Russia is rolling out a new strategy in its education system to address demographic challenges. The Ministry of Education announced that from the 2026-2027 academic year, a course called 'Family Studies' will be added to the mandatory curriculum in all schools.
The program was launched as part of the 'Year of the Family' initiative declared by President Vladimir Putin in 2024, and pilot schemes have been implemented in some schools. The ministry plans to extend the course to all middle school students in the coming years.
Curriculum and implementation details
The 'Family Studies' course will be given once a week to students from 5th to 9th grade. The lessons will be taught by classroom teachers, history teachers, and school psychologists.
The curriculum includes topics such as traditional family values, marriage, parenthood, and large-family structure. The developers of the program say that the main goal is to help children understand the meaning of family, prepare them for family life, and transmit traditional values to future generations.
Russian authorities hope that such initiatives will contribute to increasing birth rates as part of the fight against demographic challenges.
The Church's role in schools
In some regions, meetings on family and moral values are also organized in schools at the initiative of the Russian Orthodox Church. These events are not part of the compulsory curriculum and take place at the invitation of school administrations.
During the meetings, clergy hold conversations with students about marriage, family relationships, moral orientation, and the meaning of life.
As the emphasis on traditional family values in Russia's education policy has been gradually increasing in recent years, steps to strengthen the family institution are expected to become even more widespread in the coming period.
