Tatiana Shchyttsova: “September 1 marks Knowledge Day in Belarus.
It is the most democratic holiday because it relates to everyone in our society.
Knowledge is the universal value that binds everyone together:
- It connects different generations.
- It links private and public interests.
- It binds the interests of business and civil society.
Every parent wants their child to receive a good education and become a qualified specialist in one field or another. A state is doomed to degradation if it does not provide quality education at all levels and does not fund fundamental scientific research. It is a “knowledge society” that maximizes the creative potential of civil society. A country develops economically and intellectually if its business and entrepreneurship are driven by the “knowledge economy”.
Knowledge is the key word in the modern world. It is the key to a dignified and interesting life for each person and the key to our country's worthy participation in the global production of scientific technology.
Knowledge is the key basis for fruitful international cooperation in any field.
In a country where development and creativity are the main priorities, teachers, professors and scientists are among the most honorable and well-paid professions. It has to be like that in Belarus as well. The sooner the better.
Knowledge Day is also a holiday that inspires hope. Because for those who strive for gaining and sharing knowledge, the major value is truth.
Science understands truth as the understanding of how the world works, of the laws by which nature, society, and humans evolve. For sciences, the basic virtues are objectivity, openness to new things, and curiosity.
Art sees truth as the ability to convey important values and meanings in words or images. And for it, the main virtue is a special openness to the world, sympathy and sensitivity, attention to the different, the unexpected, the surprising.
We know well that all these virtues are incompatible with ideological pressure and propaganda; they need freedom and an open, meaningful dialogue to be fully implemented. Unfortunately, today our country lacks these conditions.
And yet, despite the extremely difficult situation in Belarus, September 1 remains a holiday because the majority of Belarusians know and appreciate the virtues that make us and our children human and our world humane: a teacher’s objectivity, a child’s or scientist’s curiosity, an artist’s creative imagination, and their ability to search for truth together and have a passionate discussion. This is what leaves hope that a change might come to our country.
Teachers and parents, today it depends first and foremost on you whether our children will have the opportunity to understand the true value of knowledge.
Happy holiday to all of us! Happy Day of Knowledge, Happy Day of Hope!”
