Education in russia Is Becoming a Privilege

While the kremlin keeps talking about developing education, actual policy is moving in the opposite direction. Access to quality education in russia is becoming difficult, while the system itself is increasingly geared toward the needs of the state apparatus, which requires workers for factories and personnel for law enforcement agencies.

The fate of the “podmoskovny” boarding school, founded by mikhail khodorkovsky, is telling. After its nationalization, the school was first reorganized and is now being permanently shut down in its current form. Plans are in place to build a presidential cadet corps with 800 spots on the site. Students have already been told to look for new schools, while the site is being prepared for the construction of military facilities.

In parallel, regional authorities are reducing opportunities to complete secondary education. In the krasnoyarsk territory, officials have decided to close forms 10–11 at schools within the achinsk municipal district. Formally, this is called “consolidation”, but for many rural children, this decision means daily commutes of several hours to the city and additional obstacles on the path to higher education.

Higher education is also increasingly resembling a system of privileges. Special quotas for the children of participants of the “special military operation” are expanding, while the number of regular spots is shrinking. At the same time, high scores on the state exam have become unattainable without expensive tutors and paid educational services.

The consequences are already evident in the statistics. In 2025, russia set a record for the number of applicants to community colleges and technical schools. After ninth form, 63% of students left school. This indicates a shift in the state’s priorities: instead of expanding access to university education, the authorities are focusing on training the workforce and militarizing young people.

russia’s education system has ceased to be a mechanism for social advancement. It is now a tool for selection, where quality education has become a privilege reserved for the select few.