In the new school year, Russian schools will continue a course toward uniformity, ideological messaging, and tighter control. From September 1, standard weekly timetable templates are being introduced, while communication between teachers and parents and part of the учебный process is being shifted to the national messenger MAX.
According to Ostorozhno, Novosti, the transition will take place in two stages: by the start of the school year, the Sferum distance-learning platform is to move into MAX, and by November 1 all educational and information channels are to be transferred there. The app will host chats, online lessons, parent meetings, and staff communications. Parents and teachers have complained about the service’s poor usability and vulnerabilities.
“Some municipalities ... are ordering teachers to move all parent chats, work correspondence, and all document flow ... into this new service,” said Zulfiya Gaysina, head of Bashkortostan’s Human Rights Council.
In seven regions, conduct grades are being brought back. Schools will choose their own grading systems, while teachers are expected to assess discipline, “social activity,” and compliance with norms of interaction. The Teachers’ Union and many educators warn that the measure could deepen conflicts and become a tool for pressuring “inconvenient” students.
The curriculum is also changing. Social studies is being removed from 6th and 7th grades, and later reduced in 8th grade, with those hours replaced by local history. From 2026, some of the freed-up time will go to a new subject, “Spiritual and Moral Culture of Russia,” focused on family, service to the Fatherland, and faith. The history program is also being expanded with more material about the war.
The military component is growing outside regular classes as well: Moscow and St. Petersburg have launched a “Build a Drone” project, and three schools in Sverdlovsk region are piloting basic military training led by participants in the war in Ukraine. At the same time, payments to pregnant schoolgirls are in force in dozens of regions, drawing criticism even from some lawmakers and lawyers.