The disintegration of the USSR took place on the threshold of the last decade of outgoing century, has resulted in appearance on political map of the world 15 new states, largest of which the Russian Federation (Russia) has become.

The Russian Federation covers territory of 17075,4 thousands square kilometers. Its population is constituted 146 million people. The Federation is comprised 89 subjects or regional authorities which include 21 republics, 52 oblasts, 6 krais and 10 autonomous okrugs. In Russia there are 1095 cities, 1963 settlements of urban type, 24456 rural settlements.

Russia - multinational country, the peoples of over 150 nationalities live in its territory.

Became the sovereign state, the Russian Federation experiences epoch of global historical changes. Has lived the most part of the twentieth century in conditions of the communist system, the peoples of Russia aspire to forms the democratic market society. It is assumed cardinal changes in political, economic, social and cultural aspects of ability to live of the society [1 - 4, 5].

The theme of a role and functions of education in providing economic reforming of social and spiritual spheres of vital activity of state and society repeatedly was considered and debated by an academic public in a context of the various conceptions - conception of economic and social reforms, conception of providing national security and conception of stable development of Russia [6 - 8].

Former supposes modernization of socio-cultural, formation and civilized type, achieving the following goals:

• transition from the totalitarian state to the society of an open type founded on democratic principles and common to all mankind values;
• transition from planning-distributive economy to the market one;
• creating the civil society and raise and development of public institutes;
• transition from industrial to the post-industrial society;
• transition from ideology "man-resource" to ideology "man-capital".

Organizational basis of these modernization in economic and social spheres were the programs of the Government of the Russian Federation providing for implementation of reforms and development of the Russian economy, legislative basis – the Constitution of Russia [5].

Becoming of Russia as independent sovereign state, complex processes of the inter-state relations, processes of self-determination of the subjects of Federation and many other problems of political and socio-economic character have caused the necessity formulating Conception of national security of Russia which provide for ensuring the sovereignty and protection of strategic interests of the country, and also valuable development of the society and all citizens of Russia including also educational means.

It is obvious that in context of indicated conceptions the role of education, especially professional one, is extremely great - from personnel providing reforms to education of the citizens of Russia, capable to provide its integrity and a worthy place in rank of the advanced countries of the world.

The conception of stable development adopted in the Russian Federation, is grounded that coming century and new millenium will be the beginning of a new information civilization, with the new system of sense-vital values. It is no longer the quantity of the accumulated material values will determine the status of man and society, but level of culture, education and reasonable-sufficient management providing the saving of not restored, and reproduction of the most important restored, resources.

History shows, that the factors of progress faster and faster change their importance and influence on the historical process as a whole. If before, the natural resources played basic role, giving countries comparative advantages in the system of world-economic relations, nowadays the institutional conditions are put forward on the foreground, and, that is even more important, the development level of human resources - knowledge, creativity, skill, ability in the broad sense of the word. [50, 51]

Already in the nearest decades, when before world owing to general-planetary crisis there will be a set of, before unknown but sharpest, problems, the role of knowledge and creativity, without which they would not be solved will be immeasurable increase. In the foreground of historical scene there will be those countries, those nations, which will be capable to provide more high level of education standards, cultural standard and skill in all its manifestations, ability to search.

The final goal of transition of Russia on the pattern of stable development the creation of qualitatively new state of society will come forward, in which a major standard of national wealth the spiritual-moral values and knowledge of man, living in harmony with an environment, will become.

Implementing goal creation of the new system of spiritual-moral values of the Russian society oriented of creation of intellect sphere, assumes the coordinated system interaction of all social institutes of the society realizing creation and passing on spiritual values in sphere of spiritual culture. One of such basic social institutes is an education system of all levels. Not only re-passing the existing knowledge and social experience from one generation to another, but, that is the most important, making up of personality with its sense-life orientations and ideological settings, motives and requirements, which are realized during the subsequent life, occur in it.

Ability to live in the dynamically developing world and to initiate its positive development is possible only when providing high standards of education. In the modern world described by a unprecedented increasing competition and changing conditions of production, unprecedented increasing hazards, together with opportunities, educational reforms should be focused on goals of the learning society creation.

Basis of such society should become adherence to a set of such values and systems of such education, which give to all its members the possibility to develop their mental abilities up to maximum limits, from early childhood and up to deep old age, being trained in process of changing surrounding world. Awareness of necessity of the learning society creation and development of its integrated pattern for sequence reforming Russia – is the long-term strategic task.

Being realists, we understand, that the financial position of our country in the near future will not allow to carry out the wide scale projects in the reform sphere and development of a national education system. Especially becomes more important the task of the happened changes analysis and priorities choice, their distribution in time in context of desirable results achieving,.

General description of the education system of the Russian Federation

From former USSR Russia has inherited huge, advanced, in many respects not having analogues both on quantitative, and the qualitative indicators the education system. In sequence reforming period the scientific and pedagogical community has undertaken huge efforts that not only to save all that positive in the education system, that was created by many generations of the Russian specialists, but also to renew it with accordance to the goals of development, realities of the present and forecasts for the future.

According to the federal Law "On education" (Article 8) [5], the education system of the Russian Federation represents a whole complex of interacting:

• successive educational programs and state educational standards of a various level and orientation;
• the system of realizing them educational establishments, , irrespective of their organization-legal forms, types and kinds;
• management education bodies and dependent on them establishments and organizations.

The structural diagram giving an idea of the modern education system in Russia is shown in Figure 1.

In the Russian Federation the educational programs of two kinds are realized: general educational (basic and supplemental); professional (basic and supplemental).

