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- Parental control: children in family education will have to annually confirm their knowledge
Parental control: children in family education will have to annually confirm their knowledge
Students receiving general education in the family education format will have to take annual assessments to confirm their knowledge. The bill providing for this has already been supported by the Government. The need for stricter quality control of such education has matured due to its growing popularity, experts say. Over the past five years, the number of children in family education has increased almost 10 times — from 10,000 to 86,000 people. At the same time, an individual approach to study not only has advantages in the form of flexibility and the opportunity to study specialized disciplines in depth, but also carries certain risks. Whether the mandatory intermediate certification will improve the quality of knowledge provided by family education is discussed in the Izvestia article.
Take into account
In Russia, control over the quality of education received by children in family education will be tightened. To confirm their knowledge, students will have to take an interim assessment every year. The draft of the relevant federal law was supported by the Commission of the Government of the Russian Federation on legislative activity. The initiative provides for changes to the federal law on education.
This approach is also supported by the Russian Ministry of Education. The department believes that the lack of regular checks on students' knowledge can seriously harm their learning. This includes violating the child's right to pass the state final assessment (GIA) and leading to unsatisfactory results.
The Ministry's response to the draft law notes that many parents whose children are in family education do not consider intermediate certification mandatory and independently decide on its passage by the child. However, without an annual knowledge test, passing the GIA in the ninth grade becomes a serious stress for both the student and his parents.
The Ministry of Education is convinced that the annual interim assessment will help families to check their hours with the educational standard and receive timely feedback so that by the time of the exams the child would be calm and possess all the knowledge necessary for successful completion of the OGE and USE.
In an interview with Izvestia, the Ministry of Education reported that not all families who have chosen this form of education have the necessary resources to ensure a full-fledged educational process.
"Drawing up a curriculum and building a child's educational trajectory independently by the parents (legal representatives) of students can cause difficulties for those parents who do not have a pedagogical education and do not have relevant experience," the ministry's press service explained.
The department pointed out that the analysis of exam results among graduates who are in family education demonstrates a number of alarming trends. In particular, there is a high percentage of students in some subjects who have not passed the minimum threshold, which indicates an insufficient level of education.
—Also, in the context of family education, there are no mechanisms for inculcating traditional Russian spiritual and moral values on a permanent basis, such as patriotism, citizenship, service to the Fatherland, a strong family, creative work, historical memory and generational continuity," the Ministry of Education emphasized.
The Ministry is also concerned about the issue of socialization of children in family education. The lack of regular interaction with peers and teachers can negatively affect socialization, the formation of communication skills, the ability to work in a team and adapt to social conditions, the department warned.
The legislative Assembly of the Bryansk region proposed to introduce mandatory intermediate certification for children in family education. Justifying the need for changes in the law on education, the deputies emphasized that now the regulations only provide for the right of such students to take tests and exams at school. However, this right is exercised "at the sole discretion" of parents, which, according to parliamentarians, often causes "significant harm to the legitimate interests of children, the scale of which is difficult to overestimate."
Growing popularity
Family education in Russia is an alternative form of general education, involving the development of a standard school curriculum. It is often confused with home schooling, which also assumes that the child does not attend school. The only difference is that in the first case, parents are responsible for the quality of education, and in the second case, teachers of the educational organization of which the child is officially a student.
The conditions for the transition to family education are not regulated by law. It is possible to refuse to attend school without health problems and conflicts with peers — the child's desire to study at home and the parents' willingness to take responsibility for the result are enough. The connection with the school (public or private) is maintained only for passing intermediate and final attestations.
A student who fails to confirm the completeness of the knowledge gained at home on the exam may be forcibly returned to full-time school. A failed certification serves as a signal to lawmakers that parents are unable to cope with their child's independent education. Therefore, it will be impossible to refuse to attend school in this case.
Over the past five years, the number of children in family education has increased almost 10 times, said Alexander Tolmachev, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Youth Policy. In 2020, there were about 10 thousand such students. In the 2025/2026 academic year, according to the Ministry of Education, more than 86 thousand people chose family education in Russia.
Every year, the number of children receiving family education increases by about 15-17%, adds Professor Igor Murog, a member of the Federation Council Committee on Science, Education and Culture. The reasons for this choice, according to him, are diverse.
"Parents strive to adapt the learning process to the personal interests and pace of the child, reduce the stress level associated with collective learning, and create comfortable conditions for children with special needs or high extracurricular activities, such as young athletes or musicians," explains the senator.
The family education format attracts parents with a more flexible approach to organizing a student's day, which is sometimes required by life circumstances, Tolmachev confirms.
This approach, according to Murog, makes it possible to flexibly plan school time, study specialized disciplines in depth and form a child's independence.
"But it requires a high degree of self—organization and responsibility from parents and the student himself, and may also entail additional costs for educational services and online courses," the parliamentarian warns.
In light of this, the introduction of mandatory certification is a logical and correct step, experts say. The higher the demand for a particular educational format becomes, the more careful should be the control over the quality of knowledge that it provides, Tolmachev is convinced.
Not everyone can
Irina Abankina, Professor at the HSE Institute of Education, also supports mandatory intermediate attestations for students in family education. Today, such a format of education is a zone of special attention, since it carries a certain threat of disadvantage, she warns.
There are parents who choose this option themselves, because an individual approach allows children to overtake the school curriculum and combine their studies with additional education. However, there are situations when schools that could not cope with difficult students push parents to take the child to family education, the expert points out the problem.
— That's why there are two zones in family education today. The first one includes really trained talented guys for whom such a strategy is effective. As a result, they have no problems with the final assessment. However, among the children in family education, there are those who could not cope with the educational program in schools. And in this case, the attention of the state is very important," the Izvestia interlocutor emphasizes.
And attention really should be paid not only to the final, but also to the intermediate certification, Abankina is convinced. This will help prevent negative scenarios that may arise in family education.
Building trust
The introduction of mandatory annual intermediate certification for children receiving family education may well become an additional factor encouraging some parents to consider returning a child to a traditional school, Igor Murog does not exclude.
— Regular knowledge testing ensures the transparency of the educational process and allows you to objectively monitor the level of program development outside the school. For those who chose family education in order to minimize external control, the new requirements may prove to be a weighty argument in favor of school education, the parliamentarian believes.
However, the decision on the most appropriate training format is made by each family individually, recalls Alexander Tolmachev. It all depends on the needs of a particular student.
For families who consciously chose family education for the sake of an individual approach, flexible schedule or for medical reasons, mandatory certification will not be a significant obstacle, Murog is sure.
"On the contrary, it will make it possible to identify and eliminate possible knowledge gaps in a timely manner, which will strengthen confidence in the family form of education and even improve its quality," the senator emphasizes.
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