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Buildings are a force: 670 schools will be opened by the new academic year after major repairs
By September 1, 2025, 670 schools will reopen in Russian regions after major repairs, Russian Education Minister Sergei Kravtsov said. About 18 million schoolchildren will start studying, including about 1.5 million first-graders. 46 new schools will also accommodate children, and 150 more are planned to open by 2030. How programs for the construction and overhaul of educational institutions are implemented and the most comfortable conditions for children are created — in the material of Izvestia.
Schools' readiness for the new academic year
On September 1, almost 18 million students will go to schools across the country, including about 1.5 million first—graders, Education Minister Sergei Kravtsov said on the eve of the start of the new school year.
— Buildings are being returned to regional education systems after major repairs. By September 1, 2025, we plan to open 670 renovated schools, 41 kindergartens and 22 colleges," he said.
It is planned to renovate another 580 school buildings by the end of the year. According to the head of the Ministry of Education, since the beginning of the implementation of the federal capital repair program in 2022, more than 5,000 school buildings have already been renovated.
—On September 1, we will cross the 5,600,000 mark," he added.
In addition, 46 new schools were commissioned in Russia this year, the construction of which was postponed from 2024, Sergey Kravtsov added. According to him, it is planned to open 150 more new schools by 2030. Construction of 64 of them has already begun this year, and they will be commissioned in 2027.
The overhaul of schools is carried out within the framework of the federal program "Modernization of school education systems", planned for the period from 2022 to 2026, according to the Ministry of Education. As part of the program, major repairs are to be carried out in 7.3 thousand buildings. On behalf of the president, its validity was extended until 2030.
Complaints from parents of schoolchildren and teachers are recorded annually that educational institutions were not repaired on time, the head of the Popular Front told Izvestia. Analytics" by Olga Pozdnyakova.
"In some regions, such cases occur every year, but there are few of them in the total number of schools," she noted.
There are a number of typical reasons why the deadlines set for repairs are not being met, she stressed. According to her, there are situations when the contractor who won the competition takes an advance payment, starts work and leaves the facility.
"In this case, a long legal procedure begins to recover funds, force them to fulfill obligations, or hold a new competition," she explained.
In addition, there are cases when the contractor simply cannot cope with the amount of work on time. According to Olga Pozdnyakova, there are also situations when repairs are performed poorly and have to be redone.
"Control by the authorities from the first days of the renovation is important here, as well as active work to inform the parent community and teachers," the expert emphasized.
How was the preparation for September 1 in the regions?
30 new schools and 26 kindergartens will be opened in St. Petersburg by the new academic year, Governor Alexander Beglov said at a working meeting with members of the city government at the end of August.
"As in previous years, they were built according to the St. Petersburg standard — with a powerful sports core, laboratories, spacious classrooms, media libraries, swimming pools, and creative venues," he noted.
According to the governor, 1,9 thousand educational institutions have been prepared for the academic year, and about 1 million people will attend them on September 1. There are 619,000 students among them, which is 25,000 more than last year.
"The readiness of all educational institutions for the new academic year is 100%. All facilities are equipped with alarm buttons, security guards and security systems," the city administration said in a statement on its website.
Major repairs were carried out in 104 schools in the Northern Capital, as well as 69 kindergartens and 18 colleges. In 2025, 6.9 billion rubles were allocated from the city budget for these purposes. By the new academic year, more than 140 schools and one hundred kindergartens will be equipped with "modern means of education and upbringing for the implementation of early science education programs," the administration added.
In addition, the regional administration noted that schools will have equipment for teaching subjects "Fundamentals of security and protection of the Motherland" and "Labor".
Preparations for the new academic year have been completed in Moscow. Thus, more than 1.6 million people will come to educational institutions in the city, said Mayor Sergei Sobyanin in his Telegram channel. In addition, 34 new schools and kindergartens will be opened in Moscow.
"The complete reconstruction of 51 buildings under the My School program has been completed, where 35,000 children will study. The spaces have become modern, bright and comfortable, with laboratories, media libraries and creative areas," the mayor added.
According to him, 1,2 thousand kindergartens and schools have been renovated in the capital by the new school year.
In addition, more than 60 territories of educational institutions have been improved, according to the official portal of the Mayor of Moscow. Places for recreation were set up there, various outdoor furniture and lanterns were installed.
"The main task was to create comfortable and safe spaces for students in accordance with modern requirements, because children spend quite a lot of time on the territories of schools and kindergartens," said Petr Biryukov, Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Housing and Communal Services and Landscaping.
How does the school environment affect children?
The educational environment is one of the important factors influencing the learning process, Vladimir Kabanov, Deputy director of the Institute of Child Development, Health and Adaptation, noted at a meeting of the All—Russian Forum of Workers of Educational organizations in rural settlements "Inspiration from mentors: Zemstvo School."
— The concept of "educational environment" implies everything that generally affects the development of a child at school — space, the rhythm of the day, the atmosphere of communication, the organization of play and work, temperature, noise and light levels in the room, — the expert explained. — According to WHO, up to 90% of the factors affecting a child's health are outside the healthcare system. They are related to lifestyle, nutrition, physical activity, and learning conditions.
According to him, even simple changes in the organization of space can significantly affect children's ability to concentrate, switch their attention and memorize material.
— In 2023, we conducted a series of measurements in children aged five to seven, and 63% of them showed increased fatigue towards the middle of the day. In 90% of cases, this coincided with an overloaded and similar environment, when there were only desks in the school, there were no rest rooms and sensory objects," the expert said.
To create comfortable and effective learning conditions, it is necessary to follow several basic principles, noted Vladimir Kabanov. These include, for example, zoning of space, accessibility of movement, compliance with standards for lighting brightness, noise level, and amount of air.
— Too bright lights or stuffiness in the classroom are not small things, but factors that affect cognitive effectiveness (the ability to learn through the use of mental resources). Simple measures, such as the installation of a noise—absorbing coating, regular ventilation of the premises, are in the real area of the school," he stressed.
If the school is well-groomed and tidy, the child organizes it, he gets aesthetic pleasure, psychologist Natalia Naumova told Izvestia.
— In general, when a person is in a beautiful place, he feels safe and can adjust to a learning mood, — the expert added. — And when a person is in a dirty, untidy environment, he feels uncomfortable.
The child is more collected and attentive when the classroom environment is ergonomic and everything is competently and conveniently planned, she added. At the same time, the appearance of the building and classroom is just one of the factors that affects the interest of children in the educational process.
In addition, when a student moves to another educational institution after school closes for major repairs, they need time to adapt.
— It is very important here that parents are sensitive to the student, so that he has the opportunity to talk about his experiences at home, share them with adults, and receive support. It is important that teachers give children the opportunity to look around at their new school," Natalia Naumova advised.
After students return to the renovated school, they may also take time to deal with their emotions.
"But when a child returns to a new, renovated school, adaptation occurs quickly, usually within a couple of days," the expert explained.
At the same time, according to her, at first the student will look around, show interest, curiosity. It is important not to pull the child away, especially when it comes to younger students, the expert emphasized.
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