Please send information about everything related to education in Belarus to our secure and anonymous chatbot @eduOST_bot. Tell us the news from your educational institution or government department regarding repression and various forms of pressure from authorities, write to us about facts of corruption and new orders that seem unreasonable or irrational to you. We also invite you to share your ideas and proposals for reforming the education system.
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- Civil Society and Education
– Call for applications for participation in the XI International Congress of Belarusian Researchers, which will be held from September 22 to 24, 2023 in Gdansk (Poland), is open. The Congress will have 14 panels on various thematic areas in such areas of social sciences and humanities as history, international relations and political science, sociology, linguistics, literary studies, etc. The Congress is a representative annual scientific and expert event, which is attended by prominent scientists from Belarus and other countries whose range of scientific interests is connected to Belarus. The deadline for applying is May 15.
– “Free Labor Union BSU” – an informal student association of BSU – published a message that it is engaged in providing various assistance to Belarusian students, both in Belarus and abroad. To ask for help, you need to contact the organization’s chatbot: @VolnyBSU_bot .
– The Center for New Ideas has published the results of the People’s Poll study, which presents the opinion of protest–minded Belarusians about the current education system in Belarus and its possible reforms. According to the results, there is a widespread opinion among the respondents about the need to reform the current education system with the participation of teachers and experts. It is noteworthy that the majority of respondents would like to increase the number of Belarusian–language schools. All results of the study are here.
– Project “Octopus” initiated a series of seminars to discuss educational policy and processes related to preparations for reforming the education system in Belarus. During the first meeting, the experts discussed changes in the educational sphere in 2020–2023. With regard to reform, the participants in the discussion spoke about the need to develop a new understanding not only of the essence of education, but also of the reform process itself. “Octopus” collected and noted the key theses from the speeches of experts. Work on preparations for the education reform in Belarus continues, and the organizers invite interested experts and educators to join the discussions. To find out details about the next seminars and discussions, please send a request to vasminoh.reform@gmail.com.
– The EduExpert project has published the results of a study of the market and the needs of Belarusian educational organizations and projects. Survey participants noted that there is no consensus on the prospects for the education market for the next two years. Among the key trends were the development of online education and the EdTech sphere, training in professions for remote work, an increase in interest in learning new skills, and retraining in general. The study revealed such negative trends as the stagnation of the education market, the loss of qualified personnel, and increased control by the state. 55% of respondents noted that their organizations (projects) have serious problems hindering development and sustainability. A detailed report on the results of the study can be read here.
– The Center for Belarusian Culture and Community in Lithuania (Belarus House) is actively working to integrate Belarusians in Lithuania and contributes to keeping in touch with the Belarusian identity. Among the Center’s projects are events for children and adults, language courses, thematic meetings and other activities. There is the largest public library in Lithuania with Belarusian books, and a Sunday school. Another important initiative of the Center is the organization of children’s summer camps. How the work is built today and how Belarusians can help the Center – you can read here.
– The popular science zine “Pamylka” has launched a crowdfunding campaign. The idea to create a Belarusian-language self-publishing about science came a year and a half ago. The organizers themselves wrote materials for the first issue, looked for experts in various fields, and now they are reaching a new level. “Pamylka” invites you to become part of the team of editors, authors, artists. And raises funds for development. Zin is distributed under a free license, the publication is published in Belarusian. What is the first Belarusian zine about science and how to support the team – you can read here.
– A presentation of a new book by Uladzimir Arlou “Motherland. From Ahinski to Bahushevich”. This is the second part of the trilogy (the first part was published seven years ago and supplemented by the author’s illustrations by Pavel Tatarnikov). In a series of essays, the author plunges into the historical and cultural context of the 19th century, and also introduces unexpected and sometimes curious facts about the personalities and fates of famous Belarusians. The manuscript of the book was waiting for publishing for three years, and its publication was made possible thanks to the Kamunikat Foundation. For reasons beyond the author’s control, the second part of “Motherland” was published without accompanying illustrations. However, plans remain to republish the book in its entirety, and release the third part.
