It's no secret that ideological hell is being created in modern Russian textbooks at the suggestion of the state. Moreover, this hell sucks into itself not only humanitarian and natural science subjects, but also physics and mathematics. And this state of affairs is facilitated not only by the incompetence or bias of the authors, but also by the “valuable” political edits of state experts. Nikolai Sosnov, Vyacheslav Utkin and Lidiya Trifonova analyzed a huge number of fresh expert opinions on textbooks in order to present you with a picture of the development of ideological trends in Russian education.
Foreword
The Russian market of educational literature is a place where colossal fortunes are created in the minds of students. This well-known truth was once again confirmed by the dragging trial between two monopolists of the school book business - the Prosveshchenie publishing house (annual income of 13 billion rubles, controls the sale of 405 textbooks recommended by the Ministry of Education) and the Russian Textbook corporation (an umbrella structure that includes companies “Bustard”, “Astrel”, “Ventana-Graf” and others, its share is 186 recommended textbooks). The subject of the conflict is 500 titles of printed materials of the Russian Textbook, which Prosveshchenie considers to be counterfeit. In a lower court, "Enlightenment" won, having achieved a decision on compensation in the amount of 3.8 billion rubles (12% of the educational literature market in 2017)."Russian textbook" is not going to give up and intends to appeal the court decision.
The price of the issue, as we see, is very high, therefore the struggle is simultaneously going on on another front. In early May, the Russian Academy of Education prepared a presentation for the Ministry of Education and Science based on the results of an additional examination of textbooks previously recommended for use in schools. According to the Minister of Education Olga Vasilyeva, every third book did not pass the test. The news, accompanied by the publication of "funny pictures" with the most egregious mistakes and "immoral" episodes such as home brewing performed by old woman Shapoklyak, caused a stir in the media and even an open letter from the authors of textbooks to Putin, but unfortunately did not serve as a reason for a serious analysis of the expertise itself. In addition, the journalists simply kept silent about many things. We are correcting this error.
At the disposal of the Initiative for Free Education and Medicine are scans of the originals of the expert opinions of the Russian Academy of Education (RAO). These documents provide sufficient material for considering the socio-political essence of state ideological attitudes in the field of school education, as well as their embodiment in the works of textbook authors and expert assessments. We deliberately refuse to publish an archive of conclusions in order to avoid reducing the discussion to a discussion of the personal preferences of experts. RAO experts act as agents of the system and executors of its algorithms and are unable, due to their official position, to break out of the flags. The editorial board of the Bulletin of the Bury has scans of all the documents mentioned and cited in the text of the article and is able, if necessary, to publish them in part or in full.
We also decided not to touch upon textbooks fully approved by RAO in our review. We analyzed only the most criticized rejected publications and books that were recommended but caused significant comments from an ideological point of view.
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WHAT SHOULD NOT BE IN THE "RIGHT" TEXTBOOKS
The Russian State, in accordance with its own legislation, instructed the Russian Academy of Education to monitor the content of textbooks recommended for use in schools. The experts have three main tasks:
a) evaluate the educational publication for compliance with the requirements of the educational standard, determine its informational and methodological quality as a teaching tool and pedagogical as a means of education and personality formation;
b) identify errors and typos;
c) check the textbook for sedition.
The list of sedition is explicitly given in each expert opinion. Information contained in Russian school textbooks should not:
- Contradict the Constitution and federal legislation (regional laws and acts of local self-government, therefore, it is allowed to object);
- Encourage children to commit actions that threaten their life and health, including suicide and self-harm;
- Call for extremism and terrorism;
- Make children want to use drugs, psychoactive substances, tobacco, alcohol, prostitution, vagrancy and begging, as well as take part in gambling;
- Justify and justify violence and cruelty, encourage violence against people or animals;
- Deny family values and show disrespect to parents and other family members;
- Justify illegal behavior;
- Contain obscene language.
The pedagogical quality of the textbook also has its own ideological nuances, in particular, the book must necessarily form patriotism, instill tolerance and, at the same time, develop critical thinking in students.
The overwhelming majority of Russian parents and teachers, no doubt, fundamentally support the aforementioned attitudes, guided by the everyday norm "for all good - against all bad." However, as is known from the classics, the road to hell is often paved with good intentions. Let's see what they are turning into in Russian reality.
RUSSIA - THE HOMELAND OF ELEPHANTS, OR PATRIOTISM FOR THE CHEST
Since its inception, the state, as the most important institution that ensures the management of society in the interests of the ruling class, has taken care of fostering patriotism and respect for the established economic and political order in its young subjects or citizens, and ideally, the readiness to make significant personal sacrifices and even give their lives for the sake of saving it. At each historical stage, in any nation that has left the primitive stage of development, we find a certain system of indoctrination in a patriotic spirit. Depending on many factors, the proposed justifications and the required forms of manifestation of love for the Fatherland differ, however, the core idea of accepting this system as correct and the only possible remains unchanged from the ancient Greek polis to modern superpowers. It was,this is and will be so as long as there is a division of society into classes, and the state remains the state.