To general educational programs the programs of pre-school education, primary general education, basic general education, secondary (complete) general education are belong to.

To professional – the program of primary, secondary, higher and postgraduate professional education.

The compulsory minimum of a content of each basic general educational or educational-professional program is established by the appropriate state educational standard. The normative periods of mastering of basic education programs in state and municipal educational establishments are determined by the federal Law "On education", model regulations on educational establishments (for types and kinds) or by appropriate state educational standard.

The list of education programs and their correspondence to international classifications [38] is given in Table 1.

Table 1.

Description of National Education Programs and their conformity to ISCED-97*

*** Text of the notes see after the table.

NOTES.

1. Basic secondary education is compulsory for all and realized by type 2A, finished by receiving Certificate 1 of completion basic secondary school, duration 9 years (not counting preprimary education).
2. Secondary (complete) general education realizing in secondary school, gymnasium, lyceum, finished by receiving Attestat of maturity (zrelost).
3. Initial vocational education realizing in specialized schools (uchilische), upon completion graduates receive:

1. at 2-year duration - Certificate 2 with qualification of worker;
2. at 3-year duration – diploma1, confirming availability of complete secondary education (3A) and worker’s qualification.

1. Initial vocational education on the base of complete secondary education; on leaving graduates receive Certificate 2 with worker’s qualification (level 4C ISKED).
2. Secondary specialized education on the base of basic secondary education (level 2A); during 4 years the programs of complete secondary education and professional training of technician (junior engineer), primary school teacher, tutor in kindergarten, junior medical worker and so on; final stage of the training during 2 years realized on the level 5B, - non-university sector of higher education.
3. Program of post-secondary professional education based on complete secondary school, duration 3-4 years. Realized in technikums and colleges, refers to 5B level; - non-university sector of higher education.
4. Incomplete higher education – Incomplete education by duration not less than 2 years, upon which completion student may discontinue his studies and at successive intermediate attestation receive Diploma giving the right to continue education by program of the base higher education.
5. Basic higher education; upon completion graduates receive bachelor’s diploma.
6. Professional higher education, duration from 5 to 7 years; training is given on the broad spectrum of specialties; upon completion graduates receive Specialist’s Diploma 2.
7. Magistratura – educational program with purpose of profound theoretical and special training in certain field of science, and forming of research skills; finished by defense of master theses and awarded Master’s qualification and confirmed by appropriate Diploma.
8. Internatura - educational program for those having higher medical education; directing to improve their practical experience for work in concrete field of medicine; upon completion graduates receive Certificate giving right to independent professional activity in medicine.
9. Supplemental professional educational programs for those having higher education, realizing with the aim of further training, retraining on adjoining or new specialties including ordinatura in medicine.
10. Aspirantura – it is required passing final examination on specialty and public defense of thesis, have been carried out originally on given problem, result of which should be published before defense
11. .Doktorantura – it is required public defense of theses, in which is offered a new solution of important scientific problem, being essential contribution in concrete subject field.

The system of educational establishments, acting on the present time, include
[34, 35]:

• 60,3 thousands pre-school educational establishments (4,7 million children);
• 66,7 thousands general educational establishments (21,2 million pupils);
• 4,1 thousands establishments of initial vocational education (1,7 million pupils);
• 2,6 thousands establishments of secondary professional education (over 2 millions students);
• 880 higher educational establishments (3,04 million students).

Condition and tendencies in well-being level

The level of the population well-being in a transitional period in many respects is connected to a socio-economic position being inquest of global reforms.

Description of socio-economic situation. The analysis of socio-economic regions development testifies that the economic situation in Russia remains rather complex and contradictory.

Liberalization of economy, foreign trade activities, carrying out the first stage of a privatization, liquidation of centralized planning and management have not resulted in revival of economic activity as a whole on the country. The gross national product is continue to drop. In spite of appearance of "points of increasing" in the industry, agriculture and construction, the economic and financial shocks are not ceased.

The prolonged crisis in economy and social sphere leads to peaking a situation on the taxes collecting. Have appeared illusory expectations concerning liquidation of the delay with stopping of salary paying.

It is still retained the underfinancing of budgetary sector of economy, that becomes at the bottom of unemployment. Conditions for increasing the population economic activity, development of a labor market, the increases of scales of secondary employment continue to remain rather discrepancy and uncertain.

In many regions the condition of an industry is still characterized by a set of unsolved problems associated with phase-out in separate branches, suspension of payments, decrease of investment activity, sharp cutting of many productions because of difficulties of production merchandising, absence of raw material and fuel.

The sizes of financial resources, mobilized in budgetary and out-of-budgetary funds of regions do not allow to achieve balance of reproduction and do not provide financing the complex development of economic and social sphere.

It is still continue cutting the labor demand, which basic reasons are connected with:

• falling of production volumes in the previous years;
• structural changes in production for the benefit of raw branches, on the share of which it was fallen about 20 %;
• processes of a privatization and corporate ownership, which practically did not provide necessary stimulus to development of production.

Let’s appeal to the most authoritative source - official statistical data of State committee on statistics of the Russian Federation[35]. In Tables 2 - 10 some items of information giving a common view of the socio-economic situation in sequence reforming Russia are given.

Table 2.

Basic social and economic indicators

Table 3.

Number of economically active population

* On the end of year

Table 4.

Distribution of number of the engaged population for economy sectors

Distribution of a population engaged in economy, by age groups *

(in percentage of total)

* 1992 - 1995, 1997. - on the end of October, 1996 - on the end of March