Parents, Children, and Changing Technology: The Limits of Control and Potential for Development

11 September 2018

Parents, Children, and Changing Technology: The Limits of Control and Potential for Development

KEY CONCLUSIONS

Ministry of Enlightenment and Ministry of Science and Higher Education are focused on technological changes in education

“Modernization of the system that we have been experiencing recently resulted in the creation of two new ministries. The Ministry of Enlightenment emphasizes the role of national educational projects. The Ministry of Science and Higher Education is intended to continue this technological interconnection and lead it to the actual employment of the young people who go to universities hoping to be sought-after,” Marina Borovskaya, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation.

Education should motivate a child to learn

“Motivation should be the priority. We are even discussing that we need not a comprehensive model of competence, but rather the motivational core of competence <…> If we are going to build a rigid system, the results will be worse. Any system with given parameters will limit us,” Dmitry Peskov, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation on Digital and Technological Development; Director of the Young Professionals direction, Agency for Strategic Initiatives.

“What we managed to do? To develop, test and start using digital methodological complexes. Also, to implement educational games and digital simulators into the learning process, they prove to be really helpful <…> Moreover, to create, update and promote open online courses,” Tatyana Mineeva, Vice President, Committee for Ecology, Delovaya Rossiya (Business Russia); Chairman, Public Council at the Department of Education of Moscow.

Over the course of three years all Russian schools will be connected to the Internet

“In digital economy, we plan to connect all educational institutions to the Internet. We have set a high standard, broadband access for village schools – no less than 50 Mbit/s, for all other schools – 100 Mbit/s <…> In three years we have to finish connecting 42,000 schools,” Aleksey Sokolov, Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation.

PROBLEMS

Insufficient employment rate for young specialists

“The employment rate among young people is only 72%. It means 28% of unemployed, and this is a direct question to the academic community: whether we created offer that is higher than demand or have not worked with employers, with our partners, with research organizations,” Marina Borovskaya, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation.

Inadequacy of education development forecasting

“What is the problem today? <…> Our information systems that we base our decisions on <…> If we produce forecasts and build policies relying on ministerial information systems, it is a catastrophe for raising future generations,” Dmitry Peskov, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation on Digital and Technological Development; Director of the Young Professionals direction, Agency for Strategic Initiatives.

Existing educational system does not comply with current realities

“How to build a system today that will help teachers and parents meet the challenges that children have at school <…> We have so much information in the world, and children can react to it themselves. But universities provide knowledge rather than information. And this difference between information and verification of existing bases is very important,” Marina Borovskaya, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation.

“There was the Soviet educational system that prepared people for living in the country where socialism had won <…> but the world has changed, we have changed, Russia now is a completely different country,” Sophie Shevardnadze, Journalist, Anchor.

SOLUTIONS

Educational focus on self-fulfilment

“We have to cultivate the competence to learn themselves in children <…> Now the goal is to pass the Unified State Exam to get to the university; however, many young people understand that this is not what will actually help them to succeed in the profession. That is why we have to realize that the goal underlying the educational process must be changed. And this will change the instruments and the mechanics as well,” Marina Rakova, Chief Executive Officer, Russian Foundation for Educational Development.

Teaching self-dependence to children

“Norms that describe legal capacities say that until the age of 14 a child can only make smaller deals, but they are not clearly defined: is it 500 roubles or 10,000 roubles <…> Of course, it is much safer not to give cash to children that can be spent on anything; rather, have access to the transaction history and see what the money was spent on,” Aleksandra Altuhova, Director of Special Solution Division, Sberbank.

Creation of child’s electronic portfolio

“To have such an electronic portfolio where all child’s achievements will be safely stored <…> We will have an opportunity to digitize all child’s preschool activities which now does not exist at all <…> Add there information on courses, hobbies etc. <…> From the state point of view, it gives us some kind of transparency of how this process goes, because now it is not clear at all. And parents will understand what their child is doing,” Alexander Borodich, Founder, Universa Blockchain Platform; Founder, Child Tech.

Parents, Children, and Changing Technology: The Limits of Control and Potential for Development

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