Bashkortostan to Pilot Formal Conduct Grades in Schools; Educators Warn of Extra Control

Regional authorities in Russia’s Republic of Bashkortostan will introduce a formal mark for student conduct in a limited pilot set to begin on September 1, the region’s education minister announced. The pilot will be implemented in schools in the cities of Ufa and Sterlitamak and will affect pupils in grades 2 through 8, Republic of Bashkortostan Education Minister Илдар Мәүләтбердин told a meeting of the Regional Management Center (ЦУР).

According to the minister’s announcement, the new “conduct” mark will be awarded at several levels: "үрнәкле" ("образцовое"), "ярый торган" ("допустимое"), and "ярамый торган" ("недопустимое"). The conduct evaluation is to be recorded separately from academic grades, but authorities have said it will be taken into account when issuing school certificates and in decisions about inclusion in the state final attestation (государственная итоговая аттестация).

Officials framed the reform as part of efforts to "тәрбия эшен камилләштерү" — improving educational or upbringing work. The Education Ministry’s move to add a formal behavioral grade had already been signaled earlier this year, and the pilot follows a broader experimental model that was carried out voluntarily in other parts of Russia. That nationwide pilot included 89 schools that opted in, where pupils in grades 5–8 were given conduct marks on a trial basis.

If the Bashkortostan pilot is judged successful, the ministry said the measure could be rolled out across all schools in the republic. For families and educators, the prospect that conduct marks may influence diplomas and access to state certification has raised concern about the consequences for pupils, particularly those whose behavior is judged "допустимое" or "недопустимое."

Representatives of the pedagogic community have expressed skepticism about the policy’s effectiveness and its broader implications. The professional teachers’ union "Учитель" warned that introducing a formal mark for behavior could amount to an additional layer of control and pressure placed on students, and told reporters that such a measure would not resolve deeper problems of conflicts and discipline within schools. According to the union, the grading approach risks focusing on formal sanctions rather than addressing root causes or investing in mediation and support services.

The ministry has presented the measure as administrative and pedagogical, but critics say it raises questions about students’ rights and the balance between order and coercion in educational settings. Because conduct marks are separate from academic grades yet may be counted when issuing certificates and during state attestation processes, some education advocates fear the policy could stigmatize children and affect their future academic trajectories or access to certification.

The Bashkortostan pilot thus joins a growing debate across Russia about methods for managing behaviour in schools and the role of formal evaluation in shaping pupils’ opportunities. While proponents argue that a standardized conduct mark can help promote civic behaviour and consistent discipline, opponents point to the limited evidence from pilots and worry that categorizing children as "exemplary," "acceptable," or "unacceptable" formalizes judgment in ways that may be punitive.

For now, the measure remains at a trial stage in Bashkortostan’s ten schools; authorities will review outcomes after the pilot period to decide whether to expand it to the republic’s wider school network. Educators and rights advocates monitoring the rollout have called for transparency about criteria, appeals procedures, safeguards to prevent discriminatory application, and support systems to address behavioural problems without resorting to punitive labeling.

The announcement comes amid broader conversations in Russia about the role of state policy in schooling and the extent to which administrative tools should be used to shape social behaviour. Observers say how Bashkortostan measures the pilot’s success — and whether it publishes findings and listens to teacher and parent feedback — will be key indicators of whether the reform respects pupils’ rights while seeking to improve school climate.