Whose Children? Extracurricular Education in the Countries of the Former Soviet Union

Abstract

The system of extracurricular education in the Soviet Union had a high level of institutional development and sustainability, which ensured universal coverage of children with extracurricular activities and their accessibility. After the collapse of the USSR, the former Soviet republics built extracurricular education sectors based on Soviet heritage and the search for national identity in the organization of extracurricular time for children and their upbringing. This study compares the current state of extracurricular education sectors in all 15 countries of the former Soviet Union. The results of the analysis of models of their institutional transformation, which leads to meaningful and systemic changes in the state’s and society’s attitude to children’s extracurricular time, are presented.