By Ekaterina Janashia | 2026-02-13

Russian lawmakers want to take homeroom teachers out of the classroom and assign them to full-time supervision.

A new proposal from Boris Chernyshov, vice speaker of the State Duma, would strip homeroom teachers of their subject teaching duties and remake them as full-time "mentors" charged with monitoring students' psychological state, managing classroom "microclimates" and preventing conflict.

In a letter to the Education and Labor ministries, Chernyshov argued that the current system forces homeroom teachers to juggle academic instruction with the emotional supervision of 30 or more students. He said that model is no longer sustainable.

A new mandate

Chernyshov proposed creating a dedicated class mentor focused solely on what he described as the school's "educational potential."

"It is necessary to fundamentally strengthen the educational potential of the school," Chernyshov said.

Under his plan, mentors would monitor students' psychological well-being, coordinate with parents and intervene in "crisis situations" such as bullying or social isolation. They would serve as permanent liaisons between families and schools, fostering what Chernyshov called an "environment of trust" that he believes teachers cannot build while meeting curriculum standards and grading papers.

The initiative dovetails with a broader push by the Education Ministry to formalize conflict resolution. In late December, the ministry issued a four-stage manual for regional schools detailing how to handle disputes through mediation and psychological support.

Schools must first establish facts and report to leadership within one to three days. Staff then interview participants to identify those at fault. A formal commission reviews the evidence and issues a binding written decision. Finally, administrators monitor compliance. The guidelines also instruct schools to suppress "intrigues, rumors, gossip, and manifestations of dishonesty," while allowing appeals to regional commissions tasked with protecting teachers' honor and dignity.

Chernyshov argued that only a dedicated mentor can ensure these procedures are carried out consistently.

Backlash from teachers

The reaction from educators was swift and caustic.

"I am a teacher with 45 years of experience, and I cannot find decent words to comment on such an initiative," Galina Matveenko wrote on the Russian Dzen platform in January in response to the news. She questioned when the author of the idea had last visited a school and said teachers face salary cuts, heavier workloads -- especially involving electronic resources -- and acute shortages of subject specialists.

"Where do you propose to get the people, you so-called people's representative?" Matveenko added.

"If you relieve homeroom teachers of their teaching load, who will teach? There is a shortage of subject teachers in schools -- are you even aware of this?" Liliana Lopatkina asked.

"How frighteningly far from the people Deputy Chernyshov is!" Irina L. added.

"And what will they do? Hold their teenagers by the hand? Sit next to them in class?" Yekaterina Glukhova asked.

Surveillance fears

For some critics, the proposal raises deeper concerns about the direction of state-led reforms.

"They want to turn the teacher into an overseer, like in a juvenile detention colony," Yuri Sedoy wrote.

"Leave the school alone with your 'cardinal decisions' and reforms," Andrey Romanichev added. "Initiatives should come from rank-and-file teachers, not from deputies and certainly not from the minister. Teachers' opinions are ignored. Education has become a bargaining chip for careerists and demagogues of all stripes."

Maria Kataeva argued that the Duma no longer represents ordinary citizens but serves private interests. Deputies, she wrote, do not understand everyday school problems and instead lobby for those who secured their positions.

The dispute exposes a familiar fault line in Russian policymaking: a top-down attempt to engineer social cohesion and "traditional values" through administrative reform colliding with a workforce struggling to fill vacancies and maintain basic standards.

Chernyshov's plan would require hiring new staff to replace teachers removed from classrooms -- and funding that has yet to materialize.