Zodiacal phase: Ekaterinburg schools received an astrology manual
On Friday, January 17, a scandal broke out in Ekaterinburg: schools and kindergartens from district education departments received 30 books each with the title "Astrological Manual: How to Overcome Difficulties in Raising Children from 0 to 16 Years of Age". Teachers and parents were struck both by the fact that the manual is based on pseudoscience and the content of the book. The city administration told Izvestia that the books were donated by a charitable foundation as part of a New Year's campaign, and a decision has already been made to remove them from educational institutions. However, the question of how the schools get textbooks, remained open. Read more about the situation - in the material "Izvestia".
How the astrological manual ended up in schools
Local media reported on Friday that schoolchildren and kindergartners in Yekaterinburg received astrology books, citing teachers. It is claimed that schools received 30 manuals each, and kindergartens - 29.
The book "Astrological Manual: How to Overcome Difficulties in Raising Children from 0 to 16 Years" was published by the publishing house "Land of Fantasies", the author is Nina Pavlovna Vokhrintseva, who is presented as a "Master of Astrological Sciences". There is no more of her work and at least some profile of the author in the Net. The recommended age of the book is 1+.
The letter that the schools received was alsopublished: in it, presumably, the district education department asks the director to take away 30 books by Nina Vohrintseva.
The press service of the Ekaterinburg administration told Izvestia that the books "were donated by the Rossinochka Charitable Foundation as part of the New Year's campaign."
- They are not used in the educational process. It was decided that the books will be withdrawn and returned back to the foundation," the administration emphasized.
The fund "Rossinochka" is closely connected with the publishing house "Fantasyland": in the management of both the same people - Svetlana and Stanislav Vohrintsev. The chairman of the charitable foundation is Alexander Shershever - Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor of the Department of Nervous Diseases and Neurosurgery at the Ural State Medical University. There are several other candidates and doctors of medical sciences on the Board of Trustees.
Among the goals of the foundation in 2025 are activities in the field of education, enlightenment, and science. The foundation, judging by news reports, is mainly engaged in the fact that it presents manuals issued by the publishing house "Fantasyland" to educational and social institutions.
Svetlana Vokhrintseva, founder of the Rossinochka Foundation and the Strana Fantazii publishing house, expressed her bewilderment at the resonance around this book in her commentary to Izvestia.
- It was a New Year's action," she emphasized. - 2025 is the year of the Snake, people are always interested in it, it was our sincere gift to parents. In the edition is a very beautiful description of children's characters by horoscope. We, on the contrary, went orders for this book. Therefore, I do not understand such a resonance.
What the book is about
The manual was released back in 2014. The author writes that the vast majority of astrology books are about adults, but parents "need to know what kind of person their baby will grow up to be." The manual promises to tell "what character traits and abilities the stars have endowed the child", as well as "how to overcome the difficulties that arise in the process of upbringing". The book is intended "for parents, elementary school teachers, kindergarten teachers and orphanages".
The advice given by the "Master of Astrological Sciences" surprised parents and teachers. Especially in the sections that talk about healthy eating and recreation of the child depending on his zodiac sign.
For example, Scorpio children Nina Vohrintseva predicts the possibility of "kidney disease, hemorrhoids, inguinal hernia, poisoning, eye disease, hepatitis," as well as "seizures of epilepsy due to increased nervous excitability". In children born under the sign of Virgo, the author believes, vulnerable to "the entire gastrointestinal tract, where any disease can occur: from diarrhea and constipation to hernia and appendicitis. About Cancer it is written that "no sign of the zodiac can not get sick so hard and recover so quickly," because he has "everything depends on his mood."
There is also amazing advice in terms of raising a child. "Hide all needles, scissors and files, so that he did not hurt himself, remove from the eyes of small objects, make inaccessible all outlets and switches, otherwise an overactive child can hurt himself," - writes the author about the children of Aries.
Eastern horoscope to read more pleasant, but also very strange: "Children-Dogs usually feel well in a collective", "In life he [Cat] will not have strong shocks, simply because they will not meet on his way," - promises the master of astrological sciences.
Whether the allowance should be banned
Alexei Khokhlov, a member of the RAS Commission on Combating Pseudoscience, reminded Izvestia that in late 2023, the commission officially recognized astrology as a pseudoscience, issuing a detailed memorandum to that effect. Educational organizations were then recommended to "exclude from their programs activities related to the teaching of astrology or its propaganda." At the same time, it was emphasized that "millions of people continue to believe in astrology", in particular, a reference was made to the VTsIOM survey, according to which about every seventh Russian trusts horoscopes.
- But the incident in Yekaterinburg, I think, is an isolated incident. I haven't heard of similar cases in other regions," says Alexei Khokhlov. - In any case, books are not the main channel for modern schoolchildren to get information.
However, Irina Abankina, a professor at the Institute of Education of the National Research University Higher School of Economics, believes that this manual on astrology should not be approached solely from a prohibitive point of view. Especially given the great interest in this topic and schoolchildren, and Russians in general.
- It is hard to say that there is anything dangerous for children in the book itself. I believe that this is a good reason for school authorities to learn how to deal with such gifts, perhaps even include them in some interesting lessons, teaching a critical attitude to this issue to both parents and schoolchildren themselves, and even toddlers," she told Izvestia.
She urges not to make this story scandalous or prohibitive, especially since the school has every opportunity both to control the issuance of this book and to refuse this gift.
Svetlana Vokhrintseva told Izvestia that the publishing house does not perceive this book as a teaching aid - it was "directed to parents and teachers" who are interested in astrology.
How books get into schools
Anna Skroznikova, a member of the State Duma Committee on Education, emphasizes that schools are obliged by law to ensure the quality of education and the safety of students. They must also be guided by the provisions of № 436-FZ "On the protection of children from information harmful to their health and development".
- In this case, the question arises as to what extent the directors fulfilled their obligations to check the materials that came to their educational institution. This should have been done immediately after these books were donated, and not after parents had familiarized themselves with the content," she told Izvestia.
Anna Skroznikova urges to "strengthen control so that books containing information that contradicts educational standards or norms do not end up in schools and kindergartens."
Ayrat Satdykov, deputy director of the Education Development Center of the Higher School of Education of the Presidential Academy, also recalls Order No. 858, which the Ministry of Education issued in September 2022. It approved the federal list of textbooks and teaching aids allowed for use in schools in the implementation of general education programs.
- There is a special procedure for inclusion of textbooks and manuals in this list, they undergo an independent examination for compliance with educational standards," he told Izvestia. - The textbooks included in the list are purchased by school libraries and used in the educational process.
At the same time, says Airat Satdykov, the donated books "have nothing to do with the educational process or extracurricular activities. He also stressed that an educational organization may simply not accept such books "because they are not needed.
Dmitry Kazakov, chairman of the Teacher trade union and a schoolteacher from Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, notes that the flow of information that goes through education departments to schools is so large that the specialists who work there simply do not follow the content of this information. Schools are not always critical of the requirements either. He recalled the stories of pranksters playing pranks on teachers by sending letters allegedly from some federal structure with absurd orders. Teachers participate in this simply because they stop filtering the huge flow of information.
