Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor on Education and Science, Tatiana Shchyttsova, comments on the recent statements by the minister of education of Belarus regarding compulsory job placement for college and university graduates.
Tatiana Shchyttsova: “The other day, the minister of education made several important statements in attempts to show that he is aware of the problems and is looking for solutions. He is an education professional, we can’t blame him for trying to be rational and constructive. The question is, to what extent is his service to the regime compatible with rationality and constructiveness?
Just like Lukashenka, the minister emphasized that education must focus on training personnel for the needs of the domestic real sector. But how does this align with the fact that over the past two years, admission to military university programs increased by 20%? Is the country bracing for war? Or what could be the reason for funding militarization instead of training medical professionals and science?
Furthermore, the minister said that the expression “compulsory work” is no longer relevant. This is a promising statement. The question is whether the minister intends to change only the words or the mechanism of compulsory job placement as well. After all, this expression precisely describes that the workplace is assigned to a person, not chosen by them. Compulsory work means a lack of choice. And offering recovery of tuition costs as an alternative means offering no alternative at all. In the current situation, it is just another way of pressure and humiliation.
Does the minister propose any solution that does not limit opportunities for professional self-fulfillment after graduation? Unfortunately, he does not. So what do we have? Instead of the unappealing term “compulsory work” (which reminds one of serfdom), the minister introduces a more sweet-sounding expression “first job opportunity”. It actually sounds nice. But the problem is that this is just new rhetoric. Compulsory job placement has not been abolished (yet?). A graduate cannot refuse the assigned job regardless of whether their tuition fees are covered by themselves or the state budget. They must “get to work” whether they like it or not.
One thing Mr. Ivanets deserves credit for is seeking ways to make this serfdom look more humane. I think this is why he proposed considering the person’s birthplace and their family’s place of residence when assigning the job. But he failed to go beyond considering the place of job assignment and also consider freedom of choice and the right to professional self-fulfillment.
For our country to advance, the rights to education and labor must not be used to facilitate serfdom. Belarus needs decent reforms both in economic management and in education. While Mr. Ivanets thinks about how to please Lukashenka (is it by choice?), we can prepare for future reforms.
At the initiative of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office and with the participation of the United Transitional Cabinet, groups of education experts and practitioners have developed roadmaps for the democratization of higher and secondary education.
Read the Roadmap for the Democratization of Higher Education in Belarus at this link, and the Roadmap for Preparing the Reform of the General Secondary Education System here.
The New Belarus Transition Strategy is available at this link.
