Abstract
<jats:p>The paper explores the importance of refining strategic goals for educating the younger generation in Russia into tactical directions and objectives, setting benchmarks for development. It notes that both our country and the entire world are currently undergoing another process of ideological transformation, a shift in the spiritual and moral vector of further civilizational development. During such periods, clarity on the part of the state and society regarding specific goals and values, norms and principles of life, concepts of what is acceptable and what is contrary to general principles, and so forth, is particularly important. The effective development of society and each individual, the preservation of the people, and the very preservation of the state depend significantly on the clarity and consistency of value-based and goal-oriented life guidelines. These guidelines, in turn, are recognized by the education system and transformed into a set of goals and objectives for the education, upbringing, and socialization of the younger generation. The process of global transformations, affecting both aspects of society’s political and economic life and the state of public consciousness, cannot proceed without difficulties. Awareness of potential risks and an understanding of potential contradictions and difficulties allows us to envisage a system of strategic and tactical measures to prevent the threats they pose to social harmony, cultural identity, and the normal socialization of citizens. These risks, in turn, can arise for a variety of reasons. This article presents some of the causes of problems that may arise when different educational goals and values intersect. The first reason is a comparison between tolerance, which has been included in the value-based guidelines for social life and the functioning of the education system for at least thirty years, and the cultural sovereignty of Russia, adopted as a strategic guideline of state policy. The second reason discussed in the article concerns potential contradictions between the post-Soviet focus on developing students’ competitiveness in education, on the one hand, and the contemporary emphasis and objectification of the spiritual and moral outcomes of education. Finally, the article describes substantive and target-based guidelines for developing a system to prevent or overcome the problems discussed.</jats:p>