Teachers in Russia are being made to spy on their own students, with official documents directing educators to file reports and keep tabs on school children deemed 'disloyal' to Moscow.
As per a 2026/27 class outline for the mandatory 'Conversations about Important Matters' classes, now being taught in schools across Russia, pupils of all ages will partake in 'patriotism' lessons throughout the academic year.
Mandatory weekly lessons
The hour-long lessons, held each Monday, are designed to teach students "to form a value worldview in students based on the priority of spiritual and moral values, historical memory, generational continuity, active civic position, and readiness for creative labour for the good of the Motherland".
The classes are 'patriot lessons' designed to push a pro-Russia doctrine amongst its youth, with the classes originally cropping up on school curriculums back in 2022, following the Kremlin invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.
Reporting requirements
As per the Moscow Times, homeroom teachers must record any incidents regarding pupils who disagree with the lesson's "value orientations", while educators themselves must also file a self-reflection section with each report on how they handled any rebellious students.
While official documents from the Russian education department says that these post-lesson reviews are designed to help teachers evaluate the impact of the lessons and to help improve the course in years to come, human rights organisation Amnesty International has taken a rather different view.
Amnesty International's response
A spokesperson for Amnesty International said in an online statement that the 'Conversations about Important Matters' lessons are simply state "indoctrination" at a classroom level.
"Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russian authorities have used the education system as a tool for political indoctrination," the statement reads.
"Authorities are also using schools to identify and silence potential dissenters. Children are taught to avoid independent media and other sources of alternative information and opinion. School staff are instructed to monitor students' behaviour and record their opinions on political and other issues."
The statement added: "If a student is disloyal, teachers must report them to the police and security services, resulting in reprisals against them and their families."
Compulsory since 2023
These 'Conversations about Important Matters' classes, held each Monday in classrooms across the former Soviet nation, became a compulsory part of the school curriculum in 2023 on the basis of building patriotism amongst Russia's young people.
Lessons are also understood to have regularly featured Russian soldiers and mercenaries as guest speakers, invited into playgrounds to talk to small children about themes such as making "sacrifices for the nation".
Tuesday, September 1, was Knowledge Day in Russia which is essentially just day one of the new school year. It was on Tuesday - mere days ago - that students attended a school assembly in Siberia with a well-known Russian machine gunner appearing as guest speaker. According to Novaya Gazeta, he loosely quoted late nationalist politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky when speaking to the kids by telling them to study the workings of the Kalashnikov rifle if they "want the whole world [to speak] Russian".
He is understood to have made gestures synonymous with now-defunct mercenary militia the Wagner Group; who were a group of soldiers of fortune who acted as a shadow army for the Kremlin until 2023. He also wished the children a good first day back at school, before adding that "victory will be ours" in Russia's conflict with Ukraine.