State patriotism is, first of all, the identification of the Motherland and the government. Experts from the Russian Academy of Education clearly and honestly admitted this when evaluating a school textbook on economics (by Lipsitz). As soon as the creator of the textbook mentioned that “the Russian government made a mistake in 2013,” he was immediately accused of lack of love and respect for his Fatherland, people and even the region (!). That is, for RAO experts, the concepts of “Russia” and “the Russian government” are identical.
Usually, state patriotism is covered with a shell of sacredness, asserting itself on the basis of religious or secular mythology and semi-mystical ideas about a certain lofty mission of this state and the righteousness of its political regime. At the same time, government patriotism partially intersects with natural popular patriotism, organically growing on the basis of cultural and linguistic unity and a common historical memory. The state always actively uses popular patriotism, trying to identify itself in the minds of people with the concept of the Motherland. Hence, for example, a well-known technique when a certain monarchical dynasty or a particular ruler is endowed with the status of a national symbol.
One way or another, patriots are not born, they become. The emergence of mass education in the course of the development of capitalism, the formation of large centralized nations and the establishment of the bourgeoisie as a state-forming class turned the school into an important tool for the education of patriotism. Despite the two media revolutions that have taken place over the past hundred years (the spread of radio-TV and the Internet), the school has not yet completely lost its position as an important translator of patriotic ideas to the younger generations.
The above thesis is also true for Russia. Whether the modern Russian school copes with the tasks of patriotic education is another question. The answer to it for the state is very unsatisfactory. According to the results of a series of studies conducted by Russian sociologists in 2016-2018, it turned out that 20% of young people directly call themselves “unpatriots” (in the largest cities like St. Petersburg up to 40%), and among the rest a significant part (from 50 to 60% of the total number of respondents) is not ready to sacrifice life, health or property in the name of the Russian Federation. That is, even many of those who enthusiastically wave the tricolor, in fact, demonstrate false patriotism, simply pretend for reasons of profit or out of domination. An analysis of the whole complex of reasons for this ideological failure of Putinism is a topic for a separate long article. We will only touch upon the content of school textbooks and the state requirements for them expressed by experts, namely, clerical formalism, pedagogical impotence and complete separation from youth realities.
The state policy of the Russian Federation in the field of education, as in many other aspects of governance, is largely based on a purely bureaucratic approach with its “tick rule” and awe of paper reporting. It doesn't matter what is really going on in the minds of students, the main thing is to get credit for a patriotic event, observe the decor and master the budget. This fully applies to educational literature.
It is officially established that the patriotic education of schoolchildren is carried out through all textbooks, without exception, including mathematical and natural science. For this purpose, the latter should contain a historical component about the contribution of Russian scientists to science and technology, as well as “patriotic” formulations of tasks. It is assumed that, seeing portraits of Russian luminaries in textbooks, teenagers will be imbued with reverent pride for Russia's successes.
With the historical component, however, there was an embarrassment. The fact is that, if we judge strictly objectively, then the number of figures of world significance, sufficient to equip absolutely the entire curriculum with worthy and appropriate historical material, Russian science did not put forward in the pre-Soviet period. In the school course of mathematics and physics, a significant place is allotted to such sections, the fundamental development of which fell on the era of Russia's serious lag behind the advanced scientific trends. Willy-nilly, even RAO experts have to admit this fact. So, for example, putting forward recommendations on strengthening the historical component of Andryushechkin's textbook “Physics. Grade 7 ", the expert proposes to supplement the list not only with Russian gurus, but also with scientists" whose scientific biography is closely related to our country. "A recommendation is immediately put forward for three personalities (Bernoulli, Lomonosov, Clapeyron), of which two are foreigners who worked in Russia. The practice of “appropriating” foreign scientists for patriotic propaganda is reminiscent of the use of the famous thesis “Russia is the homeland of elephants” in the 18th century to advertise an exhibition of mammoths in the St. Petersburg Kunstkamera. A purely formal "stamping" approach to the patriotic component in educational literature requires the authors of textbooks to be impossible or absurd, like placing a reference about Lobachevsky in the course of Euclidean geometry. A purely formal "stamping" approach to the patriotic component in educational literature requires the authors of textbooks to be impossible or absurd, like placing a reference about Lobachevsky in the course of Euclidean geometry. A purely formal "stamping" approach to the patriotic component in educational literature requires the authors of textbooks to be impossible or absurd, like placing a reference about Lobachevsky in the Euclidean geometry course.
In this light, we can advise gentlemen officials a win-win patriotic move. Why not place in every textbook on mathematics, physics, chemistry, information about modern Russian scientists of the world level: how they studied, what they achieved, to which countries they emigrated as a result of the state policy of strangling domestic science and education. This can also help develop students' critical thinking skills.
