Recent amendments to Russian law now exempt children participating in the compatriot resettlement program and children arriving from countries where Russian is a state language from mandatory Russian language testing, aiming to ease their integration into the Russian education system. The changes, implemented in response to concerns about bureaucratic hurdles for Russian-speaking families, allow for immediate retesting for those who initially failed and streamline the admission process.

Alena, a woman who moved with her family from Kazakhstan to Yekaterinburg under the program, faced significant challenges enrolling her children in school due to the Russian language proficiency requirements. Her youngest daughter passed the test after an appeal, but her eldest son, Kostya, failed and was initially required to wait three months before retesting. This situation highlighted the difficulties faced by families who, despite speaking Russian fluently, encountered obstacles due to the testing system.

The family’s struggles included difficulties registering for the test, lack of transparency regarding test results, and limited options for preparing for the retake. Alena expressed frustration with the lack of support and information available to families like hers, considering sending her son back to Kazakhstan to continue his education. The previous regulations mandated a three-month waiting period for retesting, potentially delaying Kostya’s education and ability to take the OGE (Basic State Exam) on time.

Following the amendments, Alena and Kostya will now attempt to register for the test again, with the hope that schools are aware of the changes and will accept him. The new regulations eliminate the three-month waiting period and simplify the testing procedure, requiring only oral testing for children of immigrants from Russian-speaking countries. The family has canceled plans for Kostya to return to Kazakhstan and remains hopeful for a smoother integration into the Russian education system.