OREANDA-NEWS. October 03, 2014. The Expert Council at the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS Russia) for developing competition in education had a meeting.

Attendees included representatives of interested executive bodies, the Department of the Government of the Russian Federation for establishing the “Open Government” system, Moscow Department of Education, as well as rectors of state and private universities, principals of public and private schools, representatives of commercial and no-government organizations.

The agenda included proposals for developing competition on the market of educational services, devised to execute the List of instructions of Prime-Minister Medvedev, upon the outcome of the meeting with members of the Expert Council at the Government of the Russian Federation on developing business climate and competition in the Russian Federation on 23rd June 2014.

The Head of FAS Department for Control over Social Sphere and Trade, Timophei Nizhegorodtev, informed participants about FAS proposals to develop competition in education in 2015-2016.

In particular, the Antimonopoly Service proposes to make changes to the Law “On Education in the Russian Federation”, that require to maintain purpose-made buildings used for educational services. “Facts of sale and resale of pre-school and school education buildings and transferring the buildings of educational organizations for commercial lease”, pointed out Timophei Nizhegorodtev.

This measure is designed to facilitate targeted use of buildings constructed by the state, reducing shortage of educational services provided to the population, particularly, by expanding participation of private sector.

The issue of unequal standards for financing public and private schools remains pressing. Clause 6 Part 1 Article 8 of the Federal Law “On Education in the Russian Federation” came into force on 1st January 2014: the educational authorities of the constituent territories of the Russian must ensure equal financing of education in public and private educational organizations.

Today, however, many regions have two standards of financing the state service for rendering primary general, main general, secondary (full) general education: for public and private schools. According to the participants, it creates discriminatory conditions with regard to private general educational organizations.

The Expert Council discussed discrimination of teachers in private educational organizations located in rural settlements, industrial communities (urban villages), that are deprived of the right to obtain compensation for utilities expenses, as well as the mechanisms of protecting students when organizations of secondary and higher education terminate their activities.

To refine the discussed measures towards developing competition on the market of educational services and forwarding them to the Ministry of Education to be submitted to the Government of the Russian Federation, participants were asked to forward their proposals and comments to FAS.