Russia's School Overhaul: More Forced Labor Hours, Less AI Brain Power

The Ministry of Education has officially unveiled plans to bump the mandatory classroom load for 10th and 11th graders to 2,312 hours starting September 1, 2027. This 142-hour increase over the two-year span is supposedly to ensure students reach peak exhaustion before graduation, as the new standard forces everyone into a rigid 37-hour weekly grind.

In a bold move to simplify life, the Ministry is axing the requirement for advanced-level subjects. Every student will now be limited to a standard, baseline curriculum across six profiles, ranging from humanitarian to agricultural tracks. Apparently, depth is overrated when you can just have more of the same mediocre content.

Meanwhile, the stance on AI is a masterclass in technological paranoia. While older students get to use AI for basic data crunching, its use in examinations is strictly forbidden. Any AI-generated material must undergo a rigorous, manual vetting process to ensure it aligns with 'spiritual and moral values.' Essentially, computers are allowed to help, but only if they promise to be as boring as a 1950s textbook.

This is a brilliant strategy for ensuring the next generation is perfectly equipped to handle tasks that were automated away a decade ago. By shielding students from actual AI integration while burying them in mandatory seat time, the future is being carefully curated to be as analog and stagnant as humanly possible.