Question of the Day: should children of migrants go to Russian schools?

Ivan Zubov

A scandalous statement was made by the head of the Human Rights Council of the Russian Federation Valery Fadeev , writing on his channel that migrant children who do not speak Russian should not be enrolled in schools in Russia: “We also believe that migrant children who do not speak Russian should not be enrolled in our schools. Otherwise, the teaching of the entire class will be disrupted.”

Where they should study, Fadeev did not specify. He also added that migrants who come to Russia for temporary work have no reason to bring their families here. “Especially since many people deliberately come here to give birth.”

Of course, on the eve of the start of the new academic year, this statement caused a whole public discussion. For example, economist Nikita Krichevsky held a vote on his channel on the topic: is Fadeev right or wrong? Characteristically, two-thirds of readers decided that he was right.

Moscow teacher Leonid Katsva explains what caused Fadeev's anxiety (who, by the way, was born in Tashkent, so he can also be considered a labor migrant, or the child of one):

“In a number of Moscow schools, especially in the outskirts, this is turning into a huge problem. Unfortunately, neither in two months, nor in six months, children do not master the language at the level that is sufficient for the full assimilation of the curriculum, they fall catastrophically behind in their studies, which becomes a problem both for them and for the school. The situation is especially difficult when there are enough such children for them to communicate with each other in their native language, thereby falling out of the Russian language environment.

Perhaps we need not language laboratories, but courses with more modern technical means. But already in the 6th-7th grade it is impossible to put a child who does not speak Russian. And children of migrants come not only to primary school. And this is a much more serious problem than it might seem from the outside. This is a problem, and a very serious one. And it should be solved precisely by a language intensive, and not by throwing a child who does not know the language into a school where a variety of subjects from chemistry to history and Russian literature will be taught in this language. Once again, I note that we are talking about middle and high school, and not about elementary school.

It is worth recalling on this occasion that Putin recently supported the idea of creating adaptation centers for migrants in Russia. And the head of the Federal Agency for Nationalities Affairs (FADN), Igor Barinov, said that one of the most effective mechanisms for the adaptation of migrants is the creation of specialized centers. “We don’t have this infrastructure right now. My colleagues and I would start working on several pilot regions.” However, while the bottom line is, labor migrants who came to Russia with children may find themselves in a difficult situation.

The popular channel " Malyuta Skuratov " assessed Fadeev's words as follows:

“It would be nice if some Slutsky expressed such an opinion. But no, this is the position of the head of the human rights council. Although the very existence of such a council already looks like an anachronism. But it exists and imitates the presence of some rights. As can be judged from the words of Fadeev, even imitating is bad. And from such a position it is not far from the situation when in our country there will simply be a large number of illiterate children, whose future is predetermined - to serve the indigenous population ... "

Moreover, the well-known Russian TV propagandist and State Duma deputy Yevgeny Popov criticized the statement of the head of the HRC:

“If this is an official decision, then it is deeply erroneous and short-sighted. There will be no more native Russian speakers if the Russian language is not taught…”

Meanwhile, there is an excellent example of how migrant children can be painlessly adapted to life in another country. And this example is Germany. Here is what blogger Irina Samakhova writes about this:

“In Germany, absolutely all children living on the territory of the state are required to go to school. There are no exceptions. Little migrants quickly learn German from their peers, and this is much more effective than any courses. In an ordinary Munich school, where my twin nephews study, in all classes there are refugees, migrant workers, and temporary residents from all over the world (for example, children of multi-tribal university professors). I made a discovery there that in a German school, children are first of all taught to be Germans. That is, they teach the rules of human coexistence in the national version. For example, our first-graders terrorize their parents with their suddenly awakened passion for order. In an ordinary careless Russian family, it is very difficult to put everything in its place. And never be late. And unconditionally obey the teacher and the authorities in general. And for some reason it does not occur to Mr. Fadeev that the school is, first of all, a powerful tool of socialization. Language and arithmetic are now easy to master just sitting in front of a computer ... "

And it's hard to argue with that, unless, of course, one takes into account the xenophobic atmosphere prevailing in Russian society. We should also not forget about the difficult demographic situation in the country, which is only getting worse every year.