"We will not obey them"

Scientist Mikhail Gelfand - about why it is impossible to adopt a bill on educational activities

In the State Duma, they are preparing in the second reading to adopt a bill that changes the federal law “On Education”. The authors of the initiative propose to legislatively fix the concept of educational activities, as well as take measures in order to prevent "negative foreign intervention in the educational process."

Despite the criticism of the scientific community and the general public, the deputies abandoned the fundamental editors of the project. The Russian scientist, Doctor of Biological Sciences, member of the Council of Educational Evolution and Deputy editor -in -Chief of the newspaper Troitsky version - Science Mikhail Gelfand told “such matters” that the bill is dangerous and what will happen to educational activities in the country if it is accepted.

The law is redundant and impossible

Mikhail Gelfand photo: Alexander Shcherbak/TASS

To begin with, the bill on educational activities is not a bill.

The law must contain definitions. He imposes restrictions on citizens and establishes sanctions for violation of these restrictions. Or, conversely, gives opportunities and establishes the conditions for using these capabilities. So the law should be arranged.

There is no good definition of educational activities in this bill. Something extremely vague, not a specific definition is said, under which you can bring anything, including cutting and sewing courses.

Firstly, the educational process and educational work are different things. Even in the bill itself it is stated that educational activity is what is happening outside the main educational process. Why do they generally stuff this into the law on education? This is just another stupidity.

Secondly, the bill says that it is impossible to use educational activities to propagate various bad things . This is unnecessary, because there are many other laws that prohibit the propaganda of bad things.

The law states that educational activities should be licensed. But it does not establish what kind of aspects of educational activities should be licensed, who and how should do this. This all remains on by -laws that are not. If you read literally, literally everything should be licensed - and all reasonable activity and any contacts of universities with foreigners. The explanatory note says about the fight against foreign influence, but licensing is not a way of combating foreign influence.

Exactly the same as with the law on inagents

Licensing is not a way of combating foreign influence. In order to fight foreign influence, you just need to say something more reasonable and convincing yourself.

Therefore, there is no subject for discussion - we do not understand what we are discussing. It turns out that in the current form this law, on the one hand, is redundant, because it repeats the existing one, on the other, it is impossible.

We all know very well how in our Fatherland it is customary to do with impossible laws. They are used in order to accuse of their violation who needs at that moment. With this law, one can observe exactly the same thing as the law on foreign agents.

When the bill on inagents was adopted, it was explained by the fact that people should know about some aspects of the activities of public organizations. “Let's all will be celebrated or submit a couple of extra pieces of paper - it's okay.”

As a result, it turned out that this law was used as an occasion to repress and then close absolutely worthy and extremely demanded public associations. And now a foreign agent can be not only a public association, but also a citizen.

Visitors to the International Scientific and Popular Festival of Science, Technology and Arts Geek Picnic in Moscow Photo: Evgenia Novozhenina/RIA Novosti

And now it is already being discussed that citizens who were declared foreign agents will be forbidden to participate in the elections, and this is a direct violation of the constitution. But we don’t get used to it. The bill on educational activities repeats all these steps.

In fact, it is not clear whether it is necessary to licensing educational activities. Most likely not, although at first glance it would be very tempting to stop the flow of obscurantism on the TV. But they will get to it last, and they will begin just with people who do something substantial and reasonable.

Senator Klimov is a professional fighter with foreign influence, the head of some commission there. But he could not bring any concrete example of a lecture or an educational project that could be brought under this law, and his co -authors too.

Honestly, I do not see any terrible foreign influence. Science is generally international. Therefore, to say that we will have our own science, our enlightenment, but there will be no foreign one-this is somehow wretched. The fact that some people have paranoia and they are afraid of Soros, the Washington regional committee or someone else is to a psychiatrist.

An unexpected sociological measurement

A wave of public indignation on this occasion is unprecedented. When an astrophysicist, the author of the books, who received the Ministry of Education and Science for Educational Activities, Sergey Popov published a petition against these amendments, it was discussed in the scientific community that if we take at least 10 thousand signatures, it would be cool. Now there are more than 200 thousand of them.