However, critical patriotism is incompatible with official patriotism. The patriotism of capital and bureaucracy requires one to adore Russia thoughtlessly, endure and obey like a child who loves a drunken mother. She pays attention to him only in order to beat, humiliate and put on the panel for the sake of an extra bottle, but he still must humbly endure cruel and humiliating treatment for a mother is a mother. This behavior of the child is commendable and socially acceptable. Trying to bring mom to an adequate state, to cure, wash, dress decently, get a good job and finally awaken feelings for her children in her - all this in the eyes of the state suspiciously does not correspond to the famous rule "she is right or not, this is my country" and the image of an exemplary citizen, obliged to "serve faithfully and unfeignedly and obey in everything."
If the transmission of patriotism in mathematics textbooks through the historical component is fraught with objective difficulties, then the requirement from the authors of textbooks to post "patriotic" tasks looks, to put it mildly, very strange. For example, when evaluating the textbook “Mathematics. Grade 6 "(Istomin's team of authors and others), the experts revealed the absence in the text of materials that contribute to the development of respect for the historical symbols and monuments of the Fatherland and the traditions of Russia, their native land (in the examination of another textbook they even wanted tasks with a" urban "bias) and even their own families. The federal (!) Textbook on mathematics (!) Requires taking into account the historical and cultural specifics of each of the 85 regions! And they don't stop there: give them a family educational component as well!
In the same textbook, the experts did not find assignments demonstrating the modern achievements of Russia. Let's not become like the notorious liberal Westernizers and slander about the level of Russian mathematics. Let's put it simply: friends, this is a 6th grade textbook! The things that are being studied at this stage, by definition, are somewhat outdated, because this is the development of the basics, the frontier of world scientific thought has long gone ahead from them. It is probably necessary to reconcile patriotic zeal with elementary pedagogical concepts. Or is this no longer necessary, and the criterion for the success of the textbook is an ingeniously composed problem, the answer of which "coincidentally" coincides with the length of the Crimean bridge or the number of heads of the Russian eagle?
The absence of "patriotic" assignments about monuments, holidays, symbols of Russia, as well as "local history" abstractions equally suitable for Chukotka and Dagestan, is the most widespread ideological claim of RAO to mathematics textbooks. For some educational publications, it became fatal.
THOUGHT ON THE SIDE - SHOOTING ON SITE
In 2011, activists in the United States, concerned with paper-based observance of black rights, launched a campaign to “politically correct” the classics. Within its framework, in particular, it was planned to correct the works of Mark Twain, replacing the word "negro" in them with the tolerant "African American".
In 2018, an expert of the Russian Academy of Education, evaluating the text of the textbook “Mathematics. Grade 3 "(Demidov's team of authors and others), came across a problem based on the material from books about Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. In the problem, the authors had the misfortune to mention such a character as the Negro Jim. The expert saw the word "negro" as an insult to African Americans. Apparently, one should expect a campaign in Russia to clean up the classics. And, of course, domestic writers will not be ignored either. The works of Pushkin, Gogol, Chekhov, Dostoevsky, Turgenev, Leskov, Dahl and others are full of politically incorrect words. The guardians of tolerance will gladly replace them with decent expressions.
Working through the textbook Korolkova "Social Science. Grade 6 ", the expert found the statement that poverty and ignorance flourish in the countries of the South. Strictly speaking, this statement is not entirely correct from the factual point of view, however, the expert is not worried about the scientific side of the problem. The expert is frightened by the "intolerance" of information. That is, poverty and ignorance have a place to be, but this should be kept silent. It must be that on a tourist trip, giving an illiterate tramp a penny for food, a well-to-do representative of the middle class raised in a Russian school should respectfully raise his Panama and make small talk about the comparative merits of Sartre and Kierkegaard.
In another textbook “Mathematics. Grade 4”(by Chekin), the team of experts was not satisfied with the ethnic and religious identity of the main characters - students of Misha and Masha. Actually, the author did not accentuate them in any way except by belonging to the social group “schoolchildren”. According to experts, the absence of indications of the national and religious affiliation of Misha and Masha did not contribute to the development of tolerance and the organization of interethnic and interfaith dialogue.
What did the respected experts want? So that the author clearly indicates the Russian nationality and Orthodox faith of Misha, and made Masha a Muslim? And what would the interfaith dialogue of fourth grade students look like, for example, in the problem of conflict over the sharing of sweets? Don't even try to imagine. It seems that nothing but provocation and the notorious “insulting the feelings of believers” will come of such an attempt, and the author of the textbook will fly in as an interfaith dialogue from adherents of both religious associations.
The aforementioned examples of the bureaucratic struggle for tolerance are by no means the fruit of the “alternative” thinking of specific experts. This is a natural consequence of the government's mouth-gagging policy carried out under the banner of fighting “extremism” and saving children from harmful information. Experts-reinsurers look for and find sedition in the most ordinary things. Authors of the textbook “Mathematics. Grade 2”(Demidova and others), in their opinion, having formulated a problem on the topic of tossing a coin, thus propagandize gambling. Meanwhile, the problem of flipping a coin and throwing dice are classics of combinatorics and probability theory. Experts and officials somehow did not realize that gambling is determined not only by the use of randomness, but also by the presence of so-called interest, that is, monetary and other property rates. If we take the official point of view, it turns out that children cannot play any games based on the use of random combinations, including board and computer ones. Such a position, of course, will not cause anything but laughter in a sane parent.
