In Russia, schoolchildren are being directed en masse to colleges and vocational schools due to a labor shortage at factories
Russian schools have begun to significantly complicate the transition for students from 9th grade to high school, forcing more and more teenagers to choose to study at community colleges and technical schools. This trend has intensified following Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s demand to address the acute labor shortage at industrial enterprises.
According to parents of schoolchildren, many schools now admit only students with high academic performance to the upper grades.
It is not uncommon for three to five students to compete for a single spot in 10th grade, and admission requirements have become significantly stricter.
One mother of a Moscow student explained that students must meet several criteria at once to continue their education.
“The average grade on the diploma must be 4.5, and the Unified State Exam (USE) scores must be no lower than a 5. The only exception is for Russian language—a 4 is allowed there. Participation in academic competitions is also mandatory,” she noted.
Another interviewee reported that the school administration had effectively forced the family to make a choice: either retake the exams in the fall or enroll in college immediately.
“Currently, there are no ‘3s’ on the report card, and two ‘4s’ were received on the ODE, but the anxiety remains nonetheless. I believe that everyone who wants to should have the opportunity to study in the tenth grade,” the woman emphasized.
The tightening of high school admission requirements coincided with public statements by Russian authorities about a labor shortage in industry.
Due to mobilization, casualties in the war against Ukraine, and demographic challenges, Russian enterprises are facing a severe shortage of workers. That is precisely why the authorities are increasingly encouraging young people to choose vocational education instead of attending high school and subsequently enrolling in universities.
In effect, this is a policy aimed at directing ninth-grade graduates en masse into the vocational education system in order to more quickly replenish the labor market with workers for factories and the defense-industrial complex.
This is reported by Russian parents who are complaining about the new rules for admission to 10th grade.
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