Russia launches new school program with moral culture subject
As of September 1, we are switching to a unified set of history textbooks for grades 5 through 11 and for social studies for grades 9 and 10.
Consensus
- Starting in September 2026, fifth-grade students in Russian schools will transition to a new educational program.
- The new program includes the mandatory subject 'Spiritual and Moral Culture of the Russian Federation' for fifth graders.
- A pilot program for behavior assessment will be introduced for students in grades 2–8 in selected schools.
- Unified textbooks for history (grades 5–11) and social studies (grades 9–10) will be implemented starting September 2026.
- The 'Safety and Defense of the Motherland' subject will be split into two separate courses: 'Life Safety' and 'Initial Military Training'.
- The changes are intended to improve educational continuity and student adaptation to middle school.
Points of divergence
- The 'Spiritual and Moral Culture of Russia' subject will be introduced in the second half of the 2026/27 academic year for fifth graders, with 17 hours of instruction, and expanded to sixth and seventh grades in 2027/28 with 34 hours each. — vm
- The 'Spiritual and Moral Culture of Russia' will be introduced in the 2026/27 school year for fifth graders with 17 hours, and in 2027/28 for sixth and seventh grades with 34 hours. — vedomosti
- The new curriculum for fifth graders starts in September 2026 with the 'Spiritual and Moral Culture of Russia' course, lasting 17 hours annually. — kommerant
- The 'Russia — My Horizons' course will be mandatory for grades 6–11, with at least eight sessions dedicated to regional economy, leading enterprises, and in-demand professions. — vm
- Starting in November, students in grades 5–11 will begin an extracurricular course on 'Artificial Intelligence and Information Security'. — tg_government_rus
- The new educational standard for grades 5–9 is being developed, with a focus on clear learning outcomes and inter-subject connections. — m24
- The Federal State Educational Standard for grades 1–4 will be updated in 2027. — riamo
- The 'Spiritual and Moral Culture of Russia' is expected to succeed based on the teacher's personal engagement and ability to foster dialogue. — vm
- Behavior assessments will be based on discipline, social interaction, personal qualities, academic activity, and participation in 'Conversations on Important Topics' and 'Russia — My Horizons'. — kommerant
- The behavior assessment pilot was conducted in 89 schools during the 2025/26 academic year, leading to a three-tier system: 'exemplary', 'acceptable', and 'unacceptable'. — vedomosti
- The behavior assessment pilot will be tested in ten schools per region. — kommerant
- The 'Russia — My Horizons' program will include at least eight sessions focused on regional economy, leading enterprises, and popular professions. — vm
Coverage (13 sources)
- In Russia, the 11-year period of schooling will not be abolished — РИАМО
- Ministry of Education does not plan to change the duration of schooling in Russian schools — Вести
- How the educational program in schools was updated starting September-2026 — Вечерняя Москва
- Ministry of Education will update standard for elementary school in 2027 — РИАМО
- New school year: what will change in Russian schools and colleges — Правительство России
- Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation will develop a new standard of education for 5-9th grade — Москва 24
- Russians told about changes in schools starting September 1, 2026 — Москва 24
- Ministry of Education developing new educational standard for 5-9th grade classes — Вести
- Kravtsov: fifth grades transition to new curriculum starting September 1 — Ведомости
- Head of the Ministry of Education reported on a new study plan for fifth graders — Коммерсантъ
- Fifth graders will switch to the new curriculum starting September 1 in Russia — РИАМО
- Kravtsov: Fifth-graders moved to new curriculum — Вечерняя Москва
- Kravtsov: fifth graders will study according to the new school plan — Вести
Key entities
- Sergey Kravcov
- Russia
- Ministry of Education
- RIA Novosti
- Moscow
- Igor Zakharov
- Dmitry Chernyshenko
- Ministry of Education
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