods, experts say.

The main message of the initiators of the draft amendments to the law “On Education” was that it is necessary to completely erase the line between different teaching programs. Several programs are currently operating in the Russian Federation in parallel. Now, in terms of “subjects that form the worldview”: the world around us (primary grades), the Russian language, literature, history, social studies, geography and life safety will be the only one. On modern history, there will soon be one new textbook by Medinsky, and schools are strongly advised to include elementary military training in the life safety course.

At the same time, the variability of school teaching, which is now also enshrined in the law “On Education”, allows teachers to make lessons more authorial – of course, without going beyond the scope of knowledge that is “supposed” for children in a certain class. It turns out that two norms in the law compete with each other. But there are also specifics: special classes for gifted children, usually they are marked with the letter “E” (experiment), lyceum or integration classes, programs for special children. The profile of education from the 7th or even from the 5th grade – there definitely cannot be the same programs …

“The development of their own educational program is within the authority of the school, this is fixed by Article 28 of the Law “On Education,” emphasizes Irina Abankina, director of the Institute for the Development of Education at the National Research University Higher School of Economics. She believes that combing schools under one brush drops the quality of education. The highest educational results, according to a leading expert, show “the countries of the Pacific region, and especially Finland.” Where the rate on an individual route for teaching children is maximum.

Economically and statistically, another part of the experts looks at the problem of introducing ministerial “golden sections” into the school. The alignment of training programs will most likely take place at the lower bar for the quality of education. Because, in order to bring everyone up to the level of lyceum-gymnasiums, money is needed.

“A 2021 HSE study showed that the difference in tuition standards per student between Moscow and Arkhangelsk, for example, differs by 7 times,” says Stanislav Popov, a lawyer and specialist in additional education. – And the difference in the amount of teachers’ salaries is five times … What kind of unity are we talking about? The program is not just a table on paper – it is a revision of standard hours, teachers’ workloads, rates, and so on. The qualification grids are new. Regional budgets for social needs are laid in advance for at least a year, and more often for three. And they were designed for old programs. True, they plan to introduce changes not immediately, as many write, but in 5 years. But, I’m afraid, such a period is not enough. We are talking about the restructuring of the whole system, which took shape over 17 years.

“We, like everyone else, are waiting for the development of events,” the head teacher of a Moscow school tells MK on condition of anonymity. – It’s one thing if the matter is limited to the recommendation of the ministry, pointers. Then you can, albeit with caution, bend your line. By and large, without a prescribed mechanism for the introduction of these same programs in schools, the adopted amendment is not viable. Another thing is if by-laws, changes in the order of financing, uniform textbooks for all schools, and so on, are adopted. It’s hard to say what will happen then. Now there is the concept of a “good school”, where everyone wants to go. They have strong students. I’m afraid that by becoming “golden” and standard, all schools will become the same. Equally mediocre, most likely.