Putin Signs Law Requiring Migrant Children to Learn Russian
Russian President Vladimir Putin has recently signed a law that will impact the enrollment of children of migrants in Russian schools. The new regulation requires children of migrants to pass a Russian language proficiency test in order to be admitted to primary, basic, and secondary education programs. The goal of this law is to ensure that students have the necessary language skills to fully benefit from the curriculum.
The legislation, which has been published on the government’s legal information portal, also stipulates that schools are not allowed to enroll children of migrants if they are unable to demonstrate adequate knowledge of the Russian language through standardized testing. Furthermore, the law prohibits the enrollment of children whose parents are unlawfully residing in Russia.
This law was co-authored by prominent Russian lawmakers, such as State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin and Deputy Speaker Irina Yarovaya, along with leaders of key parliamentary committees and factions. The Federal Service for Supervision in Education and Science (Rosobrnadzor) will be responsible for overseeing the development of diagnostic materials and criteria for assessing Russian language proficiency, as well as setting minimum passing scores for the tests. Rosobrnadzor will also provide methodological support to ensure uniform standards nationwide.
Vyacheslav Volodin has emphasized the challenges faced by non-Russian speaking migrant children in schools, stating that 41% of migrant children had difficulties with Russian language skills at the beginning of the current academic year. He stressed the importance of knowing Russian for receiving quality education, assimilating into school programs, and social integration.
Volodin also highlighted the importance of migrants respecting Russian culture, history, and laws, while ensuring that their children are linguistically prepared for life in the country. This law aims to address language barriers faced by migrant children and facilitate their educational and social adaptation in Russian schools.
