A kindergarten in Russia’s southwestern Kursk region. Photo: 7x7 Horizontal Russia
Russia’s Education Ministry is to roll out the Important Conversations propaganda programme, which is already mandatory in Russian schools, in kindergartens in 22 regions of Russia and Russian-occupied Ukraine from September, state-affiliated business daily Vedomosti reported on Tuesday.
The classes, which are designed to instil patriotic sentiment in kindergarten-age children, will be held for a year in the selected regions, after which the ministry will decide whether or not to introduce the Important Conversations programme to Russian kindergartens nationwide.
Children aged 3–7 years old who take the class will be expected to discuss topics such as “the importance of family and friendship”, “the development of moral qualities”, and “respect for the culture of Russia and love for the Motherland.”
Education Minister Sergey Kravtsov said that the lessons would be age appropriate and that classes would be interactive and include games and creative activities. The Russian-occupied Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia are among those that will roll out the Important Conversations programme next month.
Though typically aimed at school children, the Important Conversations propaganda programme has already been adapted by over 100 kindergartens that decided to launch an age-appropriate version of the scheme prior to this announcement, teaching preschoolers about “traditional values” and the War in Ukraine.
Some kindergartens have even gone as far as inviting veterans of the war in Ukraine to speak to preschoolers about their experiences. In October, Vladimir Putin urged Russian educators to introduce the Important Conversations programme into kindergartens, to boost “patriotism” and teach “traditional values”.