The state is waging a zealous struggle against the propaganda in textbooks of alcoholism, smoking and drug addiction. Officials think that any mention or image of a cigarette, liquor, or syringe will prompt the student to drink, smoke, or inject themselves. At the same time, evaluating the textbook “Life Safety. Grades 5-7”(group of authors Vinogradov and others), the experts demanded to remove the comparative image of the brains of a healthy person and a person with alcoholism. An eloquent example of a scholastic approach to protecting children, isn't it? The "shock" that a modern fifth-grader may experience from the sight of the brain destroyed by addiction, in this case will only be beneficial, turning at least an impressionable child away from alcohol.
The anti-alcohol campaign often goes so far as to demand the distortion of scientific information. For example, the expert is dissatisfied with the fact that the author of one of the textbooks on economics for grades 10-11 noted the significant role of the "drunken" article in the USSR budget. However, the importance of vodka for the Soviet economy was not denied even by the country's leaders. In particular, Stalin wrote:
There, the expert criticizes the author for the phrase that the drug temporarily relieves pain and anxiety. So, you need to lie to a tenth grader about the effect of using drugs? Naively, a teenager probably knows about the effect of a drug, and a lie in a textbook will only cause rejection and natural distrust.
In some cases, the requirements of the legislation are generally, as they say, beyond the realm. Evaluating the textbook “OBZH. Grade 8 (the team of Ayubov and others), the expert is horrified by the naturalistic nature of the illustration depicting the bloody knee of a fallen cyclist. Allegedly, this sight can damage the psyche of an eighth grader (!). One gets the impression that the expert himself has never been a teenager, never rode a bicycle, did not break his knees, but was born immediately in a suit with a tie and a candidate of pedagogical sciences diploma. By the 8th grade, 9 out of 10 normally developing children more than once have their knees peeled off during sports and active games without any harmful consequences for mental development. Such microtrauma in children is the norm. For the creators of Russian laws and the candidate of pedagogy, this fact, however,remains a secret behind seven seals. In their view, all, without exception, young men and women should faint from just one hint of blood.
In the same vein, many experts scourge the authors of textbooks for "dismemberment." For example, the description of the myth about the war of gods and titans in a textbook for grade 10 (!) Provoked the expert's reproach for "terrible details", which included the words and phrases "torn to pieces", "incinerated", "mixed ash with blood."
Experts also sin with outright hypocrisy. So, when evaluating the textbook “OBZH. Grade 9 "(group of authors Vangorodsky and others), the expert points out the inadmissibility of using the word" woman ". Apparently, the specialist suggested that it could induce female students to have an early onset of sexual activity. Yes, the Victorian ladies give him a standing ovation!
The same expert was outraged by the recommendations for girls' self-defense against sexual violence. It should be noted that the wording of the textbook really looks rather lopsided. However, why can't girls whack a maniac with a rolling pin, inflict a side blow to the jaw, beat in the groin and call the attacker "enemy"? How should a textbook author identify a rapist to match the puritanical tastes of Russian conservatives? Maybe an opponent?
Advice on the use of improvised self-defense tools in OBZH textbooks, in principle, is extremely upsetting experts. For example, describing effective methods of confronting an adult criminal with a key or a pen is called harmful information. What should adolescents do when they are attacked? The state, apparently, believes that the girls should, excuse the expression, obediently spread their legs and have fun, and the guys just as obediently part with the wallet.
It is interesting that such pearls calmly coexist in examinations with hysterical calls for the protection of children from the most harmless and everyday phenomena and life circumstances. For example, considering the content of the textbook “Biology. Grade 5 "(authors Sukhova and Stroganov), the expert is indignant with the following phrase:" Remember the summer … You can go anywhere: in the forest, in the field, on the river. " How so? In the opinion of the RAO expert, children 10-11 years old should not go there unaccompanied by adults, as situations may arise that threaten their health. For urban children, such a recommendation may turn out to be fair, albeit controversial, because walking in the urban jungle is also not so safe. But does the expert understand that in the conditions of the village his demand is essentially unrealizable and looks ridiculous? Furthermore,Wouldn't it have been better for an expert to attend to such a problem as buses for village students, who were deprived of the opportunity to study in their village due to the destruction of the school? For example, in Transbaikalia, 4th grade pupils from the surrounding villages go to the Makkaveevskaya secondary school on foot at any time of the year and in any weather, risking on the way to cross with packs of stray dogs. These guys are sure to laugh at the attempts of gentlemen of government experts. That would be something for statesmen to take care of, but they prefer to protect children from "harmful information" in textbooks like those English ladies of the 19th century who, visiting starving families of workers, gave them … the Bible. In Transbaikalia, 4th grade students from the surrounding villages go to Makkaveevskaya secondary school on foot at any time of the year and in any weather, risking on the way to cross with packs of stray dogs. These guys are sure to laugh at the attempts of gentlemen of government experts. That would be something for statesmen to take care of, but they prefer to protect children from "harmful information" in textbooks like those English ladies of the 19th century who, visiting starving families of workers, gave them … the Bible. In Transbaikalia, 4th grade students from the surrounding villages go to Makkaveevskaya secondary school on foot at any time of the year and in any weather, risking on the way to cross with packs of stray dogs. These guys are sure to laugh at the attempts of gentlemen of government experts. That would be something for statesmen to take care of, but they prefer to protect children from "harmful information" in textbooks like those English ladies of the 19th century who, visiting starving families of workers, gave them … the Bible.who, visiting starving families of workers, gave them … the Bible.who, visiting starving families of workers, gave them … the Bible.
