Education as a political technology. Review of the book «Rossiiskaya sistema obrazovaniya segodnya: Reshayushchii faktor razvitiya ili put’ v bezdnu? Obrazovanie kak politicheskaya tekhnologiya»

The book considers the possibility of using education reform as a political technology to solve the problems of Russia’s development. The liberal education reform implemented in Moscow over the past 10 years has been analyzed in detail and sharply criticized. The concept of epistemic violence of the first and second types is introduced – as a compulsion to serious study and as a manifestation of bureaucratic perversions. In fact, the author substantiates the mobilization model of education development, but without using this concept.The research methodology is modern, based on the idea of activity as the only source of knowledge, but there is a tendency to narrow the applied approach only to project activities. The author justifies the need to fight for such an understanding of the past that contributes to the successful and independent development of the country, but some historical assessments are very controversial. A narrow political interpretation of history is unacceptable for a country that is preparing for a breakthrough that will require maximum consolidation of society. International comparisons are interesting, but not always instructive. The Finnishexperience does not suit us at all, since in the course of recent reforms this country has almost completely abandoned the teaching of basic Sciences in secondary schools. We need a big development idea for the country. This idea can be taken from the 30s: catch up and overtake! This is real just in the field of education.