Download the digest on education and science here.
- Repressions
– On February 4, philosopher Uladzimir Matskevich, who has been under arrest for more than six months on charges of “organizing and preparing actions that grossly violate public order“ (part 1 of article 342 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus), started a hunger strike in protest against the lawless prolonged pre-trial detention and the absence of any investigative actions against him. Representatives of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office Tatiana Shchyttsova, Valery Kavaleuski, and Alexander Dabravolski recorded a video address in support of the philosopher, and the International Association of Humanities calls for signing a letter to the Prosecutor General's Office of the Republic of Belarus demanding compliance with the law in relation to Matskevich. Check the Facebook page dedicated to Uladzimir.
– New details of politically motivated dismissals at the Belarusian State University (BSU), Faculty of Law have been reported. Faculty members Professor Kirill Tomashevski (Doctor of Law), Associate Professor Tatsyana Avdeeva (Senior Lecturer), Associate Professor Sergey Pratasavitski (Candidate of Law) were also dismissed, supposedly designated by the KGB as “unreliable”, in addition to Professor Yuliya Haurylchanka (Doctor of Law).
– Kirill Dolgorukov, a physical education teacher who had previously served 13 days of arrest for “mentally supporting the protesters”, was forced to quit his job at the Belarusian State University.
– BSU students are summoned to the administration for “preventive talks” ahead of the “referendum”. The administration representatives talk about students who have already been expelled for protests to force current students to keep a low profile during the “referendum”. Some students are forced to sign a document stating that they have been warned of administrative and criminal liability for participating in mass events. This information is confirmed at the Faculty of Law, Faculty of International Education, Faculty of Geology, Faculty of Philology, Faculty of Physics.
– In Masty town, solfeggio teacher Halina Tsiarentsieva was fined for reposting Belsat three years ago. Belsat has been designated as “extremist”, as well as recognized as “extremist formation”. The security forces searched Tsiarentsieva’s apartment and confiscated her computer equipment.
– BSMU (State Medical University) students’ telegram channel and chat were declared extremist upon application by the Prosecutor’s Office of the Maskouski district of Minsk.
– Belarusian Students’ Association, in cooperation with the Belarusian Independent Bologna Committee, released an annual report on repressions in the Belarusian academia.
- Regime’s policy
– The regime adopted a new edition of the Education Code. The amendments include compulsory secondary education for all; new rules for admission to institutions of higher and secondary specialized education; more places for students whose education is financed by future employers, as well as exemption from entry exams for some of these students; education for children in pre-trial detention centers.
– Experts say the new edition of the Code makes the education system even less practical and effective and introduces “disguised social slavery”.
– On February 10, a new Minister of Education was appointed. Now, the position is held by Doctor of Chemical Sciences, Associate Professor Andrei Ivanets, who has been a member of the Council of the Republic since 2019, holding the position of Deputy Chairman of the Standing Committee for Education, Science, Culture and Social Development. Mr. Ivanets was also a representative of Lukashenka for the 2020 election.
– The state used medical students to make up for the lack of personnel for the next wave of the pandemic. Interns of all specialties except dentists, students of 5-6 courses of the medical faculty, some dentists, and pharmacists are summoned to work in the health centers. Some students are offered to volunteer in medical institutions instead of working off the missed lectures.
– Educational institutions still ignore the epidemiological measures: mass events, mostly with people not wearing masks and keeping social distance, were held in schools in Minsk, Hrodna, Homiel, Mazyr.
– In Belarus, under the Presidential Administration, the Republican Council for Historical Policy is being created – a permanent body that will “give recommendations on preventing and suppressing violations in the field of preserving historical memory”.
– The Decree of the Council of Ministers No. 29 of January 17, 2022, increased prices for food in preschool and school institutions in Belarus. On average, the cost of lunches and daily meals will increase by 13%.