The vigilant eye of expertise is also meticulous about mentioning various links to Internet resources in textbooks. So, for example, when evaluating the textbook “Informatics. Grade 7 (by Ugrinovich) for the mistake, the invitation to students to turn to Wikipedia for information was taken into account, while the expert does not disclose what exactly did not suit him in the content of the recommended source.
State ideological censorship in the field of educational literature is based on a key principle that is explicitly or implicitly present in almost all negative expert opinions. This attitude is taboo on discussing and pondering certain topics, even in a purely neutral way. The textbook should not provoke the student's reflections on a number of questions, they seem to fall out, are completely excluded from school life. Instead of entering into an honest dialogue with the child about the problem, it is hushed up and hidden from him. Of course, such an ostrich position is irresponsible, but it is by no means stupid and quite justified. The fact is that in a sincere discussion, the state, on behalf of which the author of the textbook and the teacher act, would have nothing to say to the student or would have to confess to duplicity and other unpleasant things.
For example, an expert is outraged that the author of the textbook dared to inform children about the possibility of printing a pistol on a 3D printer. "Why print a pistol?" - the expert asks. The range of answers is obvious, and not all of them are immoral and criminal. Free discussion of the topic of the citizens' right to self-defense weapons inevitably leads to painful points that are extremely unpleasant for the Putin regime. The state is simply not able to tell the teenager the truth about the reasons for the prohibition of owning a short-barrel, so the question must be hushed up, information from the textbook must be removed.
When considering the text of another textbook, the expert barks at the author's timid mention of the possibility of discrimination in the labor market: discrimination in the labor market is prohibited, the wording contradicts Russian legislation. Since it is not in the law, then it does not occur in life? Iron logic, and how convincing it sounds for a modern teenager, advanced in information technology and able to find dozens of proofs with glaring examples of labor discrimination in a couple of clicks. The same expert forbids the creator of the textbook from a task that invites the student to ask the parents for their opinion on the tax system. Taxes should be paid without hesitation! So that! The discussion of the flaws in tax legislation, it turns out, motivates tax evasion.
At the same time, legislators and executors of their will are themselves like small children who believe that as soon as the problem is deleted from the text, it will immediately evaporate from real life. In some places, experts directly recommend excluding from discussion issues of a controversial nature, since they are not aimed at developing the skills of self-esteem and introspection, that is, they switch to the study of social problems, which is not good. In himself and only in himself, the student must look for the causes of all sorts of problems - this is the leitmotif required by the Russian state from a textbook that "meets the requirements of the time."
"THEORY" IS A WORD OF OFFENSIVE CONFESSION
A special place in the expertise carried out by RAO is occupied by the verification of textbooks on biology. It was in it that the censorship of Russian science conducted through the Federal State Educational Standard and Model Educational Programs was most openly exposed.
Do you know, dear readers, that according to the requirements of the law, when discussing the origin of life, teachers and authors of textbooks are prohibited from using the word "theory"? It is required to speak and write only about "hypotheses". Mentioning the same "theories" is considered a manifestation of disrespect for the main confessions of the Russian Federation. Exactly in this formulation this prohibition was substantiated by an expert who evaluated a textbook on biology for grade 10 edited by Zakharov. There, respected specialists, candidates of sciences and teachers of the highest category, write that "the arguments given in the educational publication are questioned not only by confessions, but also by the professional biological community." Perhaps the authors of the textbook really are not at the height of modern scientific achievements. However,the manner of their criticism by experts strongly resembles the style of evidence of a sectarian religious organization now banned in Russia, which has long been speculating on the data of scientific discussions to substantiate the "insignificance" of evolutionary biology.
In another textbook, attempts to describe the ideological essence of religion with the help of the epithets "mythological worldview", "fantastic ideas", "irrational faith" were banned. The expert concluded that these were “unacceptable disparaging statements”. But what about Tertullian's "I believe, for it is absurd"? Will we also ignore this prominent representative of church patristics as "intolerant" to ourselves?
The feelings of believers are a delicate thing. Often they are jarred by historical facts. So, the expert recommended removing from the textbook of social studies for grade 10 information that the Catholic Inquisition considered burning at the stake as a manifestation of mercy to the sinner, as not corresponding to educational goals. Christians, according to an expert, should probably present themselves to a student from an exclusively positive side. Let's forget about the Inquisition, Crusades and other delights of the Middle Ages! Of course, in the name of educational purposes!
