Russian Educational Legislation

The two milestones of educational legislation in Russia are Law on Education, 1992, and The Federal Law on Higher and Postgraduate Professional Education, 1996. Both are being constantly amended up to the present day and require complex revising.

The legal provisions are complemented by subordinate legislation comprising of more than 1500 Government decrees, Ministry of Education and Science orders and letters, as well as those of other executive bodies. Moreover the federal legal and by-law provisions may be extended save contradictions to the specifics of a certain region by issuing a regional law on education. Therefore each of the eighty-three federal subjects (republics, territories, autonomous regions and federal cities Moscow and St. Petersburg) has outlined its own sub-system of education under both federal and regional legislation.

While elaborating regional educational legislation federal subjects must not exceed their legal competence outlined by the Law on Education articles 3.3. and 29, and by the Federal Law on the General Principles of Organization of the Federal Subjects Legislative and Executive Bodies article 26.3.2, and must not interfere into the legal scope of functions directly imposed on the federal authorities, as well as narrow nation-wide guaranteed rights.

Local authorities, both urban and rural, issue local regulations in order to provide pay-free compulsory general education for each resident child aged 6 to 18 years, as well as free nursery and kindergarten service and summer vacation activities.

Russian legal system, unlike those of common law, does not recognize judicial authority, therefore court decisions may be used as examples of collision resolving but not as a legal source. Constitutional Court of Russia is the only judicial body empowered to invalidate legal provisions reported contradictory to the Constitution, thus having a certain impact on the legal system.

See also:

Current school reform initiatives.

Basic principles and approaches of education in Russia

Principles of Russian educational policy