Autor: global-affair

The Russian authorities are denying children their right to quality education by using propaganda-filled textbooks and lectures to indoctrinate children and justify Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, while suppressing free expression, independent thinking and access to information, Amnesty International said today.

A new briefing, “Only Official Sources”: Indoctrination in the Russian Educational System, documents how children across Russia and Russian-occupied Ukraine are being subjected to oppressive state ideology via a centrally controlled curriculum. It also details how teachers are instructed to monitor their students online, collect files with information about their opinions and report dissenting views on political and social issues to the authorities.

“Russian schools are being converted from temples of knowledge into factories of compliance. It is the Russian state itself which defines what children must learn about Russia, its neighbours, and the rest of the world. While using schools for political propaganda is not unique to Russia, the intensity and scale of the Kremlin’s efforts to put indoctrination at the centre of the education system are systemic,” said Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

While using schools for political propaganda is not unique to Russia, the intensity and scale of the Kremlin’s efforts to put indoctrination at the centre of the education system are systemic

Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia

“Russian textbooks present a single view of history, which justifies any decision taken in Moscow to use force against its neighbours. They portray Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine as an historic necessity and a matter of national survival, while any alternative opinions are vilified as ‘hostile’ or ‘destructive’,”

One worldview, uniform teaching

Since 2023, the Russian Ministry of Education has introduced a single mandatory set of history textbooks and teaching materials which portray Russia akin to a “besieged fortress,” deny or diminish Ukrainian identity and statehood, and present all Soviet and Russian military interventions as necessary or legitimate.

Education cannot meet human rights law and standards when it is designed to deprive children of the opportunity to form their own opinions and learn independent, critical thinking at a formative age. Russia’s approach  violates its  obligations under a number of international human rights treaties including the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which requires education to be directed to “the development of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms” and to prepare children for responsible life in a free society, in the spirit of “understanding, peace, tolerance, equality of sexes, and friendship among all peoples.”

Russia’s attempts to groom an obedient, unquestioning student population are reinforced through coercion, monitoring and profiling.

“Russian authorities are introducing so-called ‘profilaktika’ measures that involve not only spreading propaganda but also constant clandestine monitoring of students, both in and out of schools, including online. While it is done ostensibly to prevent ‘extremism’, ‘terrorism’ and ‘destructive ideologies’, in practice these guidelines encourage screening of children’s political, religious and personal views,” said Marie Struthers.

From safeguarding to surveillance

Schools are being encouraged to identify students and staff members whose opinions, online activity and associations express or disloyalty or susceptibility to “destructive” influences – which are so broadly defined that they include peaceful opposition and civil society groups. Among them are the late Aleksei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, the youth protest movement Vesna and the non-existent “International LGBT movement” – an invented legal construct used to criminalize LGBTI activism, – which have all been criminalized solely for speaking up for human rights.

Even exhibiting forms of dissent not formally prohibited in Russia, such as discussing the war in Ukraine’s negative impact on living standards, may be viewed as a red flag that leads to students being labelled “at risk” with their views on the war, “traditional values” and state policy recorded and referred to school administrations, police or security services.

“Russian authorities have shown no limit to the lengths they will go to impose their deeply politicized, ideological narrative on the next generation, and to ensure those who do not comply are detected and disciplined. This violates children’s rights to privacy, freedom of expression and association, and undermines trust within schools and robs children of their individuality,” said Marie Struthers.

“A child’s mind is not the state’s property. Nonetheless, the Russian authorities appear to be treating classrooms as soil to be inspected for the first shoots of civic dissent, so that they can be uprooted before they grow.”

A child’s mind is not the state’s property. Nonetheless, the Russian authorities appear to be treating classrooms as soil to be inspected for the first shoots of civic dissent, so that they can be uprooted before they grow

Marie Struthers, Amnesty International’s Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia

Amnesty International is calling on the Russian authorities to ensure that the school curriculum, textbooks and other educational material do not stifle or prevent free expression and free exchange of views, contain disinformation or undermine respect for human rights. Students and teachers must be given access to a broad range of sources and be able to freely discuss history and current events without fear of reprisal.

Authorities must repeal laws and regulations that punish peaceful expression or exclude dissenting voices from education; immediately stop unlawful monitoring and profiling of children and educators, destroy unlawfully collected data, provide effective remedies and reparation to those affected, and bring those responsible for violations to account.

Amnesty International also calls on the international community to raise these issues with Russian authorities in all forums; support independent civil society’s work combating propaganda and persecution in education; help those facing such persecution, including by providing them visas where necessary; and ensure that development assistance is not used to perpetuate these violations.

