MANAGEMENT OF THE RUSSIAN EDUCATION BEFORE THE THRESHOLD OF THE KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY

Abstract

The article deals with the priorities of management of education in the context of Russia’s transfer to a new stage of development: knowledge society (post industrial, postproduction, posteconomic). To deter mine these priorities, the author applies a combined methodology: the worldsystem approach of I. Waller stein, the concepts of the “knowledge society” and the “network society”. On the basis of analysis of objective trends of the sociocultural development it is asserted that the management of education should be aimed at the formation of the subject of the transition that will have postmaterialistic motivation (homo creator). The author negatively evaluates the concept of «New public management” adopted in many developed countries, as it reproduces the society of the past (industrial, economic). Russia needs a strategy of advanced development, the result and subject of which is a person whose values are “freedom”, “justice”, “solidarity”, “creativity”. It is argued that in order for Russian education to fulfill its mission to ensure Russia’s transition to a knowledge society, it must have before itself: 1) a clear image of the desired future, 2) a strategy of formation a subject which is guided by postmaterialistic motives, financing sufficient to attract young scientific and pedagogical staff, 4) a program for the development of innovative pedagogical activity, networked education and universities. To accept these priorities is to abandon of the representation of education as a sphere of services