Girls must be near the stove, boys must practice brainwork. Should the school return to housing

A member of the parent committee was allowed to transfer his daughter to the "boy's class" only after a public scandal.

"My oldest daughter entered the fifth grade. Before that, boys and girls also had separate lessons in labor (technology), but from this academic year, as I understand it, they are introducing specialization. So the girls will continue to engage in traditional women's activities, and for boys, trips to carpentry and locksmiths end, they are replaced, judging by the descriptions, with the basics of programming. This news reached me in the parent chat. They updated the timetable and explained that girls will continue to attend their standard labor lessons, and boys will begin to attend computer science. This, of course, upset me as a parent. For example, I don’t know how to explain to my daughter that she is not muscular enough for computer science”, - comments Artyom Subbotin.

After an angry post on Facebook, the school principal called the parent and confirmed that general informatics for girls and boys would start only from the seventh grade. Two years before that, girls will be taught, in his words, “material technology” (handicrafts and cooking), boys - “information technology", which includes the study of modeling, algorithms and programming languages.

"I was also called by the person responsible for the future subject, and said that on information technology, students will study work in the "logomir", algorithmics and make presentations. I didn’t know what “LogoWorlds” was and climbed to inquire on the Internet. "LogoWorlds are a multifunctional instrumental creative environment for students in grades 4-9, this powerful means of developing learning allows not only programming, but also performing a wide range of tasks - from the simplest drawings and presentation videos to arbitrarily complex projects on various topics," one of the interpretations. In short, I just made sure that "information technology" is the basics of computer science for schoolchildren".

The girls were not even offered this item. By default, according to the schedule, they were prescribed "home economics".

The principal, however, assured the father who had raised the fuss that if the daughter wanted to study programming, then at the request of her parents, she could be enrolled in a boy's class. This opportunity, according to Artem Subbotin, the girl was very happy. There are a few other parents in the class who disagree with the gender separation policy regarding labor lessons and are also considering writing a transfer application. Likewise, boys who wish to learn cutting and sewing can go to the girls' class in labor lessons, the director said in a conversation with a parent. But in any case, you need to decide finally and irrevocably. One student cannot attend both courses at once.

- But even after the explanations of the director and the teacher, I still can't understand why girls are offered an overlock instead of a computer a priori? Yes, sewing, cooking is great, but give all children a choice regardless of gender. Maybe a guy who already uses Python and JavaScript at the age of 11 will happily go to cook charlotte, and a girl who helps her mother in the kitchen all day will choose a computer, ”comments Subbotin.

Vitaly Khudoshin, director of the Moscow school No. 141, commenting on the incident, said that the alarmed members of the parent committee either misunderstood him or decided to hyip. Informatics, he said, will be for everyone in two years, and "changes in the program will affect students, regardless of their gender".

School number 141 named after Hero of the Soviet Union, scout Richard Sorge already became famous last year with a story with an art teacher who asked a student to erase the stump and crutch of a disabled warrior and draw a "normal leg" for him.

Justifying the situation with technology lessons, the school management refers to the Federal State Educational Standards (FSES), however, experts did not find any indirect indications of gender specification in these documents. For students of all genders, it is recommended to build teaching in such a way as to develop in children the ability to be innovative and creative. That's the point. But the administration, apparently, interprets the document differently, focusing primarily on the gender of the wards. Girls - to the stove, boys - to think.

With the unified recommendations of the Ministry of Education (and they even allow today to conduct joint programs on technology for boys and girls), each school, nevertheless, will have to independently approve the organization of this discipline. The ministry leaves room for maneuver to educational institutions with an eye on the varying degrees of their material and technical equipment, staffing levels, established traditions and atmosphere.

Ideally, technology lessons should become such a subject that gives the student an idea of the world of professions and helps to navigate what kind of activity there are inclinations, abilities and interest in. In fact, in most Russian schools, girls still go to cook soup, and boys to saw and chop.

The experts believe that the situation can be reversed only by active actions of the parents. The more often adults ask questions about gender stereotypes and fight discrimination, the higher the chances of a faster transition to coeducation, to oblivion of the educational methods of the 80s.