Another lesson from the “Conversations About Important Things” series was held in Russian schools, this time посвящённый starting a business and entrepreneurship. Students were presented with the idea of “socially responsible business” as a form of modern patriotism and were told that one can register as self-employed from the age of 14.
According to the teaching materials, the teacher was supposed to explain that the country allegedly offers “one of the simplest tax systems in the world” for starting a legal business, and that new entrepreneurs “are not left alone with difficulties” thanks to state support measures.
“The state is ready to become your partner on this path, offering simple and fair tools for starting out,” — the lesson script states.
During the lesson, teachers were encouraged to discuss how business can become a form of serving the Motherland, and to ask what exactly an entrepreneur “gives back” to the state and society—beyond taxes—when receiving grants and benefits.
As an example of “business serving the Motherland,” older students were told about entrepreneur Vyacheslav Varyanikov. Since the start of the war, he has brought together dozens of businesspeople to collect aid for residents of the “liberated territories” and for military personnel. This case is presented as proof that a “true entrepreneur is a creator,” and that success is measured not only by profit but also by one’s contribution “to the future of the country.”
At the end of the lesson, older students were once again shown a fragment from the program BesogonTV, framing import substitution as part of national security and the “fight against sanctions.”
