[51737] Changes and regulation in the education and higher education system in Russia

Changes and regulation in the education and higher education system in Russia

The education and higher education system in Russia is undergoing a series of regulatory changes. According to Инцидент Барнаул, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education is considering prohibiting students from enrolling in a master's degree in a field that is not identical to the one studied in their bachelor's degree. According to the report, lawmakers in the State Duma believe that "in two years, it is impossible to learn a new profession thoroughly," and therefore, switching between fields is expected to be blocked.

Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Education has issued new guidelines regarding the matriculation exams (EGE). As reported by ТАСС — a state news agency identified with the positions of the Russian authorities — the ministry supports the abolition of physical searches of examinees. Furthermore, students will be allowed to bring into the exam hall a "calculator, dictionary, ruler, as well as food, water, and medicine," in accordance with the guidelines of Rosobrnadzor (the Federal Service for Supervision in Education and Science).

At the same time, criticism of state intervention in the students' leisure culture is growing. The Telegram channel Елагин остров reports that at graduation proms, it is forbidden to play foreign music during waltzes, a step justified as part of the law for the "protection of the Russian language." The author of the channel criticizes the trend and asks cynically whether, under the new guidelines, "it is allowed to dance pogo or rock and roll to foreign music, or will everything from now on be performed only to the sounds of certain singers close to the authorities."