| The most conscientious parents in Moscow have already begun to prepare for September. In the capital, enrollment of children in schools officially began in April. The Moscow Education Committee promises to conduct the admissions campaign this year more strictly and fairly. As the head of the MKO Lyubov Kezina recently promised, from this year it is strictly forbidden to conduct interviews with children in the form of exams, tests or tests. A child’s lack of any skills is not a reason for refusal of admission to first grade. This is not the first time that the Education Committee has tried to fight against attempts to establish competitive admission to the first grades. But if previously the matter was limited only to prohibitory decrees, which by and large did not change the situation, then this year Ms. Kezina invites citizens whose rights will be violated to contact a special conflict commission created under the MKO.
However, the exam still cannot be avoided. True, parents who need to choose the right school for their child will have to endure it. According to sociologists, a significant part of Russians would like to send their child not to a state, but to a private educational institution, if financial resources allowed. Moreover, as surveys show, 25-30% of families are already taking part in financing education. And by 2010, as the population's well-being grows, it is expected that the number of parents paying extra for their children's education will increase to 40-45% and the volume of annual capital investments will rise to 5-6 billion dollars.
Among the millions of parents who spend on various educational services, school expenses become more and more important every year. Moreover, we are talking not so much about gifts to the teacher, fees for classroom renovations and additional payments for electives, but about 100 percent payment for educational services in a secondary educational institution. Private schools, where children are guaranteed an individual approach and comfort, and parents are guaranteed the absence of the usual hassle with teachers, are no longer considered an unjustified luxury. This year, however, the Ministry of Education has prepared an unpleasant surprise for “private traders”. The fact is that most non-state schools (as well as the best state schools) have agreements with well-known Russian universities on preferential admission for their graduates. Recently, the Minister of Education Vladimir Filippov abolished such privileges. But even without them, many private educational institutions have something to compete with the best budget gymnasiums and lyceums. Kirill VASILENKO
|
