Basic Education for All

Abstract

We study how the principle of equal opportunity is reflected in national laws on implementing the right to free and compulsory basic education in Finland and Russia (those being the 1998 Basic Education Act in Finland and the 2012 Federal Law “On Education in the Russian Federation” in Russia). We pursue to find answers to the following question: which elements comprising the principle of equality of educational opportunity are manifested in two laws under review, notwithstanding the significant differences in legal traditions and the respective approaches to equality in two states under consideration. The accuracy of our analysis is based on the existing universal “four A’s scale” of education for all, set forth by the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, i.e., availability, acceptability, accessibility, and adaptability.