Russia proposes charging migrant children for upper-secondary education
LDPR deputies propose that foreign citizens' children pay tuition for grades 10–11. Independent analysts say the party's figures are inflated; the measure would affect Central Asian migrant families.
On 14 October 2026, deputies from Russia's LDPR party submitted a proposal to the government: children of foreign citizens and stateless persons should pay tuition for the final two years of upper-secondary school — grades 10 and 11.
What the proposal says
Party leader Leonid Slutsky argued that migrant families should bear the cost of educating their children in Russian upper-secondary schools, so that public funds can be redirected to Russian pupils. The LDPR claimed the move could save the state 37 billion rubles (~$440 million) a year, estimating that more than 130,000 foreign children study in grades 10–11.
The numbers do not add up
The data project Tochno analysed Education Ministry figures and found a different picture: in 2025–26 there were roughly 130,000 foreign pupils across all grades, plus about 3,000 stateless pupils. Only 4% of them — about 5,200 — are in grades 10–11, casting serious doubt on the LDPR's projected savings.
Impact on Central Asian families
From April 2025, Russia introduced Russian-language proficiency and legal-residence document requirements for school enrolment. As a result, enrolment of Uzbek, Tajik and Kyrgyz children fell 27% in 2025–26 — from 122,000 to 89,000.
Children returning home
In January 2026, Tajikistan reported that 9,000 Tajik children had returned from Russia because they could not access education. Uzbek migrant families face similar obstacles, as Russia remains the main destination for labour migration.
