Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
The couse is called “My Family” and will start in the first grade.
A new school initiative in Russia is set to begin this autumn, targeting the country’s youngest students.
Officials say the program will focus on values, family life and national identity, and according to Digi24, the extracurricular course introduced by Russia’s Ministry of Education is titled “My Family”
It will launch on September 1 for primary school pupils, starting in the first grade, where children will be taught to “love their compatriots and the Motherland.”
By second grade, lessons will introduce what officials describe as “traditional spiritual and moral” values.
Topics outlined include “Love for the Motherland,” “Historical Memory,” and “Strong Family,” ministry officials told Ria Novosti.
Focus on values
In third grade, the program shifts toward developing personal qualities shaped within the family. By fourth grade, attention turns to relationships between adults and children.
“The goal in the fourth grade is to prepare children for teenage life, so that they understand how important what they have is, to learn to value and preserve their family,” said textbook author Tatiana Polikarpova.
The ministry said classes will be held once a month and are not mandatory, with schools able to decide whether to adopt the course based on parental demand.
Wider context grows
The introduction follows an expansion of state-led messaging in schools after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as previously reported by multiple outlets.
Since September 2023, schools have hosted sessions titled “Discussions about Important Things,” where students are told about the war and meet participants involved in the conflict, including former prisoners and private military fighters.
Authorities say such programs aim to “instill in students love for their homeland, pride in their own country, and patriotism.”
Shift to homeschooling
Another course, “Knowing the Family,” has also been introduced as an extracurricular subject but is reportedly treated as compulsory in practice.
These weekly lessons, often scheduled late in the school day, encourage messages about duty to the state and large families.
Amid these developments, homeschooling has risen. Ministry data shows 14,300 students switched to home education in 2025, a 16.8% increase from the previous year, bringing the total to 99,400.
Sources: RIA Novosti, Russian Ministry of Education, DIgi24
