Primorye residents divided over school behavior grades

On February 1, the Vladivostok administration announced that starting from the new academic year, schools in Primorye will introduce grades for behavior. However, residents of the region, both young people and the older generation, have reacted ambiguously to the initiative.

Some consider the idea relevant and good, pointing to the increase in bullying cases and worsening behavior among schoolchildren, as well as referring to experience from Soviet schools.

«In Soviet times, grades were given specifically for behavior, not for academic performance. And it disciplined most students! And the completely unmanageable ones were expelled from school,» wrote Marina in the comments.

«What is there to think about? It needs to be introduced, otherwise children have become too reliant on their impunity,» believes user Ivan.

An equal number of people called the initiative not entirely clear and even useless. Many recalled their own experience and emphasized that a bad grade for behavior did not affect students in any way.

«For those students who terrorize the whole school, are on the register, and the principal cannot handle the situation, these grades mean nothing. What»s the point of them?« wrote Elena.

«Will this grade also go into the diploma and have weight for admission and calculation of the average score? If not, then there is no sense in this supposedly necessary measure at all,» pointed out Natalya B.

«This is a bad innovation, and it will not affect children»s behavior at all. I studied in Soviet times and was the only elementary school student who was given a behavior diary. Good grades in it were only for the first week,« wrote Marina.

«They teach us to be obedient and diligent slaves from childhood,» commented Evgeny.

Some Primorye residents pointed out that children«s bad behavior often stems from family problems and lack of attention from adults, so the innovation may only worsen the situation.

Also, the most frequently asked questions are: «How will the grade affect behavior?», «What will it give?» There is no answer to this yet, even the children«s ombudsman of Primorye, Olga Romanova, emphasized that consequences for schoolchildren and their parents will be introduced, but it is still unclear what they will be.

She pointed out that schools in Primorye are not ready for the innovation, and clarified that the result may vary due to parents« approach: some will take the initiative seriously, while others may ignore it, especially when it comes to parents who do not concern themselves with raising their child.

She also believes that disputes over grades will provoke many conflict situations, and therefore preparations for the new system should begin now.

On December 15, we reported that in Primorye region, the number of appeals regarding school conflicts has sharply increased. The official Telegram channel of the commissioner for children«s rights »Protection of Children Primorye« reported increased cases of bullying and acute disputes among children, often against the backdrop of adult inaction.