Vladimir Putin has instructed to prepare proposals for studying the subject “Russian as a state language” at universities before September 1. This according to the list of documents posted on the Kremlin website.
The order was given to the Government of Russia and the Council under the President of the Russian Federation to implement state policy in the field of support of the Russian language and the languages of the peoples of the Russian Federation.
In addition, the Ministry of Education and the Council under the direction of the President of the Russian Federation will have to develop special teaching aids in Russian for schools in the DPR, LPR, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions. Educational institutions will need to use them in extracurricular activities.
The Russian leader also directed to improve the quality of primary school teacher training and increase hours of studying Russian language and literature.
Furthermore, in 2026, an all-Russian Internet contest “Reading with the whole family” will be held, following Putin's instructions to popularize reading in the family. The document states that the Russian State Children's Library, the Russian Book Union and the First Movement will have to participate in the implementation of the event.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation plans to reduce the time spent studying foreign languages in grades 5–7 to 408 hours from September 1. Rector of Moscow State Pedagogical University Alexey Lubkov pointed out that the number of hours per week will be reduced from 3 to 2. He explained that such a measure will help optimize the workload for students and rationally reallocate time.
