SEver since the start of their officially labeled “special operations” war of aggression against Ukraine, Russia’s rulers have been working to transform society in the long term. While mass emigration and waves of repression against war opponents who remained in the country thinned out or silenced the European-minded cultural class, schools were obliged to educate the next generation to be unconditionally loyal to the state. Although Russia’s constitution states that there should be no state ideology, the head of the presidential administration for socio-political projects, Sergey Novikov, described the previous absence of such an ideology as a problem at an online meeting with class teachers last summer. As a result, an entire generation has allowed itself to be shaped by values from other parts of the world, such as the “collective West,” said Novikov, who encouraged educators not to shy away from the topic of ideology.
In order to inculcate “correct thinking” in pupils regarding the Ukraine war, the new school subject “Conversations about Important Things” was introduced last autumn. Lessons now start one hour earlier every Monday with additional lessons to be arranged by the class teacher. The schools received exemplary texts for this, such as a teacher’s lecture available to the FAZ about Ukraine, which reproduces state propaganda. According to this, the eastern parts of the country always belonged to Russia, but in Kyiv in 2014, as a result of a coup d’état, a fascist regime controlled by America took power that hated Russia and would have attacked it sooner or later. In addition, the Russian flag is hoisted on Mondays and the national anthem is sung together.
Forced therapy at the state family psychologist
In principle, attending the “Discussions about Important Things” is voluntary, but if students do not appear, their parents can be summoned by the school management or the youth welfare office. In Moscow, this happened to single-parent medical IT specialist Yelena Scholiker, whose ten-year-old daughter Varvara missed patriotism classes and math classes due to illness. Scholiker was summoned by the school management. During the conversation, two deputy directors, the director of studies and three social workers reproached her for preventing Warwara from attending the “discussions about important things”. The mother argued that if they missed something, she taught her children at home, so they always had good grades. She can rework the patriotism lesson online with them because it is recorded. However, the school administration did not accept this, as the children would have to experience the hoisting of the flag and the playing of the national anthem together in person. The management also took offense at a messenger avatar of the child, which indicated sympathy for Ukraine, as well as long-deleted chats that parents of another student had photographed and thus denounced Varvara to the management.
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