Education Ministry to introduce counter- terrorism course in Russian schools, universities (Education Ministry to introduce counter- terrorism course in Russian schools, universities.pdf)

https://www.rt.com/politics/361564-education-ministry-to-introduce-counter/Education Ministry to introduce counter- terrorism course in Russian schools,universitiesPublished time: 4 Oct, 2016 12:51© Aleksandr Utkin / SputnikRussia’s Education Ministry plans to introduce a course of lectures in schools anduniversities aimed at increasing awareness about terrorist groups and theirrecruitment methods, as well as to counter extremist propaganda.Sources in the ministry told popular daily Izvestia that its specialists werepreparing a special course of at least 10 hours of lectures on prevention ofextremism and terrorism among the younger generation.

Before the end of this yearthe material will be sent to schools and university in about 50 regions. Apart fromlectures the specialists plan to include several educational films into the course.The sources also told reporters that the ministry had already held many eventsaimed at countering radical ideologies, but their results had never been publishedand therefore the broad public is unaware of them.To correct this, education officials want to launch a separate interactive map ofcounter-terrorist activities in various educational institutions.The map will be based on a special interactive website, featuring announcementsof all such events and their results. Its authors hope that the move will help attractyoung people to counterterrorism education.In December last year, nationalist opposition party Motherland proposed that allsecondary schools should be legally obliged to conduct anti-terrorist coursesamong pupils and explain the role of the state in countering extremist groups, suchas the infamous Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL).The sponsors of the motion acknowledged that Russian schools were alreadyproviding anti-terrorism lessons as part of a course called ‘basics of a safelifestyle’, but noted that the scale of the threat demands greater attention to theproblem.In October 2015, a university in central Russia published 3,000 copies of a bookdetailing the deceits used by IS and describing the dangers that await the possiblerecruits to the terrorist group.

The book is now being distributed among professorsin educational establishments and also among imams in mosques in order to teachthem how to oppose extremists correctly.These steps were largely prompted by the scandal in which a 19-year-oldphilosophy student Varvara Karaulova went to Turkey in May 2015 with the aimof joining IS. She was detained by the Turkish authorities and deported to Russia,where she faced prosecution over charges of attempted participation in a terroristorganization. Law enforcers reported that Karaulova’s recruiters wereapprehended.Sources in the Russia’s Education Ministry told popular daily Izvestia that theyplans to introduce a course of lectures in schools and universities aimed atincreasing awareness about terrorist groups and their recruitment methods. Aspecial course will contain at least 10 hours of lectures on prevention of extremismand terrorism.

They also plan to include several educational films into the courseapart from lectures and launch a separate interactive map of counter-terroristactivities in various educational institutions. It is worth noting that anti-terrorismlessons were already providing as part of a course called ‘basics of a safe lifestyle’in schools. This situation was caused by the scandal with a 19-year-old philosophystudent Varvara Karaulova. She went to Turkey in 2015 to join ISIS.

She wasdetained and deported to Russia by the Turkish authorities. Varvara facedprosecution over charges of attempted participation in a terrorist organization..