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Fatema Uzgan Nusrat on why girls’ education matters

When the Taliban first took control of my province in Afghanistan in 1998, I was 12-13 years old. Schools were forced to close for girls, which was deeply painful for me as I loved going to school. I suddenly had to wear a burka and was not allowed to go outside without a male chaperone. There were no educational programmes available, and no internet.

At one point, a relative came to our house and warned us that keeping books was not safe, so we burned them—along with family photographs. Out of fear and uncertainty, people even threw away toothbrushes because of rumours that the Taliban only used miswak [a type of wooden twig] and disapproved of toothbrushes. It was an environment of constant fear, where even small things felt dangerous.

I managed to save a few books from my grandfather’s library, and I continued reading them throughout those difficult years.

During the hot summers in Afghanistan, I would wake up early to read while the air was still cool and everyone else was still asleep. I spent much of my day reading, even while helping my mother in the kitchen. Sometimes, my oily hands would leave marks on the pages of my books.

We studied by oil lamp

My favourite book was an adventure story – a heavy hardback with a green cover. I read it seven times. It is still in my house in Afghanistan now, I hope.

My parents encouraged my love of reading and motivated me and my siblings to study, even in those difficult circumstances. Because they themselves could not complete their higher education due to family responsibilities, they made education our priority and worked hard to provide us with books and writing materials.

There was no electricity in our province. In the evenings, we would sit together around an oil lamp and study. My father worked away from home, but my mother was with us every night. When I think of those years, I remember us sitting, reading, and laughing together in a small circle of light in a dark house.

Hope gained and hope crushed

When the Taliban rule ended in 2001, I was a teenager. Life gradually became easier. I completed high school and, in 2006, began studying law at Kabul University. I later worked with several NGOs and received a scholarship to pursue my master’s degree in Istanbul. I had young children, so I was initially hesitant about leaving and relocating abroad, but my husband was very supportive. We saw it as a valuable opportunity for me to gain new skills and bring them back to our country. I believed Afghanistan was moving forward, and there was a real sense of hope and energy in society.

But in the end, none of that future unfolded as we had hoped.

When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan again in 2021, I was still completing my master’s degree. It quickly became clear that we could not return. I was in shock. I could not stop thinking about Afghanistan, and memories of my childhood came flooding back. I kept asking myself: “How could this be happening again? Why?” There were no answers.

Founding Behdukht Online Academy

Although it was too dangerous to return to Afghanistan, I constantly thought about the girls who were suddenly banned from school. I reached out to a few families with daughters and offered to share online courses and educational opportunities with them. In 2023, we created a WhatsApp group with five girls and began building a platform to connect them with online learning resources. Later, we named it Behdukht Online Academy.

Word spread quickly. Other volunteer teachers joined, and student requests came from multiple provinces across the country. Today, more than 200 girls are studying with us. We follow the standard Afghan school curriculum that existed before 2021, and I have also introduced new subjects such as computer skills. The courses are mainly self-directed, with Behdukht facilitating access to learning opportunities while students take a leading role in their own education.

Our main concern is keeping our students safe. Persecution remains widespread under the Taliban, and we are committed to protecting their identities. Every new student must be recommended by a trusted contact and complete a form. Only after careful review do we confirm their enrollment.

My students make me so proud

Most of our students live in villages, and their families have very limited financial resources. It is remarkable how much support these families give to their children, even though something as simple as installing Wi-Fi or buying a tablet for online classes can be very difficult. Most importantly, they give their girls the time and space to focus on their education.

However, I am most proud of the students themselves. Their determination to learn is extraordinary. They find creative ways to study despite slow internet and a lack of textbooks.

Many of our students hope to continue their education at universities after graduating from Behdukht Academy, and last semester, four of them were accepted into online universities.

Learning at Behdukht Academy is free. We do not receive salaries and have no formal funding. I am currently seeking grant opportunities that would better support our students by providing them with essential resources -such as devices and internet access – so they can fully engage in their education.

My stories are still waiting for me back home

Because of the time difference between the United States and Afghanistan, I often wake up at 3 am. Yet I do not mind rising early, as it reminds me of my childhood, when I would sit in a quiet house and lose myself in books. Those stories are still there in my hometown, but I do not know when I will see them again. I sometimes wonder whether the traces of cooking oil are still visible on their pages.

My hope is to see Afghan girls return to school and grow up to rebuild our country with dignity and equality. I know that Behdukht Academy is only a small step, but I believe that meaningful change begins with small steps.

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