Лекция: Computerization in Russia

Computerization is a process of development and implementation of computers providing automatisation of information processes in different spheres of human activity.

The computerization of the Russian society is a dynamic, complex, goal-directed, innovative process of the creation, dissemination, and use of information and communication technologies [ICT]. This process entails a transition to a qualitatively new and different state of society, the emergence of new group communities and a revision of traditional or obsolete premises and norms. Among groups of people who take part in a process of innovation it is reasonable to single out main groups (those that are directly or regularly involved in the process) and peripheral groups (rare consumers or users of the results of the adoption of innovations). The schoolteacher intelligentsia of Russia (people who teach in general education schools) represents one of the main groups involved in computerization.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with the finalists and organizers of the contest «The Teacher of the Year in Russia» that it was high time all schools were provided with computers and connected to the Internet, with no exceptions made. In the president's words, all rural schools have already been computerized, and what remains to be done is to provide urban schools with computers too. Although it will cost quite a sum, it is necessary, Mr Putin pointed out, and the Education and Communications Ministries are already engaged in this issue.

Speaking about the problem of schools teaching a small number of pupils, the president said they are a heavy burden both for the regions and the federal government, as it is expensive to keep these schools, while the quality of teaching is low. «Preserving such schools is sometimes necessary, but in other cases bigger schools should be established,» Mr Putin noted, adding that the issue is in the constant focus of the regional authorities' attention.

As for the prestige of being a teacher, the president pointed out the need for such conditions under which the profession would attract personnel. «More attention should be paid to state-of-the-art methods of teaching,» Vladimir Putin emphasized.

The American research company Pew Global Attitudes Project has published its findings on the condition of large information technology markets. A considerable amount of its account is devoted to Russia, which is in second place in the world after Great Britain for growth in the number of PC users (more than 5 percent per year), and overtaken several countries in the development of its IT infrastructure. The company's analysts attribute this development to the rapid growth of the Russian-language Internet, the high level of education in the country and growing personal incomes.
Pew Global studied the attitudes of people in 50 countries to information technology and estimated the number of PC and Internet users along with their ages and sex, comparing their findings with data from 2002. Russia has become one of the world leaders in growth of PC use, with 16 percent growth in those years. Personal computers are habitually used by 35 percent of Russians, that is, almost 50 million people. Great Britain's indicator grew by 17 percent, and Russia shares second place with Turkey. Other developed countries had very low indicators. For instance, Canada showed 4 percent, the United States 2 percent and France 1 percent. India, which has a rapidly growing IT infrastructure showed 15 percent.
On the Russian IT market, they note that Russia experienced the greatest growth in this field in the last year. According to research done by J'Son & Partners, the number of PCs in Russia increased by 20 percent last year and the number of Internet users reached 10.3 million. Russian analysts expect the rate of growth in computer use in Russia to continue to increase and even say that Pew's findings are pessimistic. They say the growth in PC users will be 25 percent this year and that Russia is one of the few countries where that rate of growth has been seen steadily for several years.