Public education policy towards people of the «third age»: problems and contradictions[Государственная Образовательная Политика В Отношении Людей «Третьего Возраста»: Проблемы И Противоречия]

Purpose. Analysis of opportunities, problems and contradictions inherent in the Russian legal documents for the enforcement of the right to education by citizens of the «third age». Results. Based on the analysis, it is concluded that the existing regulatory framework (both Federal and regional) does not contribute to the development of education of persons of the «third age», and the policy pursued by the state towards people of pre-retirement and retirement age, is rather declarative. It is 1) not specified in qualitative (and sometimes quantitative) indicators: by types and forms of training; 2) narrowed to the training of specific competence (computer literacy); 3) focused on the use of distance learning technologies; 4) is not fully focused on citizens of the «third age» as a subject of educational policy. The study notes that the narrowing of the educational component for citizens of the «third age» to the training of specific competence (computer literacy) leads to the lack of desire of the regional authorities to deal with the education of people of the «third age» in a broader sense. In addition, the focus of both Federal and regional authorities to minimize the cost of education (including citizens of the «third age») leads to the choice of less expensive (but not more effective) forms and methods of education. Emphasis on distance learning technologies may have a right to exist, but, in our opinion, it should not be the only one (dominant). Scientific novelty. Scientific novelty lies in the study of opportunities, challenges and contradictions inherent in the current national educational policy towards people of the «third age» as a measure of development of their human capital in the mainstream to overcome the problems of population ageing in the Russian Federation and the ongoing pension reform.