AIDE TO RUSSIAN PRESIDENT MEDINSKY SUGGESTS BEGINNING CLASSES IN RUSSIAN SCHOOLS WITH PRAYER IN PRAISE OF RUSSIA
Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to the president and former minister of culture, suggested teaching patriotism to Russian school children by following the example of the U.S.A., where, according to him, classes are begun with singing the praises of the country and its national symbols.
Medinsky maintains that for 150 years now in all schools of the U.S.A. the school day begins with a prayer about America, written by public figures back in the second half of the 19th century.
"And in only a few states, by individual local laws, out of some kind of toleration, are school children permitted not to recite these words aloud if they object to them, But they still are required to be present," he explained.
Vladimir Medinsky asked the commission to reach out to the Russian Ministry of Education with a recommendation "to introduce a similar system in our schools right away, right now."
Members of the commission supported him unanimously. The vote of the session will be sent to the Russian Minister of Education Sergei Kravtsov.
However not everybody supported this initiative.
"We pray not in praise of Russia; we pray in praise of God," Archpriest Vladimir Vigiliansky declared. "I am the spiritual counselor of an Orthodox high school. Prayer is heard in our school every morning. In the kindergarten and in grades one through eleven in the school. We are already praying, so we do not need to order anything. This is a routine matter for an Orthodox academic institution. . . . I think that this should be voluntary, with the agreement of parents."
A member of the State Duma Committee on Education, Anatoly Vasserman, explained that he does not think this idea to be reasonable, since it accustoms people to rely not so much on their own strength as on outside support.
"Naturally, I understand that believing people treat prayer completely differently. If believers think that it is helpful, then let them pray. It is a different matter for them to draw nonbelievers into prayer," the lawmaker said, noting that the study of history is more effective for training in patriotism.
According to the InVictory portal, prayers initiated by public schools have been forbidden in the U.S.A. since 1962, and the school day, depending on the state, begins either with the singing of the American national anthem or with the recitation of the pledge of allegiance to the American flag. (tr. by PDS, posted 26 March 2022)
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