– Former Dean of the Faculty of International Relations of Belarusian State University, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Viktar Shadurski gave a long interview to “Nasha Niva”. How the international policy of Belarus has changed, what has become the main cause of mass protests in Belarus and what Belarusians will have to overcome – you can read about this and much more in the full version of the interview. Victar Shadurski served as dean for 13 years, after his dismissal from BSU he moved to Poland.
- Repressions
– The Department of Financial Investigations of the State Control Committee reported that 6 criminal cases were initiated against the previously detained teacher Jauhen Liviant and his colleagues based on the results of an audit of the activities of the “100 points” tutoring center founded by them. According to the report, the crime is that tutors cooperated with the center as individual entrepreneurs in order to pay less taxes than in other ways of hiring.
– A criminal case has been initiated against the leaders of the non–state computer academy “Step”. As a result of 37 raids conducted by the security forces, they are charged with tax evasion in the amount of 1.6 million rubles. The academy itself published a message in which it claims that classes are held as usual and nothing threatens the educational process.
– Candidate of Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Theory and Practice of Translation of BSU Aksana Ulanovich was detained. According to a video published on a pro–government channel, the woman’s fault, according to the security forces, is that she wrote to the chatbot of “Belarus Brain” channel. Ulanovich collaborates with several universities as a teacher, is the author of more than 150 scientific publications, organizes a number of conferences, incl. international.
– On April 4, KGB officers detained several first–year students of Baranavichi State University. The reason for the detention was their comments on the video broadcast of an open lesson with the participation of A. Lukashenka, held on September 1.
– The Minsk City Court has begun considering the criminal case of the poet and teacher Dzmitry Jurtaieu. Dzmitry was detained on September 21, 2023 and recognized as a political prisoner. The teachers were forced to record a penitential video. After two administrative charges, a case was initiated under articles on insulting Alexander Lukashenka (Article 368 of the Criminal Code), later a second charge of inciting other social hatred (Article 130 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus) was added. The case is being considered by Judge Anzhela Kastiukevich, the trial is public.
– It became known about the detention of a psychologist and a former employee of the BSPU Siarhei Ivantsou. When exactly this happened is unknown, the information appeared after the fact. Siarhei Ivantsou is a practicing psychologist, director of a company that was engaged in marketing research in pharmacology (part of ESOMAR), junior researcher at the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Belarus. According to the information of the channel associated with the security forces, the detention is connected with the comments that Siarhei allegedly wrote in the chat bot of “Belarus Brain” channel. A criminal case has been initiated under two articles (with no more details).
– Detentions in the middle of the educational process continue. On April 12, in Mahiliou secondary school No. 43, security forces detained a teacher during a lesson. The teacher’s name is kept in secret. It is known that after the arrest, the woman was taken for interrogation to the KGB about a letter signed in 2020 against police violence. A video was also recorded with her participation. She is currently free.
– Belarusian language and literature teacher Iryna Lesnichenka was convicted for distributing “extremist materials”. An appeal was filed in this case, which the Vitebsk Regional Court will consider on May 3. Iryna Uladzimirauna works at the famous Ushachy secondary school, where the poets Ryhor Baradulin and Jeudakija Los studied, the actor Henadz Harbuk also did. Iryna has prepared many diploma winners of the republican Olympiads in the Belarusian language, and in 2020 her name was on the regional board of honor.
– Two more students of the Faculty of History of the Belarusian State University came under repression: on April 18, Safia Helman and Daniil Karankevich were arrested. Saphia received 10 days of administrative arrest, under which article it is not known. With Daniil, the security forces released a video in which he claims that he allegedly participated in the 2020 protests and was registered in the “Victory” plan. Photographs from mass gatherings at faculties for solidarity actions in 2020 can be a possible reason for the detention of students.
