Following its Ukraine conflict, Russia has started blending military training and ideological teachings into its schools.
Future plans aim to deepen this approach by making combat skills and weapons use mandatory.
This pivot away from classic social sciences towards “traditional values” marks a significant change, as highlighted by the Holod outlet.
With the escalation of the conflict, Russia launched “Important Conversations” to align students with its National Security Strategy.
This broadened to include military basics in the “Fundamentals of Life Safety” course, covering everything from fire safety to the Kalashnikov’s mechanics.
Scheduled for September 2024, the “Fundamentals of Homeland Security and Defense” will further this agenda.
From fifth grade, students will learn military hardware and tactics, aiming to instill a sense of duty.
For older students, the curriculum extends to modern warfare techniques, emphasizing the state’s goal to bolster military readiness from a young age.
To enhance this curriculum, Russia plans to enlist veterans as instructors, using their battlefield experiences for educational benefit.
This initiative seeks to provide students with practical knowledge, supported by training centers designed for this purpose.
Moreover, the overhaul includes replacing conventional social studies with courses that promote a specific historical and moral viewpoint.
This reformation extends its impact to university admissions, incorporating ideological elements into the criteria.
These changes aim to weave state ideology and military readiness into Russia’s educational fabric, preparing the next generation to meet national security needs while promoting a revised view of history.