Orthodoxy and 'building a traditional family' courses started in schools in occupied Kherson region

'Orthodox culture' and 'traditional family' imposed on schoolchildren in occupied Kherson region

This was reported by MOST.

In Skadovsk school No. 3, according to their data, more than 200 students already attend these courses: more than 80 - "the basics of family life" and about 120 - "the basics of Orthodoxy.

According to the occupation administration of Kherson region, only teachers who have undergone special training under Russian programs can teach these subjects. Although formally participation in these classes is voluntary and possible only at the request of parents, in practice, Russian "educators" actually promote them as a mandatory part of the educational process, ignoring the religious beliefs of families.

Earlier, schools in the temporarily occupied territories of the Kherson region have already received 269 copies of the textbooks 'Fundamentals of Religious Cultures and Secular Ethics' for primary school students, and the course 'Moral Foundations of Family Life' for high school students. These materials, which have drawn criticism even within Russia for being sexist and overly ideological, promote the idea of a ''traditional family,'' where women are ''keepers of the home'' and should not be superior to men in education. They also condemn intimate relationships before marriage and ignore alternative family models.

It is almost impossible to refuse these classes. As you know, in the temporarily occupied Genichesk, parents are forced to send their children to schools controlled by the occupiers. If they refuse, they face a fine or even deprivation of parental rights.

In addition, we remind you that radiation shelters for schools have not yet been built in Kherson. Almost 400 million hryvnias of EU funds were spent on the construction, and contractors received tens of millions for poor quality work. The investigation concerns four underground schools in Kherson, which were to be built as radiation shelters last year by order of the Regional Defense Council. The total cost of the project was almost 400 million hryvnias, provided by the European Union under the Ukraine Facility program.

Construction was decided to start despite the protests of local residents and the fact that the facilities could not be used: The Kherson city community is located in the area of active hostilities, and the law prohibits full-time education of children even in the most modern bomb shelters.

Катерина Глушко