Putin pushes for early education on Russian state values

The President of Russia held a press conference and met with the finalists of the Teacher of the Year competition. He noted, "It's no coincidence that our nation has lasting expressions like 'absorbed something with mother's milk,'" as reported by the Moscow Times.

Putin assured that all fundamental values must be conveyed to the youngest carefully and should be associated with concepts like homeland and family, including mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, brother, or sister.

As reported by Russian media, Putin emphasized that "moderation must be maintained in everything." He explained, "These are children. They have a certain level of development. And on that basis, we need to work with them," even though Russian propaganda is rarely accused of moderation.

According to the Moscow Times, one of the competition finalists, Nadezhda Vorontsova, a kindergarten teacher from kindergarten No. 84 in Vologda, made such proposals. She called for starting "Conversations on Important Matters" with preschoolers as young as five. A year ago, propaganda lessons were already introduced in Russian schools.

The classes are held every Monday. They start with the raising of the flag and the playing of the national anthem. Students are taught about various topics, including the war in Ukraine, the annexation of Crimea, Russia's role in the world and its "allies," the benefits of paying taxes, and the importance of government bodies, according to the "Moscow Times."

Although the classes are not part of the official educational program, attendance is required. Education Minister Sergey Kravtsov noted that the goal of these lessons is to instill spiritual and moral values in children, in line with the national security strategy. In a special survey, Russians responded that this subject is seen as useless.