Education in digital society: A regional aspect

The article considers the features of the spatial distribution of educational and scientific organizations in Russia as an important component of digital society. Based on the extensive sociological and statistical data, the article explains the need to revise the existing approach to the organizational structure of the higher education system taking into account the “5-100” projects and the creation of supporting and federal universities aimed at strengthening the system of higher professional education in the regions. The authors analyze national programs, in particular the national projects “Education” and “Science”, in terms of the new approaches to their territorial organization. The article aims at analyzing the regional accessibility of the main levels of education, and defines as its indicator the educational services of all levels provided in the region. The article is based on the hypothesis that an increase in the spatial accessibility of basic levels of education makes an important contribution to sustainability and accelerates social development. The authors note that all adopted programs and relatively new structural elements of higher education imply an increase in budgetary funding. Given the size of this funding, the gap between regional systems grows and the inclusion of new participants (universities) in the circle of the strongest educational institutions becomes more problematic. Meanwhile, it is the system of higher education and related scientific organizations that is one of the main drivers of the regional development, which determines its human potential and place in the country’s economy.