- Independent initiatives and events
– The 10th International Congress of Belarusian Studies, which will be held in Kaunas (Lithuania), has announced the call for fully-formed panels. Panels are intended to generate lively discussions on specific research problems or present findings within specific disciplines or research fields. The committee welcomes submissions from individuals and organizations. Applications are accepted until March 20, 2022. See details: https://www.icbs.by/post/10th-icbs-call-for-panels-deadline-march-20-2022-4.
– Freedom House offers support for civil initiatives aimed at solving relevant issues of the Belarusian society at the local and national levels, as well as promoting democratic changes in the country. Applications will be accepted from Belarusian civic groups inside and outside of Belarus, as long as they bring together activists in Belarus and those who were forced to leave. Read more here.
– The Flying University has released a video course, “PR: how to build communication in public space”. The course is designed by Iryna Sidorskaya, Doctor of Philology, teacher, and expert in the field of strategic communications. The course aims to help people promote their ideas and projects, introduce them to the audience, media, partners, and sponsors.
– The annual London Conference on Belarusian Studies will take place on February 18-19. The conference serves as a multidisciplinary forum of Belarusian studies in the West and offers a rare networking opportunity for researchers of Belarus. The event will be held in the hybrid format. The working language is English. Applications are accepted until February 16th. Read more here.
– You can now subscribe to “A Short History of Belarus” by Doctor of Historical Sciences Ales Kravtsevich. “The book was written <…> to let every Belarusian clearly and logically retell our great and glorious history in 10 minutes”, notes one of the initiators of the subscription, Hleb Labadzenka.
– Belarusian Students’ Association and Youth Bloc will hold a course of zoom-lectures on the Belarusian language for everyone, “8 steps to promote Belarusian!”. The lectures will be given by graduates of the BSU Faculty of Philology of BSU Ales Minau and Liliya Gusarava.
- Educational Reform development
– On February 10, the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, in cooperation with the platform of the Belarusian expert community “Ideas Bank”, held a discussion in Vilnius at the site of the European Humanities University on the topic of the post-Soviet education system and its possible alternatives. Head of the Division for Strategic Programs of the Lithuanian Ministry of Education and Science Ričardas Ališauskas and education consultant, researcher, teacher Eglė Pranckūnienė shared their country's experience in reforming higher and secondary education.
– The Belarusian Education on the Way of Change project held a discussion on Business Education. Businessman Aliaksandr Knyrovich and expert in education management Sviatlana Matskevich joined it.
- International Opportunities
– Warsaw University has opened admission to the master's program on the history of Central and Eastern European, Caucasian, and post-Soviet countries. The program will run from October 1, 2022, to June 30, 2024. Submit your application by March 20, 2022. Learn more here.
– The Belarusian Academy is accepting applications from Belarusian students for an online program in Management and mediation. The working languages are Belarusian and Russian. Graduates receive a European Diploma. Read more here.
– Warsaw University has announced a scholarship program for young researchers under 35. Within the program's framework, financial support may be provided for the implementation of research work in the social and human sciences at a chosen Polish university. Participants will be attending specialized lectures and improving their Polish language for 10 months. Applications are accepted until March 1, 2022. More details here.
– The Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities in Essen (Germany) has announced a call for sponsored research internships in the humanities, cultural, and social sciences. The program will start in October 2022. Scholarship applicants must have a doctoral degree (PhD). Applications are accepted until February 28, 2022. More details here.
– The Kennan Institute (USA) is accepting applications for a scholarship competition for researchers and practitioners studying political, economic, social, cultural, and historical issues related to Russia and/or other countries of the region. There are no citizenship restrictions. Both individual and group applications are accepted. Applications are accepted until March 1, 2022. More details here.
– The Department of German and Russian at the University of Notre Dame (USA, Indiana) is accepting applications for the position of a Russian language teacher with the possibility of further career growth within the University. Particular attention will be paid to applicants from non-academic environments. The deadline for applications is March 4, 2022. Learn more here.
