A draft decree has been prepared in Belarus to regulate the work of private tutors. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor on Education and Science, Tatiana Shchyttsova, notes that the document reflects a clear attempt at state control and distrust toward those working in education outside the government-controlled system.
The decree would require tutors to use only Belarusian web platforms for online lessons, prohibit teaching minors in the arts, music, dance, and other creative disciplines, and oblige tutors to stick strictly to the official school curriculum while verifying each student’s educational status. Overall, the project introduces tools for total control.
Tatiana Shchyttsova: “This draft shows that the authorities view everyone working in education outside the system as a potential threat. Private tutoring is being brought under constant surveillance. The clause about ‘national information resources’ opens the door to technical monitoring, while the reference to ‘legal, moral, and ethical standards’ signals ideological censorship. The ban on forming groups of more than four people says it all – this is an attempt to limit communities and social connections outside the system, enabling greater control. This is a blow to freedom of education, creativity, and self-expression.”
