Russia’s schools becoming increasingly militarized, children in nursery grade don uniforms: Report
Sep 24, 2023
Moscow [Russia], September 25 : Militarization of Russia's public schools has intensified since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In schools across the country, service in the armed forces is being glorified, reported CNN
Playgrounds in schools are becoming parade grounds. At schools from the Pacific to the Black Sea, children in nursery grade don uniforms and take part in marching practice. Older kids are being taught how to dig trenches, throw grenades and shoot with real ammunition.
Service in the armed forces is being glorified in schools across the country. “Voluntary companies” of teenagers are being formed and the national curriculum is being changed to emphasize the defence of the motherland. Russia’s children are in short being prepared for war.
The militarization of Russia’s public schools is driven not by a spontaneous surge of patriotic feeling, but by the government in Moscow, as per CNN.
Russian President Vladimir Putin in August signed a law introducing a new mandatory course in schools, “Fundamentals of Security and Defense of the Motherland”.
The Education Ministry subsequently promoted courses as part of this initiative to include excursions to military units, “military-sports games, meetings with military personnel and veterans,” and classes on drones, as per CNN.
High school students would also be taught to use live ammunition “under the guidance of experienced military unit officers or instructors exclusively at the firing line,” according to the ministry.
The program, which is currently being tested, will be introduced in 2024. It was designed to instill in the students “an understanding and acceptance of the aesthetics of military uniforms, military rituals and combat traditions,” according to an Education Ministry document uncovered by the Russian independent media outlet Important Stories.
