"Arrest and persecution threatened" - Ukrainian teachers should follow Russian curriculum
Created: 03/07/2022 17:21
By: Caroline Schäfer
In the future, Ukrainian teachers are to base their teaching on Russian standards in occupied territories.
Kyiv – The Ukraine war is not coming to an end for the time being.
Many regions, for example in the east of the country, are now occupied by Russia.
In order to substantiate the territorial claims, there are said to be some changes for the civilian population in Ukraine.
Ukrainian teachers in the occupied territories are supposed to adapt their teaching to the Russian curriculum.
The British newspaper The Gurdian
reported that they should sign the relevant documents within the next few weeks
.
Ukraine News: Teachers should implement Russian standards in the classroom
If the teachers refuse to sign the documents, they may lose their jobs.
If they choose the Russian curriculum, they run the risk of getting in trouble with the Ukrainian authorities for supporting the enemy.
Ukraine-Russia War | |
|---|---|
location | Ukraine |
Invasion of Russian troops | from February 24, 2022 |
Exit | constantly |
Some teachers told the British newspaper that they were asked to sign the documents by newly appointed local authorities.
If they refuse, they face termination.
The deadline is said to have been set for July 21.
The information cannot be verified independently.
War in Ukraine: Certain school subjects are to be adapted
Russia's education minister had already announced in June that all schools in the occupied territories would have to work according to Russian curricula from the start of the new school year in September.
"We will do our best to open schools on September 1 so that they can work according to Russian standards as much as possible," Sergei Kravtsov said.
A number of steps have already been taken to this end, such as “teacher training and the provision of textbooks.”
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Changes to Russian standards are said to be primarily in subjects such as history, literature and geography, a teacher in an occupied settlement in the Kharkiv region told
The Guardian
.
Curricula for mathematics, physics, biology and chemistry, on the other hand, are not to be adjusted for the time being.
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The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (MES) described teaching according to Russian standards as supporting the enemy.
According to The Guardian
, Russian propaganda in educational institutions can be
punished with up to three years in prison.
However, one must "make a very clear distinction as to whether the person was forced to work under pressure or even at risk of their life, or whether they worked voluntarily, or whether it was even their initiative to work," Ukrainian education officer Sergii Gorbachov told the newspaper.
Two children sit on a swing and look out over a multi-story apartment building burned out by Russian military raids.
From September, schools in occupied territories are to continue according to Russian standards.
© kyodo/dpa
On the other hand, there are calls for help from teachers who refuse to base their lessons on Russian curricula.
"We have received numerous appeals from teachers from the occupied territories," Gorbachov said.
"They face eviction from their homes, arrest and persecution."
In the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, where the Russian conquest failed, classes are due to start again at the beginning of the new school year.
"The most important task for the new school year is the safety of students and teachers," said Olena Fidanyan, head of the Department of Education and Science in Kyiv, in a statement on Friday (July 1).
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