The website of the German public broadcaster “Deutsche Welle” news in Russian writes that in his speech, the illegitimate leader of Belarus A.Lukashenka recognized the current low quality of education in Belarus.
According to him, “almost half” of students today are dissatisfied with the quality of education: they have to acquire the necessary knowledge practically.
A. Lukashenko also complained that not all university graduates who received diplomas work according to their specialty, but become “taxi drivers and pizza delivery people”.
He was visibly upset
“Deutsche Welle” writes that the aforementioned meeting raised demands to strengthen ideological control and further limit the freedom of teachers and students.
A. Lukashenko also called for new university purges, saying that “education has never been and cannot be outside of politics.”
“If there are still people working among you who disagree with our approach and our politics, state ideology, if you employ yesterday’s “regime” shakers, then what conclusions should I draw?”, asked A.Lukashenka, addressing university rectors.
In addition, visibly irritated, he noted that many young people in Belarus seek to obtain higher education abroad.
“What’s the fashion here?” Is it an objective choice? How do you fight for them? – A.Lukashenka asked the gathered. “Of course, they can come back, but with a completely reversed consciousness.”
An article on Deutsche Welle’s Russian-language news website said that following the meeting, it was announced that a task force would be set up to investigate “impossibly ossified” universities.
By September 1, the Belarusian authorities must make the necessary decisions that will lead to “high-quality education and there will be no running away from the country.”
Demands loyalty, not quality
As a lecturer at a Belarusian university who wished to remain anonymous told Deutsche Welle, the problems expressed at the meeting did not surprise anyone associated with the higher education system.
Žygimantas Gedvilas/BNS photo/Diploma awarding ceremony of the European Humanitarian University
“All these complaints regarding the quality of education, the reluctance of graduates to work following the appointment and the withdrawal from the profession did not happen yesterday,” noted the interviewee, who has been working at the university for more than 20 years.
– There have been accusations of insufficient “patriotism” once morest teachers before, and following the events of 2020, the university got rid of many employees.”
The woman said that now the main task for university management is not to improve the quality of education, but to ensure the political loyalty of young people.
Maksim, a student at one of the Minsk universities, agrees with this point of view.
123RF.com photo/Minsk
“Now, very often, instead of classes and lectures, we are forced to attend events that have nothing to do with the educational process: it can be ice hockey matches and actions of the Belarusian Republican Youth Union, although not all students are its members,” says Maksimas.
In addition, according to the young man, universities actively monitor students’ activities on social networks.
“They can simply organize surprise checks in the dormitories with the participation of security forces, who can check laptops and smartphones to see if there are no subscriptions to channels and chat sites recognized as ‘extremist,'” the student clarified.
You have to work it out
According to an article on the Russian-language website of Deutsche Welle news, there is no less active discussion among students regarding part-time work following obtaining a higher education.
For most graduates of Belarusian universities who studied with budget funds, such work usually lasts two years.
However, now the officials are proposing not only to extend the mandatory completion time for some specialties.
Skirmantas Lisauskas/BNS photo/Belarusian rally on the cathedral square
Speaking at the meeting on February 13, the Minister of Education of Belarus, Andrejs Ivanec, proposed to significantly increase the amount of compensation that specialists who have graduated from the university for free, but do not want to work the time prescribed by law, should pay to the state.
In his opinion, this is a good way to “retain shots” in workplaces following graduating from high school.
Not only that, the minister said that in some cases it is necessary to completely reject the possibility of compensating students for study costs.
Deutsche Welle’s Russian-language news website says that Irina is studying at one of the regional universities in Belarus.
Although she is still a 2nd year student, she is already thinking regarding her future appointment.
Photo by Vaidas Mikaitis/Gardinas
“It’s not at all a fact that I will be sent to work in my hometown, so I’m thinking regarding various employment options following graduation,” shares Irina.
“There was an idea to switch to paid education, but there is a high probability that the mandatory appointment to work will not only affect those who study with budget funds.”
The girl admits that she often discusses the possibility of marriage with her classmates.
“Sometimes we talk regarding it as a joke, but in general, the prospect of mandatory overtime is not encouraging,” notes Irina.
She is considering sending her daughter to Poland
The ideas expressed by the Belarusian authorities to limit the departure of young people to study abroad also excited the parents of graduates who are thinking regarding such studies.
Photo by Ben Gerdžiūnas/Pedestrian bridge connecting the center of Brest and the station
Ekaterina, a resident of a small town in the Brest region, is raising two schoolgirl daughters.
The older one will graduate this year, the younger one is in the 8th grade, Deutsche Welle writes.
“I am not happy at all with the procedures that are now being imposed in the Belarusian education system,” says Ekaterina. “If earlier my eldest daughter and I considered the possibility of entering a university in our native country, now we are considering the possibility of continuing her education in Poland.”
According to her, not a single graduate of 2024 has similar plans.
However, parents whose children are 14-15 years old are now actively discussing education abroad.
president.gov.by photo/Aliaksandras Lukashenka
“Parents are now worried regarding what will happen in a year or two, if the ban on leaving Belarus to study becomes a reality,” the interviewer told Deutsche Welle.
Some parents see a way out in sending their children to study in Poland following the 9th grade.
Ekaterina noted that she is not yet ready to consider such an option.
At the same time, the young mother noted that a couple of years ago there were very few conversations regarding education abroad, but now many people are thinking regarding it.
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2024-05-05 17:14:38