The impact of the liberalist educational doctrine on the higher education in Russia

Abstract

Problem and Purpose. The paper deals with different views on the problem of recessionary processes in the Russian higher education. The authors consider the significant impact of the educational doctrine of neoliberalism to be a significant reason for the systemic crisis of the higher education in modern Russia. The purpose of the article is to analyse the main ideological postulates of neoliberalism that address education directly and turn it into an integral part of the global economy. Materials and methods. The research materials are represented by scientific publications of Russian and foreign authors, including pedagogical and socio-political periodicals, conference materials, monographs, Internet resources. The following methods were used: source study, comparative description, comparative and linguistic analysis. Research findings. The authors note the large-scale active penetration of neoliberal ideology into the sphere of education. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of attractiveness of “human capital” and “lifelong learning” ideologemes in neoliberal interpretation, which in fact turn out to be the mechanisms for devaluation of spiritual meaning of education and its commodification. The article presents critical arguments in respect of the strengthening neoliberal position present in the activities of Russian universities: involvement in competition, signs of “academic commerce”, commodification of scientific and educational products, bureaucratisation. It is emphasised that, in the context of the structure of university education according to the business process model, students are offered the position of educational services consumer, which is hypocritically decorated as training of “cognitarians” – creative leaders of the “knowledge economy” era, but in fact – narrow specialists with a set of competences that require constant updating. Conclusion and resume. The study has shown that the problem of higher education crisis is actively discussed by the scientific and pedagogical community in the West and in Russia; the influence of economic and political processes on the traditional foundations of university education is tangibly realised. However, the search for solution to the relevant problems will take place in different directions: the West focuses more on the political leverage of transformation, while the Russian education is aimed at development within its methodological guidelines. The withdrawal from the crisis and overcoming the influence of the educational doctrine of neoliberalism is possible only through the establishment of a new ideology in Russia.