A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Basic Education for All Looking for Shared Elements of Equality of Opportunity in Legislation of Finland and Russia
Authors: Riekkinen Mariya, Riekkinen Pekka
Publisher: Brill Nijhoff
Publication year: 2022
Journal: European Journal of Comparative Law and Governance
Journal name in source: European Journal of Comparative Law and Governance
Volume: 9
Issue: 4
First page : 409
Last page: 445
eISSN: 2213-4514
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/22134514-bja10040
Web address : https://brill.com/view/journals/ejcl/9/4/article-p409_004.xml
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.