Echoes of the Past, Divergent Futures: Charting the Shifting Landscape of After-School Education in Post-Soviet Nations
In his 2025 study published in Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, Ivan Ivanov of IOE’s Pinsky Center of General and Extracurricular Education delves into the complex evolution of children's after-school activities across the vast expanse of the fifteen former Soviet republics. The research uncovers the multifaceted journeys these nations have embarked upon since the dissolution of a once-unified system, painting a vivid picture of continuity, divergence, and the persistent quest to shape young lives outside the formal classroom.
The Soviet Union once championed a model of extracurricular education built on the principles of universal access and comprehensive child development, aiming for broad enrolment and often intertwining activities with state ideology. This centralized system, designed to nurture talent and provide a structured environment, formed a common institutional bedrock. However, the Union's collapse in the early 1990s fractured this uniformity, setting each of the newly independent republics on its own distinct path of educational reform and institutional recalibration in the after-school sector.
Ivanov's research meticulously maps this new, varied terrain, seeking to understand the patterns of change and the unique institutional configurations that have emerged in the subsequent decades. To achieve this, the study employs Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA), a sophisticated method ideal for dissecting complex social phenomena across multiple cases. This analysis is grounded in a rich dataset comprising national statistics, key policy documents, and insightful expert interviews conducted with stakeholders—ranging from heads of national education centers to researchers and government advisors—in all fifteen post-Soviet nations.
From this comprehensive investigation, three primary "transformation scenarios" come to light, offering a framework to understand the diverse destinies of after-school education in the region: reproduction, modernisation, and degeneration. These categories describe the overarching tendencies in how the Soviet-era model has been adapted, preserved, or eroded, reflecting varying degrees of change, from minimal adjustments to profound restructuring of the sector.
The reproduction scenario identifies countries where the after-school sector has experienced relatively low levels of institutional transformation. In these instances, the echoes of the old guard are strong; significant state involvement often continues, and the core structures, philosophies, and even some of the content of extracurricular activities bear a clear resemblance to the Soviet past, indicating a more conservative approach to reform and a notable persistence of the inherited legacy.
Conversely, the modernisation drive signifies a more decisive break from the past, characterized by substantial restructuring and a proactive effort to align the after-school sector with contemporary national needs and global educational trends . Nations treading this path have often diversified funding, encouraged private sector participation, updated curricula, and strategically prioritized extracurricular education as a vital component of their broader educational and social policies, reflecting a clear intent to forge new frontiers.
The third pathway, degeneration, paints a more challenging picture where the after-school sector has faced significant setbacks. This could manifest as a contraction in the availability of services, reduced accessibility for children (particularly those in vulnerable situations), a weakening of the institutional framework, or an overall decline in the quality and scope of offerings. Such trends, often driven by economic constraints or shifting policy priorities, can lead to a diminished role for extracurricular education and frequently exacerbate inequalities in children's opportunities.
To objectively gauge the extent and nature of these transformations, the study utilizes a specially developed composite index. This index is built upon six critical parameters: the coverage of student participation in after-school programs; the accessibility of these programs to diverse student populations; the quality and availability of infrastructure and the provider network; the robustness and adaptability of the legislative framework governing the sector; the degree of strategic prioritisation given to extracurricular education in national policies; and the complexity of licensing and accreditation processes for program providers.
It is crucial to recognize that these transformations form a shifting mosaic; the identified scenarios are not static, and some countries may even transition between them over time, highlighting the dynamic and ongoing nature of institutional evolution in the post-Soviet space. The research underscores a fascinating interplay between "path dependency"—where historical legacies, like the Soviet model, continue to shape current trajectories—and the active agency of nations striving to implement reforms and respond to new social, economic, and political realities.
Ultimately, this study illuminates the profound human element at stake: the impact of these institutional shifts on equity, access, and inclusivity within children's after-school education. While the Soviet system proclaimed universal access, the post-Soviet era has seen the rise of new disparities—often linked to urban versus rural settings, family socio-economic status, and the increasing prevalence of paid services—which challenge the ideal of equal opportunities. Ivanov's work, supported by the Basic Research Program at HSE University, provides invaluable insights for understanding these evolving landscapes and for informing policies aimed at ensuring all children can benefit from enriching extracurricular experiences that are crucial for their holistic development.