The city of Vologda has introduced regular patriotic lessons for preschoolers, becoming the very first in Russia to formally incorporate the wartime program into kindergarten curriculums, the investigative outlet Agentstvo reported Tuesday.The lessons, called Important Conversations, were initially presented in schools in 2022 following the full-blown invasion of Ukraine.
President Vladimir Putin prompted teachers last year to broaden the program to kindergartens to promote patriotic values among more youthful children.According to Agentstvo, more than 70 kindergartens in Vologda started the lessons on Monday.
Some institutions supposedly dressed children in military uniforms, dispersed toy weapons and simulated battlefield wounds by bandaging children.The Vologda mayors office stated the lessons aim to teach children about Soviet achievements throughout World War II.
They will be held every Monday and conclude before May 9, Russias Victory Day honoring the Soviet Unions triumph over Nazi Germany.Agentstvo noted that a Vologda kindergarten instructor initially proposed the concept of introducing Important Conversations for young children during a meeting with Putin in October, a recommendation he invited.
While a minimum of 100 kindergartens across the country held comparable lessons on a trial basis in 2015, Vologda is the very first city to make them a formal part of the curriculum.Russias Education Ministry is set to report to Putin on the expediency of executing Important Conversations for young children throughout the country by March 1.
The program, criticized by some as a tool of indoctrination, is part of a wider federal government effort to bolster patriotic belief in the middle of the continuous war in Ukraine.