Kravtsov announced the return of the ODNKR subject to Russian schools in 2026

The subject "Fundamentals of Spiritual and Moral Culture of the Peoples of Russia" will return to schools from September 1, 2026. This was announced by Minister of Education of the Russian Federation Sergey Kravtsov on January 28.

"From September 1, 2026, children will start studying [the basics of] the spiritual and moral culture of Russia," he said at the solemn plenary session of the XXXIII International Christmas Educational Readings in the State Kremlin Palace.

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia noted that the subject will be designed for fifth, sixth and seventh grade students. According to him, it will be taught by history teachers. He also called the return of ODNKR an important event for modern schools in the country.

The burden of knowledge: the State Duma has decided to reduce the study load on schoolchildren

Parliamentarians are concerned about the amount of material to be studied

Earlier, on December 27, 2024, State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin announced plans to consider in 2025 the issue of excessive workload of schoolchildren, who on average spend 8-10 hours a day studying. Among the main reasons for consideration he singled out complex homework and its volume, as well as overloaded schedules, a large number of subjects studied and extracurricular activities.

Volodin noted that the issue also concerns schools with six-day school weeks and second-shift education.