In Novosibirsk, the private Novokolleg school, which was one of the few that dared to publicly condemn the war against Ukraine and war propaganda, is ending. In return, she received checks from the authorities and fines. In addition, it was not accredited and its founder, Sergei Chernyshov, was labeled a “foreign agent” by the authorities, BBC News reported on its Russian-language website. The school will stop functioning at the end of the school year, Černyšov told the portal.
Novosibirsk
10:43 am May 4, 2024
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In Novosibirsk, a school whose management was against the war is ending (illustrative photo) | Photo: Alexander Demianchuk | Source: Reuters
Novokolleg, in existence for five years, was the only higher vocational school in Russia that operated according to the Western model, where students choose their own subjects and determine the timetable. Students enjoyed creative freedom and classes were debates rather than lectures, the BBC reported.
After the outbreak of war, Chernyshov “with unprecedented openness” rejected news imposed from Moscow, such as the ritual raising of the state flag every Monday, brainwashing with war propaganda or a unified history textbook. He did not hesitate to voice his opinions, while most teachers and school principals preferred to remain silent.
Freedom in Russia?
Dissatisfaction and disappointment led to the closure of the school rather than reporting and bullying by the authorities. “I thought that in a remote region we would create education according to the most modern world standards and that people needed it. But it turns out that most of them don’t need it, so we accommodate the wishes of the workers,” he explained wryly. “A free, independent school needs free, independent people. But being free and independent in today’s Russia is difficult,” he added.
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He claimed that he was determined to resist the pressure from the authorities, but many educators and students were unwilling to fight. In response to pressure from the authorities, teachers began to leave the school. The students, on the other hand, were not pleased that they would not receive a diploma at the end of their studies. About a third stopped paying school fees, explaining that the school does not have state accreditation.
“There were people who said they supported us, but it turned out that the diploma was more important to them. It all devolved into endless bickering and it turned out that few people care about values,” he said, adding that it was this discontent within the school that led to the decision to close it down.
Teachers from Brezhnev
Yuri Lobanov, who replaced Chernyšov as the school’s director after he was labeled a “foreign agent”, sees the breath of new times in the students’ attitudes: “Their priorities are changing. It seems to them that the state (in its current form) has been here for seriously too long, and they have to adapt.” He sees the decision to close the school as a lesson to students that “there are very harmful trade-offs” that mean “the road to decline.”
Černyšov also believes that it is not possible to “bow down to the regime just a little” when conditions remind him of “the late Soviet Union”.
“The average age of a teacher in Russia is 50, so they grew up under (Soviet leader Leonid) Brezhnev, when they learned that you say one thing at home, another at work and a third when climbing the career ladder. And this generation is now raising our children,” he noted.
Černyšov and his family moved to Munich. “I’m not a revolutionary. I thought of a normal career in a normal country, and that’s why we’re here,” he concluded.
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