It is clear that these are not only enlighteners. This is a very large number of people, especially for a situation that does not imply any emotional response-it was not someone in prison, it was not someone who got sick.

In fact, this is good and amazing news for us. The educational community all the time discussed whether people need what we do.

There was such an unexpected sociological measurement, which showed that this activity is extremely in demand.

In addition, there was a very tough statement from the professional community - from scientists and people who are organizing educational activities. The appeal has about 2 thousand signatures, but these are already a completely different kind of signature-it is professionals in this area. The appeal is extremely tough, this is a direct indication: if you make this nonsense, then we will not obey you, we will not comply with the requirements of this bill.

There was a decision of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which was also unusually sharp for the Academy. This is such an organization that complies with the political rules of the game. This time they stated that the bill did not improve in principle: academics did not propose to make any cosmetic changes, but directly said that it was not suitable and should be withdrawn.

It would seem that this bill is such an insignificant stupidity against the backdrop of everything else, but it caused a really very serious outrage.

What will happen if the law is accepted?

Senator Andrey Klimov photo: Vladimir Trefilov/RIA Novosti

If this bill in the form in which he is now moving, will be accepted, then some people from educational activities will leave because it will be disgusting. And first of all, the most valuable will leave - scientists who are engaged in popularization not as the main thing, but because they are interested in it. These are people who themselves make advanced Russian science and tell Russian society about it. And if Senator Klimov or one of these cheburashki with a license comes to them, then they will simply be sent, and that’s all.

The second side - the bureaucratic burden on professional organizers of the educational sites will increase. This is not fatal, but annoying. All these sites are held on a thin line between enthusiasm and various difficulties. Such sites will gradually cringe - and it will begin in the regions. Local bureaucracy is always fierce than metropolitan.

Of course, the one who already wants to learn something about science will be able to do it through YouTube videos, books, lectures, podcasts; Although even here a important role is played by live communication, the opportunity to ask a question, to talk after a lecture and the like. But to interest new people and show them that science is not boring and incomprehensible, but interesting, it will become more complicated. The general intellectual level of society and the influx of young people in science will suffer.

We stock up on popcorn

It is very interesting to watch what is happening now. I watched a television interview with the authors of the bill, then there was a meeting of the State Duma committee - they began to crawl. This is very predictable, because one of the foundations of stateliness in Russia is that it is impossible to provoke public indignation. This is what our God is most afraid of the stored leadership. The fools who wrote this bill completely underestimated what bomb they throw.

It seems that they hoped that they would show activity, get approving notes in personal affairs, will remain in the lists in the next elections to the State Duma and the like. Instead, I think, they flew strongly from the authorities, I don’t know who leads them there.

Now it is clear how much rhetoric has changed [on federal channels and at the meetings of the State Duma]. At the beginning of this process, Senator Klimov gave an interview that this is all the machinations from the West, scientists do not understand anything and they are called from abroad. The explanatory note to this law all exclusively consisted of the need to counteract Western propaganda. Now they say that this is a frame document and in vain everyone is worried.

Students at the lecture as part of the All -Russian festival of science Nauka0+ in Moscow photo: Alexey Kudenko/RIA Novosti

All this opposition to propaganda is now noticeable under the carpet, and as the main enemy they are not exposed to some terrible shoros, but by all sorts of frips from YouTube. That is, the vector was replaced by foreign propaganda for obscurantism on the Internet . But this is hypocrisy, because in the explanatory note to the project there are no fricigs, flat land, homeopaths and astrologers at all.

And even if this new version is taken for the truth, then the matter is still hopeless. Because it is impossible to imagine a government body that regulates the videos in YouTube and checks what kind of Earth this video is round or flat about.

Now there is a stupidity test. It is clear that they cannot withdraw this project, because the tanks do not go backwards, this is a loss of face for a large number of people. Either they will make the project toothless and unnecessary, or substantial and harmful, but at the same time, people will not be able to blow their heads. They do not deal with fools, but with professionals, including professionally engaged in reading and interpretation of texts. So we stock up with popcorn.

Recorded Alexander Sadykov