- Regime politics
– Lukashenka’s administration held a meeting with the participation of the deans of law faculties of various universities of the country, representatives of the Ministry of Education and the Prosecutor General’s Office, at which they discussed ways to influence students in order to prevent their participation in protest activities. According to the organizers of the meeting, cases of students’ participation in “terrorist” and “extremist” activities have recently become more frequent. As an example of such activity, representatives of the regime administration cited the action of Belarusian partisans at the airfield in Machulishchy to disable a Russian military aircraft.
– This year, the enrollment at the Faculty of Journalism of the Belarusian State University will be significantly reduced, and there will be no paid places for studying. This means that graduates will no longer be able to start working in non–state media and other organizations without having worked for 2 years on distribution in state media. It is noteworthy that training will be conducted in only two specialties: “journalism” and “information and communication”. Training in the specialty “international journalism”, which was still held in 2022, has been abolished.
– 31-year-old Candidate of Chemical Sciences, Associate Professor Aliaksandar Zuraeu became the Dean of the Faculty of Chemistry at the Belarusian State University. He replaced Doctor of Chemical Sciences, Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Belarus, Professor Dzmitry Svirydau. As a graduate student, Aliaksandar Zuraeu received a presidential scholarship, and defended his Ph.D. thesis ahead of schedule. It is known that Zuraeu is the son of the former commander of the Almaz special anti–terrorism unit Viktar Zuraeu, who received the award in August 2020, when Almaz fighters participated in the dispersal of peaceful protests.
– The regime decided to withdraw the historical Belarusian Latin alphabet from official use, which since 2012, in agreement with the UN, has been used to transliterate Belarusian geographical names. According to the new resolution, the transliteration of Belarusian names will now be carried out as in Russia – taking into account the rules of the English language. In addition, the primary source for transliteration can now be the Russian–language version of the Belarusian geographical name, although previously only the Belarusian–language version of the name was used for this.
– The military instructor of Homel school No. 59 Dzmitry Ukleika brought a group of schoolchildren to the “Russian House” to lay flowers at the portrait of the deceased Russian military pro–government blogger Vladlen Tatarsky. It is noteworthy that the real purpose of the trip to the “Russian House” was not reported to the children. The action was timed to coincide with the Day of Unity of the Peoples of Russia and Belarus.
– At the patriotic conference “My Native Land”, organized by the Russian House in Minsk, Belarusian schoolchildren had to write letters to their peers on the occasion of the “Day of Unity of the Peoples of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation”. In reality, teenagers were forced to communicate via videoconference with their peers from the Rostov Regional Patriotic Movement and the unrecognized LPR. The screenshots show that Belarusian school teachers gathered minors to participate in video calls in separate classrooms. According to the leader of the Rostov organization Asya Kompaniets, the movement has officially maintained close relations with Belarus for more than 20 years, and in 2021 it signed a partnership agreement with the Republican Creative Youth Association “Promotion of Youth”. The goal is patriotic education, social protection of the rights and interests of war veterans. As it turned out, the movement cooperates with representatives of the LPR, incl. in projects related to Belarus.
– BSU Rector Andrei Karol admitted that Belarusian scientists and researchers found themselves in an information vacuum. Russian and Belarusian universities have dropped out of the U–Multirank ranking of higher education institutions, and scientific database providers have closed their offices in Belarus and Russia. According to the rector, it has become more difficult to find up–to–date information and fresh scientific publications, in the near future the works of Belarusian scientists will be less frequently cited, and after a while this will affect all ratings.
– From September 1, 2023, the only general education lyceum in Barysau will be closed. Rumors about the closure have been circulating for about 10 years, but the lyceum continued to work. The Code on Education that has entered into force claims the conditions for the functioning of such educational institutions. Among others – the presence of a hostel for visiting students. The Barysau Lyceum does not have such a thing. As Iryna Sadouskaya, head of the education department of the Barysau district executive committee, noted, there are three gymnasiums in the city and one more in the district. This was taken into account when deciding on liquidation. Also, according to Sadouskaya, at last year’s meeting with lyceum teachers it was noted that everyone would be employed. And by now, many of them have already combined work in other schools and gymnasiums with work in the lyceum.