An Inconvenient Truth About State Z
Let's pay tribute to the authors of the textbooks. Some of them are trying to really help schoolchildren by linking bare and dry theory to the real, and not existing in the imagination of bureaucrats, Russian reality. In order to adapt a teenager to adult life in the realities of "sovereign democracy" and "Putinomics", they give specific meaningful advice. The textbook “Social Science. Grade 10 "(group of authors Danilov and others), who, without hesitation, recommends the most effective way to avoid any trouble - to have familiar officials and policemen. In fact, you can add judges, prosecutors, investigators and intelligence officers to the list, but this is nit-picking, the author's message is quite businesslike. The expert calls such advice "unworthy", which sounds either naive or hypocritical. The school is obliged to prepare the child for successful practical activity, while corruption and nepotism in modern Russia are essential attributes of such.
The expert, by the way, understands all this very well, as evidenced by the symbolic disclaimer a few paragraphs below. When the authors of the textbook call altruism a moral principle, the expert strictly rebukes them: altruism is not a moral principle, but deviant behavior! It remains only to throw up his hands and admit that the specialist is right: altruists in the Russian Federation actually look like a “deviation from the norm”. Children, of course, should be warned about this, but this should be done in a language more accessible to the middle tenth grader. Why not just write that selflessly helping your neighbor means being a sucker? That way they will understand much better.
On the whole, the veracity of the Danilov textbook is striking, as, indeed, is its complete illiteracy. It is not for nothing that the experts literally streaked it out with remarks about inadmissible and incorrect reasoning. These include, for example, quotes from Fourier and Nietzsche about the differences in the morality of "masters" and "slaves", the assertion that all politicians lie. Experts were greatly indignant at the presence of the column "Illegal statements", in which the authors tried to save adolescents from accusations of extremism, clearly demonstrating what exactly should not be said publicly.
E. S. Korolkova boldly and principledly appeared (or perhaps just put it in a crooked way) in the social studies textbook for grade 6, stating in fact that the quality education of citizens is not among the state tasks (it would be even more accurate to say that it contradicts them) than horrified a conscientious expert. "Are the officials exercising control not pursuing the goal of improving the quality of knowledge?" - the expert asks. That is how it is. And not because they are buki-byaki, but because the policy of the state does not set this task before them. Any honest teacher will confirm that the continuous stream of control reports, which in recent years has become almost the main content of his professional activity, has nothing to do with the quality of education except negative.
Another textbook “Social Studies. Grade 10 "(the group of authors of Kravchenko and others) brings to the students curious information about the existence among entrepreneurs of the social norm" if you can't cheat, you won't sell. " The expert is annoyed: such a social norm cannot exist, because it is antisocial? Oh, is it? A few paragraphs above, criticizing the authors for the Marxist definition of the concept of "freedom", the expert showed that he is quite familiar with the teachings of the great bearded man. Hence, he should be aware that deceiving "outsiders" may well be an approved social norm among "insiders." By the way, when examining the text of another textbook, experts noticed that the statement about the disadvantage of raising wages of employees for a businessman's pocket "forms a negative image of an entrepreneur."
Of course, even thinking about such topics when studying the content of school textbooks already smells of "extremism." How much more reliable to call a mistake the statement of the textbook that "the higher the status of the family, the more favorable the starting conditions for children." There is no need for a provincial schoolboy from a working-class family to think about THAT.
The authors, however, firmly decided to teach the student how to live correctly and further point out in plain text that one should be a leader and achieve dominance over others. Experts can declare as much as they want about the unattractiveness of this social attitude, but capitalist society every day by word and deed introduces it into the mind of a child, and the seeds fall on fertile soil, because if you stay in the circle of bourgeois ideas, there is no alternative to it. You can't get off with good wishes here, they can only disarm a teenager who enters the battle of life. However, most likely, he will not pay attention to these nonsense.
By the way, in the opinion of RAO experts, when mentioning problems, it is better not to report that there are any in Russia, because this motivates to say "How bad things are with us!" It is recommended to write “state Z” instead of the word “Russia”. Very patriotic! This is not a joke, just such a recommendation is contained in the conclusion to the textbook “Social Studies. Grade 10 "(group of authors Greenberg and others).
The social situation in state Z is characterized by its ideality. According to experts who have studied the textbook “Social Science. Grade 10 edited by Bogolyubov and Lazebnikova, there is no inequality of people, including depending on gender, age, nationality, religion and place of residence, because such inequality is not provided for by international documents. Any high school student, however, can be convinced that, for example, age inequality is directly established by Russian legislation, including the Constitution of the Russian Federation.
Judging by the examination of yet another social science textbook, labor in state Z is free, since it is written in the Constitution. No delays in wages, slingshots of the Labor Code, compulsory conscriptions for military service and scandalous news about the existence of the practice of direct private slavery that pop up from time to time in the media can overpower the magical power of the Basic Law. Believe what is written, not tried on your own skin. Experts in the style of the unforgettable Kashpirovsky are trying to give students a hypnotic setting, but, alas, with school hypnosis in State Z, things are very bad.
