The translation was made by me.
http://www.ng.ru/politics/2014-08-19/1_patriotism.html
The State Duma is concerned about patriotism in schools
The delegates will return political education into schools and add military training
Gosduma, as the "NG" learned, is preparing a few initiatives related to the propaganda of patriotism among the school students. The delegates want to return the politinformation into the curriculum. Also, at autumn, the lower house will receive a proposal about mandatory military training in middle and high schools, where the students will be taught to handle weapons. In the opinion of the "NG" experts, the delegates are not thinking about the consequences. Also, they say, the Soviet experience shows that teenagers care little about politics, especially when forced to.
As the "NG" ascertained, the CPRF delegates are preparing a bill about returning the politinformation lesson into the curriculum. It is intended to be held twice a week, and be in the list of subjects on which tests are held.
The head of the CPRF's legal service, Vadim Soloviev, insists upon the necessity of restoring the Soviet traditions in the schools: the students, he says, as before, should read out to their comrades reports about the political situation in the country, discuss with their teachers matters of patriotic character. The walls of the classes, he says, are to be decorated with state symbols, memos with historical dates and significant names, and on the breaks - the Russian anthem should be played. According to Soloviev, youth-patriotic organizations like Young Pioneer camps should be restored as well. "The bill provides for practical studies for the students." - the interlocutor of the "NG continues". - "During the time free from studies they could take care of lonely pensioners, elderly teachers and veterans".
The "United Russia" approves of the communist initiative, but decided to add their own amendments. According to the party member Oleg Savchenko, his colleagues are conducting regular discussions on patriotic subjects with students. "Now we must oblige the local delegates to pay monthly visits to schools and discuss with the kids the most critical political subjects", - he stated when speaking with the "NG". The love for homeland, the delegate believes, must be cultivated through tours on historical sites. As such, his bill provides for mandatory student tours on sacral places like the Mamayev Kurgan, the Brest Fortress, etc. Some of the expenses, according to the document, should be payed by the local authority budget.
Another proposal by the delegate - to make provisions for two new school electives. "On the first, the students should be shown Soviet movies, either documentary, or fictional, but close to historical facts" - Savchenko says. The second, in his opinion, will be useful for difficult teens, being dedicated to family values.
The LDPR members are enraged at the legislative activity of their colleagues, since all the ideas voiced, according to the delegate Roman Khudyakov, have initially belonged to the liberal-democrats: "It's always that way between the groups: LDPR thinks of something, submits it, and the rest of the parties use our ideas - put them forth as their own." Meanwhile, during the autumn, LDPR is going to submit into the Duma a bill about teaching the middle and high schools military-patriotic education. Handling weapons, they say in the party, is something that should be known since the school. On these lessons, students will be taught to disassemble and reassemble weapons, shoot them. Khudyakov is sure that this way, another critical problem can be solved - army service evasion. "Military training for students existed during he Soviet times, and that truly motivated them to defend the homeland." "Every Russian - adult or child - must be capable of handling weapons" - Khudyakov believes - "Should there be military aggression against Russia, every person should be guarding his homeland" Girls, according to him, will be taught first medical aid. The expert emphasized that the Ministry of Defense has responded positively to the initiative of the liberals,
However, in "A Just Russia", they refused to support the Duma colleagues. "Why would we need a politinformation lesson? Patriotism cannot be taught - a person either loves his country, or he does not" - the AJR delegate Mikhail Yemelianov stated to the "NG". According to him, subjects like history and literature should raise a person as a patriot a priori. But the question is - how are they being taught today? The teachers should be the first to fall in love with their country, the delegate is certain: "And on the legislative level, one should start with the status of the pedagogical worker". In early September, the lower house shall examine an AJP bill that will equal the teachers to state workers in terms of social benefits and pays. "If a teacher is well paid and has faith in his country, then he can cultivate this faith in the young generation. But if he's lives on minimum wages and is angry at the government, what patriotic education can there be?" Yemelianov says.
The pompously patriotic suggestions of the Duma parties were also criticized by the co-chairman of RPR-PARNAS Boris Nemtsov. He claims that the students on the politinformation lessons will be imprinted with but a single point of view - the one of Kremlin. "All these initiatives are only needed in order to zombify the most trusting and defenseless portion of the population. Children believe in what they are told. And the delegates have hypocritically decided to use that. As a result, we will get moral robots, who have been brainwashed with stories about the democracy, the bad opposition and the good president."
The vice president of the Center of Political Technologies Alexei Makarkin claims that "the delegates have regressed into childhood": "This, in my opinion, a strong desire to return the age that had the "Zarnitsa" game, the Young Pioneer camps, the politinformation. But human memory always tries to retain the good memories. However, they seem to have forgotten the true results of this patriotic propaganda in USSR" According to the expert, the lessons of politinformation were not treated seriously by the Soviet students; some laughed at them, others ignored them. As a result, Makarkin continues, the education became a formality: "The students chose the conformist variant - one reads, others listen. But no one is interested in the events. It was more of a duty." The interlocutor of the "NG" is certain that at a young age few will be interested, for example, in a politician's speech or about events in Nicaragua. And at the same time, he continues, the politinformation was only to broadcast the official point of view: "There was no way to dispute it, and stating your own view was considered unpractical." The expert told a funny story about his own childhood: "Once, in my politinformation, I included an announcement about a conspiracy in some Asia country. With a list of the traitors' last names Russia was enraged at their actions. But, a few weeks later, it turns out that one of the traitors becomes the secretary general of the central committee of the local communist party. And I, it turns out, was guilty of misinforming my comrades."
There is nothing bad about cultivating patriotism among teenagers. But these days, many view such delegate initiatives with skepticism, realizing that they are usually a part of a political campaign.
