State Educational Order as a Factor in the Socio-Economic Development of Regions

Abstract

Introduction. Successful solution of the tasks of socio-economic development in the modern world is possible only in the case of effective functioning of the education system, which would provide training for a competitive personality, focused on continuous development and capable of “complying” with rapidly changing conditions of social reality. It is assumed that building an education development strategy, setting its goals and objectives should be based on the needs and problems of society, creating the basis for sustainable prosperity of the country and taking into account the needs of individual regions and territories. One of the most important mechanisms for the development of the regions of the Russian Federation remained the state educational order – officially developed task by the authorities for the creation of a specific educational product.The aims of the present article are the following: to determine the relationship between the educational state order, the volume of investments in the education system and the level of socio-economic condition of the regions; to identify the territories, which require support.Methodology and research methods. In the course of the study, the methods of comparative, statistical and system analysis, deduction and induction, generalisation and theoretical modelling were used. The object of the content analysis was the regional programmes for the development of education in 40 regions of the Russian Federation, covering the entire territory of Russia and reflecting the specific development of various regions depending on the remoteness of the capital, the status of the subject of the Russian Federation and the socio-economic development of the region.Results and scientific novelty. Russian regions were classified into four groups according to the results of the analysis of regional educational development – very high, high, moderate and low. A number of general and specific problems of education in the regions were identified: the lack of a single educational space and, as a result, the heterogeneity of educational programmes; regional leaders disregard for opportunities to expand socio-economic potential of the territories through the implementation of such programmes; the gap between the financing of education and its socio-economic importance, etc. The authors conclude that state educational order at the regional level is not considered as a vector of social and economic development of the territories, and its role is reduced to an educati onal level. It is established that the rate of development of education in the Russian regions does not always depend on their key socio-economic indicators. The greatest differentiation of the trend is recorded, when comparing the rate of development of the regional education systems and the gross regional product.Practical significance. The authors give recommendations to resolve disagreements over the formation of state education orders in the context of the socioeconomic development of regions. The need to develop regional economic development programmes, taking into account the specific social structure of the region, is emphasised. It is proposed to organise permanent social monitoring, which measures the quality of implementation of educational state order and strengthen the role of public participation when determining its content. The research materials and findings might be used by the executive authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, whose competence includes educational development issues.