TEXTBOOK "EXTREMISM"
One of the examinations, namely the textbook “Social Studies. Grade 7 "(group of authors Kravchenko and others), it is necessary to devote a special small section. The fact is that this is the only case when experts practically accuse the authors of a textbook of justifying extremism and even that it "describes step by step how a person can become an extremist."
Intrigued? Don't rush to the bookstore. In fact, everything is trite and boring. It's just that the attempts of the creators of the educational publication to deviate somewhat from official formulations and speculate (rather awkwardly) about the causes and social roots of extremism drew fierce criticism from experts.
The goal of extremists is to destroy the existing social order, and it is a crime not only to carry out activities in this direction, but also to have appropriate views, the expert teaches. Once we accept its definition, we will see the rapidly growing list of extremists. Pushkin stands in it next to Schulze-Boysen, pushing away Boris Yeltsin with his elbows, who almost falls on Stalin. And further in the crowd we see a lot of writers, poets, artists, scientists, philosophers, politicians and crooks like Lucius Catiline. Participants in the English Catholic uprisings of the 17th century will have to be excluded, since experts specifically make a reservation that it is intolerant to consider them extremists. The gaze reaches out to Socrates, the earlier "extremists" are very dim to us. Realizing "the hopelessness of their position" (quote from the textbook),they live “constantly hating everything and everyone” (quote from the textbook). A seventh-grader Vasya joins them directly from the text of the textbook, dissatisfied with the way education is organized in our country. Infused? And the expert believes that the authors are trying to justify extremism!
The expert opinion is replete with passages like "inadmissible reasoning", "showing sympathy for extremists", "encouraging children to extremism" and "provoking a child to think about the motivation for extremist actions." I wonder why pondering the motives of extremism is dangerous, because they are probably so vile and unworthy that the child will indignantly turn away from them? Don't even try to understand. The fact is that, according to the instructions of the experts, it is prohibited to “explain the motives of extremist actions”. That is, it is such a terrible taboo that no, no. The experts themselves, of course, as exemplary citizens, do not know any such motives, however, they demand that the textbook contain "materials on the prevention of extremist sentiments." How are you, brothers, going to prevent extremism in adolescents,if they are not able to clearly explain to the student what it is. The only preventive material that can be placed in a textbook with such an installation is a photo of a Rosguard soldier in full outfit to disperse the rally. And the expression on his face is more ferocious.
HISTORY, STATIC AND EVER
Analyzing one of the textbooks, an expert, a history teacher of the highest category, called the author's assertion that society is a dynamic developing system erroneous. This conclusion succinctly and accurately reflects the essence of the conservative-protective position taken by the creators of the official state ideology in relation to historical science. And the texts of some textbooks and a number of RAO expert opinions paint a picture of "history" for us, intended by the ruling elite for broadcasting into children's minds. There in feudal Russia there are no classes (and hence the class struggle), the blame for the outbreak of the Cold War lies with the USSR, and the February Revolution of 1917, in the absence of objective prerequisites, was prepared and implemented by a group of the elite who took advantage of the difficulties of the war. In fairness it should be notedthat all the same, against the background of other academic subjects, expert opinions on history textbooks look much calmer, competent and balanced. This is primarily due to the fact that at the disposal of specialists there is a skillfully drawn up on behalf of Putin and an officially approved tool of indoctrination - the notorious Historical and Cultural Standard (IKS).
As with any document of this kind, the IKS is intended to streamline and systematize government efforts to control public memory. The central place in it is occupied not by a scientific analysis of objective and natural social processes, but by “fundamental assessments” of key events of the past. Simply put, the IKS directly indicates how to understand certain historical phenomena. At the same time, proceeding from “patriotic” attitudes, it is necessary to ensure the dominance of the positive over the negative, even where it is difficult to do so, to put it mildly. For example, the textbook “History of Russia. Grade 7 "edited by Lubkov, according to the expert, incorrectly represents the period of the 16-17th centuries as a period of" criminal activity of the authorities. " State power in the history of Russia cannot have systemic shortcomings by definition,it is permissible to mention only "miscalculations and mistakes".
IKS pays special attention to the "protection" of Russia's geopolitical past. In examinations, this is often expressed in a completely inadequate form. For example, the authors of one of the textbooks associate the foundation of Arkhangelsk with the beginning of active direct trade with the British. The expert saw here heresy: how is it that we owe the creation of Russian cities to foreigners? However, even if we put aside the history of the early settlements and use the official documentation on the foundation of the city, it turns out that the fortress that laid the foundation for Arkhangelsk was built in 1584 due to the threat of an attack by Sweden. Thus, we really "owe" the creation of Arkhangelsk to foreigners. It is unlikely that a history teacher of the highest category does not know about this, but ideology in this case triumphs over common sense.
