All this is very foreign – Kommersant Kazan

As Kommersant-Kazan has learned, statistical registration of migrant children is being introduced in Tatarstan. Officials will ensure that they not only master the Russian language well, but also that they “evenly fill” school classes and groups in kindergartens. The authorities also plan to work more closely with foreign students – take fingerprints from them when enrolling in universities and control their movement using an “information data exchange system” between educational institutions and the Ministry of Internal Affairs: the regional Ministry of Digital Development has been tasked with creating such a software product. According to experts, the republic’s authorities are preparing for the fact that “there will be more and more migrants,” and their children will become citizens of the Russian Federation. This is “both a resource and future patriots and soldiers,” they believe.

The Ministry of Education and Science of Tatarstan, together with the heads of cities and regions of the republic, will maintain “statistical records of migrant children being brought up and studying” in schools, kindergartens and colleges. This instruction was given by the rais of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov following a meeting of the Security Council of the republic and the Council for Interethnic and Interfaith Relations, which took place at the end of last year.

According to the protocol, which Kommersant-Kazan has reviewed, officials will monitor the level of academic performance of children of foreigners, as well as their degree of proficiency in the Russian language and “involvement in socially useful activities.”

By March 1 of this year, the ministry and municipalities will need to “organize work to ensure uniform filling of classrooms with children of foreign citizens.”

It is also planned to “take measures to streamline the leisure activities of migrant children.” Officials are instructed to “ensure, as part of educational work, their adaptation into school groups, as well as preventive coverage outside of school hours.” This is necessary “in order to form generally accepted norms of behavior in children,” the document says.

In addition, local officials should work with the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tatarstan to “exchange information regarding migrant children regarding their enrollment in compulsory general education.”

The republic is also strengthening control over foreign students. Rectors of Tatarstan universities were asked to “increase the requirements for the level of knowledge of the Russian language in entrance examinations for foreign citizens.”

Before enrolling at the university, a foreigner must undergo mandatory dactyloscopic registration (fingerprints) and a medical examination.

Institutes and universities, as regional authorities expect, will conclude additional agreements to contracts for the training of foreign students. It will be stated there that students can be expelled “for systematic absenteeism, poor academic performance, gross violations of the legislation of the Russian Federation, and migration registration rules.” They will also be required to live only at the place of registration. A change of place of registration will need to be reported “immediately” to the university administration. This issue should be worked out by the Ministry of Education and Science of Tatarstan and the Council of Rectors of Universities of the Republic.

The authorities of the republic propose to introduce into the curricula of the first and second semester “adaptation courses for foreign students on the basics of the legislation of the Russian Federation with a test in this subject.” In addition, for first-year students, “introductory lectures on the functioning of national-cultural organizations, the norms of Russian legislation, traditions and cultural features of the Russian Federation, rules and norms of behavior accepted in Russian society” are expected.

In all universities of Tatarstan, where students from other countries study, positions of work supervisors will appear, who will have “assistants with knowledge of the native language of these students.”

The republican authorities also want to “expand the scope of use of the Russian language by foreign students.” For this purpose, “Russian language clubs, scientific circles and societies for foreign students” will be created. Universities must develop “a set of measures aimed at supporting students with tuition arrears, including through their employment.”

The Kazan Federal University, the Ministry of Digital Development and the Ministry of Education and Science of Tatarstan were recommended to “develop an information system for data exchange between educational organizations of the republic and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tatarstan in order to optimize the work on migration registration of students.”

Let us recall that in December 2023, Rustam Minnikhanov ordered the creation of a special body in the republic that would monitor issues related to foreign citizens. “Their stay must be regulated within the framework of existing norms and laws,” he explained. “Migrants must be socialized, they must understand how to behave,” added the head of the republic.

The regional parliament has already submitted draft amendments to the country’s migration legislation for consideration by the Council of Legislators of the Russian Federation. Deputies proposed to interrupt the stay of foreign citizens in Russia if they did not start studying or working within 30 days after entering the Russian Federation, which is why their visa was approved.

“The problem of migrants is relevant not only for Tatarstan. There will obviously be more and more of them, since we have fallen into a demographic hole and there is a shortage of workers,” argues political strategist Konstantin Kalachev. He says that there are two options: “Either we, like in the UAE, invite migrants only to work without families, or they come with their families and we begin to somehow build, adapt, assimilate them.”

According to the expert, the Tatarstan authorities in this case consider the children of foreigners and students from abroad “as future citizens of Russia.”

“Therefore, they must know Russian and maybe even Tatar. They must be embedded in society. There are cases when children of migrants beat locals. From time to time we come across such news feeds,” the expert points out.

According to Mr. Kalachev, if foreigners are future citizens of the Russian Federation, then the authorities “are forced to deal with them”: “Do not let them build ghettos and national neighborhoods.” “They should not irritate local residents. Therefore, the authorities must educate them. This is a resource, future patriots, and soldiers,” concludes Konstantin Kalachev.

Kirill Antonov