Officials supported the idea to make the patriotic badge a mandatory part of the school uniform

The Ministry of Education officially supported the idea of ​​making the patriotic badge an obligatory element of the school uniform. The proposal to introduce the badge as “an attribute of patriotism, high moral principles, as was the case in the Soviet Union” was made by State Duma deputy Yana Lantratova in mid-February and now has found a response in the ministry.

It is difficult to say until what moment children in the USSR wore badges – this was no longer the case in the late Soviet Union. But, undoubtedly, all the pioneer-October paraphernalia, including badges, ties, drums and bugles, was part of a harmonious and well-thought-out ideological system.

“When the Soviets were founded, the youth organizations had talented, highly educated ideologists,” says historian Vadim Alekseev. – Such as, for example, People’s Commissar Lunacharsky, who knew five European languages. As for the pioneer paraphernalia, here, too, everything was originally conceived: a banner of the color of the blood of the working people, a tie of the color of the banner: “He is with a red banner of the same color.” The death of Lenin also, one might say, contributed to the design of the style and subject matter of the pioneer organization. This became part of the ideological strategy to create a cult of Lenin.

But about the pioneer badge. Its prototype was the badge of the scout of the Russian Empire of the early 20th century: George the Victorious on a fleur-de-lis, below the motto “Be ready!”

As you can see, the Bolsheviks came up with little that was new. On the first pioneer badges and tie clips of 1922-23. the sickle and hammer were placed against the background of the flag. In 1924, badges were issued, where Lenin’s mausoleum was in the center. In the 1930s, a bonfire from a pioneer song appeared there, after 1945 – a five-pointed star, a symbol of Victory. And only in the 1960s, during the “restart” of Leninism after the 20th Congress, did the pioneer badge become what most people from the USSR remember it: a star with Lenin’s profile superimposed on fire, “Be ready!” diagonally.

As for the return of such symbols to children, then, in my opinion, it makes sense to take the original sample of the scout badge as a basis. Why make references to such an obsolete socio-historical formation as the “state of workers and peasants”?

With ideological fullness for the new patriotic work at school, too, not everything is in order. No wonder even the name of the children’s and youth movement was invented for a long time with a creak, despite the announced competition. For the “Movement of the First” voted not immediately, in three rounds. To this we can add that the RDDM “Movement of the First”, although it already creates primary cells in schools, still does not have an official symbol and logo.

However, no matter how the new “pioneer” badge turns out to be, it should be attached to the school uniform. The Ministry of Education also mentioned this in their message – it is necessary to change the law “On Education”. Indeed, according to existing standards, schools are only recommended a uniform or a certain dress code. And whether this “monastery” is strict or not, in terms of clothing, is spelled out in the charter of each school. By the way, neither federal law nor internal rules regulate makeup, hair color and length, or even such details of students’ appearance as tattoos or piercings.

There is a lot of talk in the State Duma about the return to school of a uniform school uniform, especially in the last year. The Ministry of Education, represented by its leader, is also in favor. As well as, according to statistics, 30% of parents, and part of the teachers. The arguments of supporters of wearing uniforms are: clean, tidy, uniform, “and we walked like that”, there is no difference in the material well-being of families.

But, for example, a recent study by the HSE Department of Psychology demonstrates a completely different approach to learning. The scientists considered the study of foreign languages, multiculturalism and creativity as the competence of the student. And they proved that they are interconnected. Creativity, creativity at school should be taught, not suppressed. And open-minded thinking and creativity develop mental skills, helps to learn languages.

And vice versa, openness to new experience, cognitive flexibility are developed both through teaching creativity and learning languages. Scientists believe that the soft skills that are so necessary today for a young person (soft skills, a set of competencies in various fields of knowledge – author) develop only with openness to the world without limiting personal freedom and creativity in children. Simply put, the first generation of “virtual reality” and gadgets is unlikely to be pushed into the narrow straps of an apron from the old Soviet school.