The inconsistency of the examinations led RAO in one case to indicative self-exposure. Evaluating the textbook “History of Russia. Grade 7”edited by Lubkov, a team of experts criticized the authors for presenting the Livonian War as aggressive by Russia. At the same time, another group of experts, when reviewing a similar textbook edited by Tishkov, accused the author of having forgotten to mention the main reason for the Livonian War - Russia's desire to seize commercial ports on the Baltic Sea. It turns out that Russia, by definition, cannot act as an aggressor even when it starts a war with the aim of seizing territory, of course, originally its own and illegally usurped by outsiders, as it happened in the history of wars. Whatever war you take, the aggressor always "returns" and "liberates" and necessarily "forcedly" and "under the pressure of circumstances."Ultimately, the work of the historian comes down to justifying any actions of "his" elite. From this point of view, the seizure of commercial ports is certainly not an aggressive act.
The ambivalent position of the Russian bureaucrat, who wants to be at the same time his own in the West and an independent master in his own country, is fully reflected in the IKS attitudes. Russia in the historical consciousness of a citizen should appear as a great country with a great past and at the same time as an integral part of the world historical process.
The period of the initial accumulation of capital after the collapse of the USSR gave rise to a mass of textbooks in which the approach of critical self-exposure and outright denigration of national history prevailed. At that stage of the emerging Russian bourgeoisie, it was necessary, first of all, to paralyze any attempts of active “nostalgic” resistance, and therefore, not without the help of foreign sponsors, the authors of school literature in many cases poured slops on the Soviet past, and at the same time on everything else too. By inertia, indiscriminate criticism has continued in a number of modern textbooks.
The irony of the playful Clio is that in the struggle for a new "correct" line of assessing Russian history, experts are sometimes forced to stand up even for the Bolsheviks and other revolutionaries, to scold the interventionists (after all, the West is now like a rival!) And criticize the Basmachi (separatists!), which gives rise to funny contradictions. For example, evaluating the textbook “History of Russia. Grade 10 "edited by Lubkov, the expert draws attention to the fact that the Bolshevik program provided for the possibility of a peaceful transfer of power to the Soviets. In the same conclusion, however, we find a ban on the use of the term "war within a democracy" by the authors in relation to the confrontation between socialist parties, which leaves the parties of the big bourgeoisie and landowners outside the rule of the people. The expert insists on using the “correct” term “democratic counter-revolution”, thus excluding the “peaceful” Bolsheviks from the camp of democracy.
Of course, the examination of school history textbooks has not been without a struggle against "justifying violence." The state does not want children to learn the bloody details of cruel feudal strife and suppression of popular discontent (for example, it is forbidden to talk about the massacre of Ivan the Terrible against Pskov petitioners and Novgorodians). The "extreme" assessments of historical figures are also censored. So, experts insist on removing opinions about the mental instability of Ivan the Terrible and the religious fanaticism of the reformer Sylvester.
Ivan the Terrible is generally a favorite of experts. According to one of them, it was on the example of his government and the activities of the oprichnina that the author of the textbook was supposed to form a "patriotic attitude" among students. At the same time, in another passage, the same expert respectfully refers to the Polish puppet of False Dmitry the First as "the deceased ruler." Judging by the position of experts, the very fact of occupying the royal throne makes anyone almost an example of the best human qualities. Criticism of the kings is permissible only in the form of a mention of their annoying "mistakes" and regrettable "miscalculations". When the authors of one of the textbooks call Vasily Shuisky an oath-breaker, which corresponds to the facts, experts call this a "simplified and one-sided assessment."How does the justification for violating the cruciform kissing records compare with the “patriotic mood” and educational goals of the educational standard? It is easy and simple, because the main message of the state ideology in this case is not even a justification for any actions of the authorities, but the postulation of its sacred nature. A leader who has received sanction from above is by definition not subject to jurisdiction either to contemporaries or descendants. Schoolchildren should not evaluate the rulers of the past, because, having become adults, they can dare to call the rulers of today to account.after all, as adults, they may dare to call to account the rulers of today.after all, as adults, they may dare to call to account the rulers of today.
INSTEAD OF CONCLUSION
It is too early to sum up the final results of the public discussion about the content of modern school textbooks. Those who are interested in education issues have yet to contemplate an entertaining show in the form of ministerial meetings, expert councils, press conferences, open letters and articles in magazines.
All this fuss, however, is unlikely to lead to any shifts. A paper-bureaucratic approach to the education system inevitably entails sabotaging any attempts by the state to use an educational institution as a hammer to hammer the nails of pro-government patriotism into a child's head. Cannot drive nails effectively with a hammer, from the handle of which they continuously saw off piece by piece, destroying school after school. A “mass” teacher, who is hunted and imprisoned from all sides by control and reports, is not able to seize the minds and hearts of modern adolescents, forced to plow from morning till late at night for the sake of at least some decent salary. Today's young men and women are not looking for life lessons in illiterate school textbooks. Expert opinions, many of which are worthy of the satirical pen of Gogol and Saltykov-Shchedrin, will not help fix this. What is born dead is not destined to come to life.
Authors: Nikolay Sosnov, Lidia Trifonova, Vyacheslav Utkin