Press Release, 10.12.2024

Photo by Alexander Miridonov, Kommersant

The corresponding appeal was sent by the Сhairman of the Yabloko party Nikolai Rybakov to the Сhairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin. Rybakov stated in the letter that implementation of this initiative would significantly limit the opportunities for citizens of neighbouring states to integrate into Russian society, contradicts the Constitution of the Russian Federation, current legislation, and would also lead to significant and long-term negative cultural, economic and geopolitical consequences.

It should be noted that bill No. 778084-8 “On Amendments to Articles 67 and 78 of the Federal Law “On Education in the Russian Federation” envisages that foreign citizens must confirm the legality of their stay in the territory of the Russian Federation and that their children must pass a test on the knowledge of the Russian language to be admitted to Russian schools. This bill was introduced by the heads of the State Duma and the leaders of all parliamentary factions.

Rybakov also referred to the conclusion of the Analytical Centre of the Yabloko party prepared with the participation of experts in the field of migration and education. Yabloko Chairman emphasised that Yabloko and the experts involved would be ready to participate in the development of legislative foundations for the migration policy of the Russian Federation, which would be effective for the future development of our country and based on the principles of humanism.

“To solve the problem of insufficient proficiency in Russian among migrant children, it would be more effective and in the interests of the country to create additional and preparatory courses, as well as specialised advanced training programmes for teachers working in multi-ethnic classes. We urge you to reject the bill,” Rybakov’s letter runs.

The new amendments to the law suggest that children of foreign citizens and stateless persons must pass a test on the knowledge of the Russian language at a level sufficient for studying in a Russian school. Those who fail to pass the test will not be admitted to schools. The procedure for conducting testing and its criteria will have to be determined by the Ministry of Education of Russia and Rosobrnadzor (the Federal Service of Supervision in the Sphere of Education and Science). On 10 December, the State Duma will consider the bill in the first reading.