Economic security of Russia and quality of education

National security meens the protection of the vital interests of society and the state, the ability of a nation to satisfy the needs necessary for its self-preservation. This is a set of conditions ensuring sovereignty, protection of strategic interests and the full development of society and all citizens of a given state.

National security has many pillars. These include a modernly armed forces and navy, a strong economy, an education system, a stable family, and national consciousness. The most important component of national security is economic security. It means the socioeconomic stability of society, regardless of the presence and operation of external factors and threats.

The main bastion of economic security is the education system.

At all stages of the development of the state, education is not only a social institution for the transfer of knowledge, but also an institution that plays a decisive role in shaping the worldview of the young generation. That is why it becomes a matter of big politics. Education is the main indicator of the quality of life of society, the key to ensuring the country's competitiveness. In this area, the foundations are laid for the development of not only every country, but of all mankind.

By the mid-20s of the last century, a state order for education was formed in our country. The government of the young state pursued a policy of compulsory education, de- spite the fact that school education after the civil war functioned on the verge of possible.

In 1930, universal compulsory education was introduced by law. To ensure access to education for children from low-income families, material assistance was provided. They received free textbooks, stationery, clothes, shoes, food. The state organized literacy efforts. Training courses for the economy and agriculture were organized throughout the country. All this required an increase in public spending on education.

The Soviet education system was considered the best in the world. A large percentage of physical and mathematical disciplines, the organization of training on a polytechnical basis were an indispensable condition for the rapid development of science and technology, which allowed our country to take priority positions in many branches of science and in space exploration.

The largest socio-economic crisis in Russia in the 90s of the XX century changed all spheres of life. For a decade, government policy in the field of education has been unsystematic and inconsistent. Education funding was carried out on a residual basis. According to economists, in real terms from 1990 to 1998, it decreased by 8 times. The salary of a novice teacher was reduced by 7 times, the salary of a professor – by 4-5 times [1]. Both higher and general education schools were in distress.

For that period, interregional migration of teachers in search of better working conditions to large "expensive" cities was characteristic, which worsened the situation in education in many regions of the country. External migration grew at a rapid pace. Thousands of scientists went abroad, where they were given the opportunity to conduct research and teaching. According to the most conservative estimates of Western economists, the emigration of our specialists and scientists in the 1990s saved Western countries at least a trillion dollars that they would have spent on training personnel of a similar level. Even now, the ruble invested in the training of extra-class physicists and mathematicians in our country is more effective than the dollar in any other [2].

Underfunding of education led to the degradation of the material base, to a deterioration in the quality of training of specialists, and to a decrease in the intellectual potential of universities.

The consequences of underfunding of the educational system began to appear in the late 90s – early 2000s. During this period, the country experienced personnel aging of educational personnel, since graduates of pedagogical universities practically stopped working in their specialty. The state did not fully appreciate the importance and significance of the teaching profession for the development of society. From an economic point of view, pedagogical activity was not interesting for society. People did not want to work for very low wages, which they do not systematically pay.

During this period, the number of those who did not receive compulsory education increased. If in 1989 the number of young people aged 15–19 years who did not complete the compulsory 9th grades was 4.6%, then in 2002 the same indicator was 6% [3].

In the 2000s there is a state awareness of the importance of education and an increase in spending on it. But the crisis of 2008, and then 2015, again returned the residual principle of financing.

In our country, there is an increase in inequality of rights in the field of education. Many young people with high potential from low-income families, especially in the periph- ery, cannot realize their abilities and receive the necessary education. Inequality is due to a reduction in the total number of free training places and a tight link between tuition fees and the results of the Unified State Exam. Obviously, with more or less the same natural abilities, the results of the Unified State Exam are always higher when it comes to children from families with high incomes. It is these families that have the opportunity to send children to schools with advanced programs or with highly qualified teaching staff, hire good private tutors to prepare for the single exam. As a result, children from high-income families mostly study for free, while most low-income families have to either pay for their children's education or abandon it in principle.

Meanwhile, in industrialized countries, the opposite trend is observed - the desire to limit the inequality of citizens' rights in the field of education. So, in France and Germany, the proportion of students studying at the expense of the budget remains at the level of 85-90%. In the UK, where the Unified State Exam system has long been introduced and higher education is generally paid, 35-40% of study places in universities are funded from the budget, and people from low-income families have the right to occupy them. During the study period, the student has the right to receive a social loan, the repayment of which begins a few years after graduation and only if the salary reaches 20 thousand pounds (about 30 thousand dollars) per year, and for people from low-income families, social the loan is established in a larger volume. Thus, in many countries of the world the results of the Unified State Exam are linked to the right to receive higher education, but nowhere are they related to the right to receive it on a paid or free basis [4].

Foreign educational policy in this matter as a whole goes in line with the democratic trend, and Russian goes in line with the elite. In the west countries, the desire to give higher education to wide sections of the population is connected with the trends of modern economic development, the transition to the information society. One of the necessary conditions for the functioning of such a society is the predominance of specialists with higher education and scientists (60-90%). Obviously, to achieve such indicators, it is necessary to give higher education not only to social groups forming the upper and middle classes, but also to a significant part of the lower class. It is no coincidence that Japan and a number of other countries raised the question of public higher education. Otherwise, the country risks forever remaining the world periphery.

Throughout the 20th century, countries of the world, regardless of their socio-political structure, provide compulsory universal education, at least primary education, for free, often fixing it in constitutions as one of the fundamental civil rights.

In recent decades, the role of education has been constantly growing in ensuring sustainable socio-economic development of the state, increasing its competitiveness, strengthening its position in the world market and in the world economic community. In the modern world, the principles of the world economy are determined by such countries as the USA, Japan, Germany. The monopoly of these states in the geopolitical space depends on their economic level, which is directly related to the level of development of education. World experience shows that the normal functioning and development of the education system is possible when 5-7% of the gross domestic product is allocated to it, taking into account the specific conditions and traditions of each state [5].

The quality of education and the competitive ability of the economy are interdependent. Without solving the problems of improving the quality of domestic education, we cannot count on the steady growth of the competitive strength of the domestic economy. The rich natural raw materials and the favorable geographical position of the country are considered by economists to be an important starting capital. However, the decisive factor that determines the country's place in the future is education. It is the development of education that should be the foundation that will become the anchor of the future economic prosperity of Russia.

In terms of development of science, technology, and education, Russia confidently occupied leading positions in the world, but in recent years the situation has changed. The scientific and technical potential of the country still allows it to claim the role of world leader in 15-20 areas of development of macrotechnologies, which determine the potential of developed countries [6]. For a country like Russia, which has colossal intellectual, natural, and financial resources, this is clearly not enough. It is necessary to return to the leadership position. But to solve this ambitious task, it is necessary to ensure the rapid development of education.

Education provides a reliable foundation for the development of science, promotes the development of production and creates the conditions for changing the structure of the economy, increasing the share of knowledgeintensive industries in it. Therefore, the modern economy is called the knowledge-based economy [7].

Over the past decade, funding for education has not increased, and less and less money has been invested in schoolchildren. We are still a very educated nation – but largely due to the percentage of higher education among older generations, and among young people the proportion of people with higher education in many developed countries is already much higher.

In order to be competitive, we must change the financing of education. Annoying losses at the Olympics are nothing compared to losing in the competition in the harsh globalized world. The cost of education, primarily school, is the most reliable and effective investment in the future of the country.

The development of the educational system will provide opportunities for a new technological breakthrough and increase living standards. Otherwise, Russia could forever turn into a low-productivity economy and a country with a low standard of living.