"Orlyata Rossii" and military training: The Ministry of Education has sent out recommendations to schools on extracurricular activities.
The Russian Ministry of Education has sent new methodological recommendations to Russian regions on organizing extracurricular activities in schools. According to the document, approximately half of the allocated time will be devoted to ideological indoctrination of students and patriotic education.
Ideological programs for schoolchildren
In particular, one hour per week in all grades from 1st to 11th is still allocated to the "Conversations about Important Things" project. However, the ideological component doesn't stop there: additional courses have been introduced for different ages.
Additionally, students in grades 6–11 are scheduled to spend one hour per week on the "Russia – My Horizons" program. Therefore, in addition to career guidance, the course aims to foster Russian civic identity and reject any form of extremism.
For elementary school students, the "Eaglets of Russia" program (one hour in first grade and two hours in grades two through four) is based on the "Pioneers' Movement." Ultimately, the project aims to foster patriotism, respect for the law, and the memory of the defenders of the Fatherland.
Military training and the concept of historical education
The Concept of Historical Education (0,5 to 1 hour per week) is also introduced from 2nd to 11th grade. Specifically, it is based on the principles of "Russia-centricity," which presents the country as a separate state-civilization.
In addition, high school students undergo basic military training and training camps. Eighth-grade students are allocated 17 hours for these classes, and tenth-grade students 35 hours.
The remaining hours are divided between financial literacy, physical development, and support for science education. However, the total extracurricular load should not exceed 10 hours per week. Although these subjects are formally voluntary, skipping them leads to conflicts with school administration.
Record spending on propaganda
Consequently, against the backdrop of new school programs, the state is rapidly increasing financial investments in youth education. Specifically, 421 billion rubles have been allocated from the budget for the federal project "We Are Together" for 2025–2030 alone.
As a result, this amount is 20 times greater than the funding for the previous similar project and 455 times greater than the first state patriotic education program, launched back in 2001.
