Significant reforms are set to be introduced in Russian schools starting September 1, 2025. These include a standardized timetable, updated curriculum standards, the removal of social studies from middle school, new restrictions on homework, and the introduction of behavioral grades. Furthermore, universities will lose their autonomy in setting the number of fee-paying students, and vocational college graduates will gain the opportunity to enroll in higher education institutions within their specialization without the need for the Unified State Exam (EGE).
Starting September 1, Russian schools will implement new educational standards. These include a unified timetable and the introduction of behavioral grades, though the latter will initially be piloted in select regions. New subjects and updated history textbooks are also part of these changes. College students will encounter revised university admission criteria and altered rules for obtaining educational loans. Universities and institutes will no longer have the authority to independently set the number of fee-paying student slots; this will now be regulated by the state.
From this academic year, schools are prohibited from overburdening students with homework. Officially, first-graders` homework should not take more than an hour per day. Students in grades 2-4 are allocated a maximum of 1.5 hours, while high schoolers should spend no more than 3.5 hours. The mechanisms for monitoring these limits, especially in light of preparation for state exams (OGE and EGE), remain unclear in official guidelines. A similar rule applies to tests, which should not exceed 10% of the total study time. A nationwide standardized timetable, or several variations thereof, has also been introduced, with recommendations to consider children`s biorhythms. The Ministry of Education has advised that students are most productive between 10 AM and noon, suggesting that challenging subjects like mathematics and physics should be scheduled during this period. Tatiana Filina, an Honored Teacher of Russia and Deputy Head of Saint George Gymnasium in Krasnogorsk, comments:
Tatiana Filina, Honored Teacher of Russia, Deputy Head of Saint George Gymnasium in Krasnogorsk: “It has always been the case that the second and third lessons are the most productive. The fifth is the least productive; even the sixth, before the end of the school day, is much more productive than, say, the fifth. As I understand it, the standardized timetable aims for a unified approach, ensuring that over a week or month, the same content is covered in each subject, so that a child transferring to a different school enters the exact same educational process as in their previous school.”
Social studies has been removed from the curriculum for 6th and 7th graders. It remains for 8th and 9th graders, with one lesson per week. The time freed up will now be dedicated to studying Russian history and the history of their respective regions. Notably, a new, unified history textbook, edited by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, will be introduced for middle schools. While this textbook has faced criticism, it also has many proponents. Alexander Myasnikov, a historian, writer, and chief editor of the `Russia – My History` project, states:
Alexander Myasnikov, Historian, Writer, Chief Editor of “Russia – My History” project: “New textbooks are essential. I`m not entirely sure what they`ve done with them yet; I think this is just one of the initial versions, and things will be improved later. From my perspective, the problem is quite simple: we need to provide facts. Let people draw their own conclusions. The goal is for people to understand clearly what happened, how it happened, and why.”
Starting this autumn, fourth-year students from pedagogical universities will be permitted to teach in schools, provided they successfully pass exams in their respective disciplines. Oleg Smolin, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Science and Higher Education and Vice-President of the Russian Paralympic Committee, discusses the potential impact of this measure on the quality of school education, which is already frequently criticized:
Oleg Smolin, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Science and Higher Education, Vice-President of the Russian Paralympic Committee: “We supported this bill based on the principle of `in a lean year, even a non-teacher is a teacher.` The logic is straightforward: we have a shortage of only 0.2% of teachers. Since pedagogy is more of an art than a science, some individuals will succeed, but overall, the quality of education cannot help but suffer, though it`s not certain it will suffer more than from a teacher forced to work two full-time positions. The teacher shortage is most pronounced in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology, though it`s evident in other areas as well.”
Behavioral grades will be introduced in 84 schools across seven regions, including Novgorod, Yaroslavl, Tula, and Leningrad Oblasts, as well as Chechnya, the LPR, and Mordovia, as a pilot program. Moscow and St. Petersburg are not yet part of this initiative. However, metropolitan schools have their own exclusive novelty: all parent chats will be transferred to the Max messenger starting September 1. According to Sergey, the father of a ninth-grader, class teachers are not currently insisting on this transition:
Sergey (Father of a Ninth-Grader): “Two days before the start of the school year, no one is requiring us to switch to the Max messenger. I personally will not install Max on my phone. I might buy a second, inexpensive phone just for Max, or I`ll access the web version of Max from my computer without downloading anything. I`ll still participate in the school and class life, understanding what ideas our teachers have, but at the same time, I`ll try to avoid close interaction, considering that the persistence with which our authorities are lobbying for Max does not speak in its favor.”
Other innovations, such as the national standard (GOST) for school uniforms and drone technology lessons within the labor education program, are left to the schools` discretion. However, universities face stricter regulations. The Ministry of Science and Higher Education has prohibited them from increasing the number of fee-paying student places, primarily impacting fields like economics, management, and law.
Conversely, graduates of colleges and technical schools will be able to enroll in universities without the Unified State Exam (EGE). Their admission will be based on internal entrance exams, and they can only apply to programs aligned with their vocational profile. The universities themselves will determine the relevance of these profiles and the content of the entrance examinations. Furthermore, preferential student loans will now be restricted to fields deemed nationally prioritized, specifically engineering, medical, and pedagogical specializations.
Rupert Blackwood 
Clement Ashworth