In conservative Russia, liberal educators are out of a job

Biology teacher Olga Shchegoleva did not last more than six months at a prestigious St. Petersburg school, from which she had to leave under pressure for being the author of a blog about sex education, a further sign of increased intolerance in Russia.

On the blog, Olga Shchegoleva discusses topics such as sexual health, contraception, and the use of sex toys.

It is aimed at adults, which did not prevent several parents from complaining to the management of the school, which is part of the prestigious Rimsky-Korsakov conservatory in the former Russian imperial capital.

Shchegoleva says she liked her job and her students, but felt she had no choice but to quit.

“There is a belief that teachers have no life or hobbies outside of work, and that there is some ethical standard that is not officially defined but that teachers must follow,” he said.

Shchegoleva’s case is not unique. The 31-year-old teacher is one of hundreds of educators who were recently fired or forced to resign for alleged misconduct, a trend that reflects growing intolerance and conservatism in Russia under President Vladimir Putin.

The Education Ministry did not respond to an AFP request for figures, but the president of the Russian teachers’ union, Yuri Varlamov, said the courts have handed down more than 2,000 rulings on immoral conduct in the past five years. Most of the cases involve educators, according to Varlamov.

“The firing of teachers for immoral behavior has been increasingly used by employers against unwelcome workers,” he said.

The legislation in this regard is vague, which leaves the door open for dismissals for a wide range of reasons.

In one high-profile case, an educator from the Siberian city of Omsk, who was also a plus-size model, was pressured to resign when pin-up photos of her surfaced online.

In 2021, a teacher from the Siberian city of Novosibirsk was fired after uploading a video online of her dancing while stripping down to lingerie.

That same year, a teacher from Sevastopol, on the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula, publicly complained about her low salary. She was questioned by police authorities and fired from her.

Activists say educators have been fired for their sexual orientation or for supporting the opposition.

conservative values

Putin, backed by the Orthodox Church, has promoted conservative values ​​to build support among his base, presenting Russia as the antithesis of Western liberal values.

In 2013, Russia passed a controversial law that prohibits the promotion or exhibition of homosexuality to minors. Activists say the law can be used to persecute homosexuals.

Nikita Tushkanov, a history and social studies professor from Mukin, a Soviet-era settlement in northwestern Russia, was never afraid to criticize the authorities.

With a tattooed arm and a rebellious streak, the 27-year-old educator says he has rankled many of his colleagues past retirement age.

He made no secret of his disapproval of the aggressive promotion of Orthodox religious teaching in schools and the militarization of society.

He said that some of his colleagues were sometimes racist and criticized that parents were forced to give money to buy materials that should be covered by the state.

“Our country spends billions of rubles to purchase stun guns, but cannot buy textbooks for children,” Tushkanov said.

“Shut up or die”

When opponents took to the streets in support of detained Kremlin critic Alexei Navalni in January last year, Tushkanov held a one-man rally in Mikun. “Shut up or die,” said a poster in his hands.

His protest against Navalni’s arrest was the straw that broke the camel’s back for the school, he said.

He was fired two months later and his attempts to appeal to the courts were unsuccessful. He has not been able to find another job.

When she tried to go to work in a school, the director received a call from the prosecution. “They told her that if she hired me, she would be in trouble,” says Tushkanov, recounting what the director told him.

Daniil Ken, head of the teachers’ union and linked to Navalni, said pressure on teachers has grown. He pointed out that one way to get around the laws that protect educators is to fire them for unethical conduct.

Shchegoleva, the biology teacher who now works at an NGO, says the current climate has caused a sense of stagnation in society.

“There is the impression that it is not possible to develop, advance, be more modern, more loyal, more understanding and tolerant,” he lamented.