Return to the Soviet habits of the Marxism-Leninism lessons, updated to the current imperial-orthodox ideology. Activist: you have to watch the effects of war propaganda. Many families want to move to private education as a family.
Moscow () – Starting in September, with the reopening of schools, patriotism lessons called “Conversations about the most important things” will be compulsory in Russia, held every Monday after the solemn raising of the flag and possibly also other days, as cross-curricular content in all subjects, from kindergarten to university. It is a return to the Soviet custom of imparting lessons on Marxism-Leninism and anti-religious propaganda, updated to the imperial-orthodox ideology of the moment.
Many teachers look for some loophole to avoid the obligation of indoctrination. The president of the association for the rights of large families in the province of Perm -in the north of Russia-, Ljudmila Eltysheva (see photo), explains to Idel.Realii that “the legal culture for the defense of the interests of students in Russia is not completely regulated”, and so he decided, together with a few hundred parents, to organize a kind of “civil society institute”, a committee of parents of students whose collective opinion could help establish contact with prosecutors and public education agencies.
Eltysheva recently dealt with the case of a group of students at a school in Perm who were abused by a teacher who taped their mouths shut and tied their arms behind the chair. As a humanitarian activist, she has also dealt with social problems in the region, such as the increase in local transport prices and the provision of subsidies for the third and fourth child, organizing petitions through the Internet and receiving numerous reprimands from the authorities, but also achieving some successes.
Eltysheva says parents should take action if they see their children coming home from school sad and withdrawn, refusing to eat or sleeping poorly: “At the first signs of health consequences you have to intervene, find out what’s going on in the classroom with the teachers and their classmates, and defend the children before the situation deteriorates.” The activist warns that it is increasingly necessary to defend free education and health protection in schools, and reject charge the extraordinary fees that are often imposed by managers and teachers.
And at this time it is especially necessary to monitor the effects of war propaganda and, in general, class discussions about the military operation in Ukraine. Before the start of the summer holidays, there had already been numerous cases of conflicts between teachers and students, and also between students, who took opposing positions on this issue, even in primary school. This led to parodies of Hitler and Stalin and impromptu interventions by concerned parents, who sometimes risk being sued, fined and sentenced, and even deprived of parental rights. “Parents must be informed about the content of these patriotic lessons, and they have the right to intervene collectively to regulate them,” explains Ljudmila, “asking that these lessons be given with parental permission and always be optional.”
Even the obligation to wear military uniforms, which is spreading in many schools, should not be passively accepted. “What is happening in Ukraine cannot be compared to the 1941 war from any point of view, and the military attributes are definitely out of place, because they even convey the message that we are at war, when that is considered a form of discredit the actions of the Presidency and the Armed Forces,” the activist says cautiously. School uniforms are traditional in Russia, but they should not be used as an ideological tool.
Many families try to move to private family education, a possibility granted by law, but it is not easy to implement. In any case, you have to obtain a license from a school, even if it is far from the place of residence. In that case, collective action is also needed to help families not succumb to the internal war within the school that is being experienced in Russia.
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