Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's representative for education Olga Shparaga prepared an action plan of support and reform initiatives for the education system of Belarus. The plan includes 3 points and can be implemented in 1-2 years.
What is happening?
Belarusian authorities exert unprecedented pressure on students, teachers and administrative staff of universities, teachers and pupils in schools. Following election fraud on 9 August, at least 390 students were arrested and 146 expelled for their political activities.
Furthermore, Belarusian students and educators are under constant threat of COVID-19 infection, as the current government has taken almost no preventive measures.
The situation requires an urgent response to mitigate the humanitarian crisis in education and, eventually, to start strategic discussions about the future of Belarusian education. We call for immediate measures to support the repressed in academia.
What needs to be done?
Olga proposes the following action plan consisting of three projects.
I. Development of online learning platform for the new Belarus
What are we planning?
1. Create a safe, independent and modern learning and teaching environment for school and university students and their teachers.
2. Integrate Belarusian education into European educational frameworks such as the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) and the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS).
3. Reduce the degree of state control over students, university and vocational school teachers, teachers in schools.
How will it work?
The platform will function by (1) entering into partnership agreements with European universities, (2) developing by Belarusian lecturers and university professors programs accredited by European partner universities (according to ECTS), (3) providing a learning management system for Belarusian school and university students, allowing them to build their own unique educational trajectories.
What makes it unique?
In addition to most educational projects aimed at overcoming the crisis in Belarusian education and helping Belarusian students to study abroad, our project allows us to reach all three goals in Belarus. We believe that this is necessary to integrate Belarusian education into the European educational framework and prevent brain drain.
The test version of the platform will be developed and launched in 6-8 months and will then be finalized and extended over the next 12 to 24 months.
II. Creating an online learning laboratory
Online learning and teaching require new skills and methodical approaches from educators. Unfortunately, most Belarusian teachers do not have them. Therefore, it is necessary to:
1. Develop methodological techniques, methodological recommendations, guides and manuals on pedagogy of online education.
2. To improve the qualifications and postgraduate professional education of teachers and teachers.
III. Establishment of a centre that will prepare a roadmap for education reform
Belarusian education needs serious reform in order to meet the needs of a democratic society (restore academic autonomy, introduce European standards of education, etc.). The mission of the center will be to develop programs to reform the Belarusian education system.
We are bringing together experts who will develop a concept and a roadmap for education reform in six areas:
1. Preschool education;
2. Primary and secondary education;
3. Bachelor's/first stage of higher education;
4. Master's/secondary level of higher education;
5. Technical and vocational education and training;
6. Non-formal education.
Within the framework of the project, working groups will be created in each of the 6 areas, which will actively work to:
1. Analyze the current situation in the above areas, identifying challenges, opportunities, best practices, and key success factors;
2. Analyze and use the international experience of educational reform and feasibility studies;
3. Develop principles and main directions for the reform of the education system as a whole;
4. Develop a reform roadmap for each area.
