Lessons on ‘spirituality’ to be taught in Russian schools from 2026
Lessons on ‘spirituality’ to be taught in Russian schools from 2026
03.06.2025
Article published on the moscowtimes.ru website
According to TASS, the Russian Government will introduce a new propogandist school subject “The Spiritual and Moral Culture of Russia” from 1 September next year. “This world outlook course” will be mandatory for fifth to seventh grade pupils and involve a revision of the main school curriculum”, said Alexey Lubkov, Rector of the Moscow State Pedagogical University (MSPU).
Children will be told about the life and exploits of Russian heroes, instilling in them “the spiritual and moral values of Russian civilisation”. “Our aim is to ensure that these figures are interesting and of relevance to the students’ age group, rather than harking back to the ideals and characters from a bygone era”, said Lubkov.
Grade 5 pupils will receive 17 hours of study in this new subject and 34 for those in Grades 6 and 7. Textbooks are being developed by the MSPU and Metropolitan Tikhon (Shevkunov) of Simferopol and Crimea, a Russian Orthodox Church bishop, and should be ready by November.
According to MSPU’s rector, the authors of the course are also working on the creation of a video guide, which, in his view, will make the course interesting for schoolchildren.
Patriarch Kirill, Head of the Russian Orthodox Church, is overseeing the introduction of the religious propagandist course in Russian schools. In January, he insisted that the course be made compulsory.
The topic has been mandatory for Grade 5-9 pupils since 2015. However, it did not become a specific course but was taught to pupils as an optional class as part of the school curriculum.
