Preschool Education System in Siberia: Performance Indicators and Living Standards of Educators

Abstract

The article is devoted to the development of the preschool education system and to the standard of living of pedagogical employees (as measured by the purchasing power of their salary). The problem is quite relevant for Russia, since being short of labor resources, the system needs additional female labor force. It is also true that the standard of living of pedagogical employees affects the quality of education. The Siberian Federal District was chosen because it plays an important role in the country’s economy, and the time period under research allows studying the latest trends in the development of the education system. The number of preschool institutions has been decreasing and depends mostly on the political will, while coverage of children by preschool education has been growing and depends on the birth rate and labor demand. This leads to on increased group size in kindergartens, which is negatively perceived by parents. The living standard of teachers is low and continues to decline, although in the Siberian Federal District it is higher than the national average.