Written by Uilson Jones
The power of education is often repeated time and time again, turning it into a rather dry bit of cliché. However, the phraseology of just how crucial the educational system is, must not be looked at with boredom nor disdain. Rivera Sun, author and advocate for social justice, states that: “Whoever educates children controls the future”, and that “if we want a democratic future, we must plant the seeds in our little dandelions nationwide and ensure that our education is governed of, by, and for the people” (Sun, 2013). This often-repeated notion appears prescient not only in the centuries before our time, but also the point of time we found ourselves in currently – perhaps even more so. The current article aims to produce an overview and analysis of the Russian educational system, particularly after Russia’s full-scale incursion into Ukraine in 2022. This would therefore include the changes made to the educational system and its devastating implications for Russia’s youth, and by extension its future. The following is an attempt to break down the fundamental restructuring of schooling and as such the content of lessons, mandatory activities and extracurriculars involving school-age children.
Patriotic Education
Beginning on the 5th of September 2022, the Russian government imposed a series of major alterations for the ways in which Russian children are taught. The Russian government came out with a website known as ‘Conversations about the Important’ (Разговоры о Важном, n.d.). This website is being used as a portal for schoolteachers that outlines a strict curriculum to be followed when instructing a weekly class for pupils of all ages, ranging from that of first grade to the very end of secondary school. Far from a candid recommendation provided by the Russian government, this website acts as a comprehensive tool for teachers, with prepared presentations, instructions on what to say to children in the class, behaviour and conduct, amongst others. Schoolteachers are expected to abide by this curriculum and have no real agency to act otherwise. Every Monday, the first class each grade has is this carefully constructed propaganda lesson – Conversations about the Important. Rather than being purely optional, its is mandatory and covers a wide variety of topics from Russian history and current events which paint the picture in the way that Putin’s dictatorship craves. As an example, let us take an excerpt from a file dedicated to the class on the 7th of November 2022 in the name of the Day of National Unity. Filtering for grades 5-7, one can stumble upon this piece of text:
The excerpt is translated as follows:
Conversation
Teacher: Children! Quite recently we talked with you about the important role of a father in the family and raising children, about traditional Russian values, which are crucial to safeguard and pass onto the next generations. We came to the conclusion, that family – is the most important thing in the life of every person, it is support and support [опора и поддержка are synonyms for support in the Russian language], it is love and understanding. The citizens of a government are also one big UNITED family. And we – citizens of Russia – are a big family, in which we need to support and take care of one another. We have a governmental holiday, symbolizing our community cohesion – The Day of National Unity. It is as important now as ever, given that in the last years according to will of the people of the Russian Federation, five new territories entered: Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts.
For this reason, the theme of our lesson is: “We – are one country!” [Author’s emphasis]
[Translated by Author]
In case this is seen as a one-off let us observe a few stanzas of a poem to be taught to Russian schoolchildren for grades three and above. This lesson was titled: Our Country – Russia.
Translation:
Teacher: We know that the wisdom of the people is reflected in its proverbs and sayings. Let us remember the proverbs about the motherland and the love towards it.
A person without the motherland, is but a nightingale without a song.
Don’t spare your strength nor life, for the motherland.
There are many different countries, but there is one motherland.
There is nothing in the world that is better, than our motherland.
You cannot change your motherland for anything.
Everyone loves their motherland.
The happiness of the motherland is worth more than life.
We will stand like a mountain for our native land.
For the motherland, it is not scary to die.
Love the motherland – Serve the motherland. [Author’s emphasis]
[Translated by Author]
These two excerpts reveal the severe propagandization evident in the Russian educational system. Not only are Russian children being force-fed Kremlin’s dogma about its current war in Ukraine, but there also appears to be a sharp increase of ultranationalist messaging and militarism within schools, where arms are observed to be side by side with textbooks (Institute of Mass Information, 2023). Having taken these excerpts as a starting point, one must look at other exercises that Russian students have no choice but to take part in. After which, it is necessary to analyse the causes and effects of such a policy on Russia, as well as its future generation.
Propagandizing School Life
In addition to these official changes made to the educational curriculum, there have been other unofficial ongoing developments to Russian schools. The sharp rise of Putin’s cult of personality has been observed to radically alter the lives of students, and school staff. To name but one example of how this changed the landscape, we can look at what a school day was like on the day of Putin’s birthday. Across various regions of Russia, students (oftentimes of very young age) were forced to send their leader birthday wishes (The Moscow Times, 2024). In a school in the Rostov region, children were told to kneel in the form of Putin’s name, stating that “we’re proud that the best president in the world rules over our country” (The Moscow Times, 2024).
Amnesty International (2023) has designated Russia’s new history textbooks as propaganda aimed at indoctrinating the next generations, not only in Russia, but also the temporarily occupied territories in Ukraine. These textbooks preach a dangerous form of alternate history. The editors and authors have peddled Kremlinite propaganda, and thus align the story to fit the dominant narrative in Russia. A reality in which Russia invaded a sovereign neighbour, butchering and terrorizing its population and occupying its territories suddenly evaporates. Replacing it is a faux reality, regurgitating that Russia is simply defending itself and going so far as to claim that the decision to live under occupied territories was the ‘will of the people’. The erasure of history is proceeding with a reinvigorated pace. Understanding these developments is of crucial importance, yet even more so is fighting back against the tide of reactionary ideas.
Reference List
Amnesty International. (2023). Ukraine/Russia: New history textbook is a blatant attempt to unlawfylly indoctrinate schoolchildren in Russia and Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2023/09/ukraine-russia-new-history-textbook-is-a-blatant-attempt-to-unlawfully-indoctrinate-school-children-in-russia-and-russian-occupied-ukrainian-territories/.
Institute of Mass Information. (2023). Guns and textbooks side by side: The Russian policy of militarizing children as violation of human rights. https://imi.org.ua/en/monitorings/guns-and-textbooks-side-by-side-the-russian-policy-of-militarizing-children-as-violation-of-i51954.
Pазговоры о Bажном [Conversations about the Important]. (n.d.). https://razgovor.edsoo.ru/.
Sun, R. (2013). The Dandelion Insurrection: Love and Revolution. Rising Sun Press Works.
The Moscow Times. (2024). Russian schoolchildren forced to send Putin birthday wishes on-camera. https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/10/07/russian-schoolchildren-forced-to-send-putin-birthday-wishes-on-camera-a86597.
Cover Image from Meduza
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