Training
Most children in Belarus go to preschool for
a few years before starting regular school. Nine years
of compulsory schooling prevail, from the age of six or
seven. The great majority also go to high school. But
the teaching is considered to be of uneven quality and
the position of the Belarusian language is weak.
In primary school, students first go through a
four-year and then a five-year stage. At the upper
secondary level there are two-, three- and four-year
programs, some of which are theoretical and others
vocational. About two out of three also read some
post-secondary education. The number of college students
has increased sharply since independence in 1991.
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COUNTRYAAH:
Country facts of Belarus, including geography profile, population statistics, and business data.
There are around 50 universities and colleges, most
of which are state. All teaching is largely controlled
by the regime.
An independent university, the European University of
Humanities (EHU), was located in Minsk between 1992 and
2004, when it was closed by the authorities. However, it
has continued to function as a university in exile in
the capital of Lithuania Vilnius. The closure was
officially explained by the fact that the university did
not have suitable premises, but in reality it is
considered to have been due to the university having
extensive contacts with the western world.
During the communist era almost all education was
conducted in Russian. It was not until 1990 that
Belarusian (Belarusian) first languages were taught in
primary schools and old Russian textbooks began to be
replaced by Belarusian counterparts. But since Russian
became the nation's second official language in 1995, it
has again become the dominant language in teaching.
Although Belarusians have experienced something of an
upswing in recent years, especially in cultural
contexts, the schools are few where the teaching is in
Belarusian. Higher education is given almost exclusively
in Russian.
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 Since the regime began to open contacts with Western
countries, things have happened that can also affect the
school. With the support of the World Bank (to which
Belarus has been affiliated since 1992), modernization
projects in the school world are funded. A school money
system has been tested to improve the distribution of
resources between schools. In the spring of 2019, the
bank announced that an additional € 90 million had been
allocated to invest in raising the quality of teaching
for 65,000 pupils in rural schools. In 2018, Belarus
participated for the first time in the OECD's PISA
measurements. With the World Bank's support, it is
intended that the knowledge evaluation will be carried
out in Belarus also in 2021 and 2024.
FACTS - EDUCATION
Proportion of children starting primary
school
95.7 percent (2017)
Number of pupils per teacher in primary
school
19 (2017)
Reading and writing skills
99.6 percent (2009)
Public expenditure on education as a
percentage of GDP
11.1 percent (2017)
Public expenditure on education as a
percentage of the state budget
11.1 percent (2017)
2013
December
Spies are sentenced to prison
Two Belarussian citizens are sentenced to ten years and eight years
respectively for spying on Lithuania's behalf. They have been in custody since
March 2012.
September
Bjaljatsky gets MR award
Imprisoned activist Ales Bjaljatski is awarded the first Vaclav Havel Prize
for Human Rights. Bjaljatski was sentenced in November 2011 to
four and a half years in prison. The Vaclav Havel Prize of € 60,000 is awarded
by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in collaboration with the
Vaclav Havel Library in Prague and the Czech Charter 77 Foundation.
August
Arrest causes conflict with Russia
Belarus is drawn into a conflict with Russia after Belarusian police arrested
Vladislav Baumgertner, CEO of the Russian company Uralkali, which manufactures
and exports pot ash. Uralkali also has operations in Belarus. According to
Belarusian prosecutors, the highest directors of Uralkali have enriched
themselves through illegal transactions, at a cost to Belarus of 100 million US
dollars. Vladislav Baumgertner is charged with abuse of power and faces up to 10
years in prison. Moscow protests and Russian oil companies are ordered to reduce
their deliveries to Belarus by 25 percent. The conflict intensified in September
2013 when Belarusian prosecutors formally designate Uralkali's largest
shareholder, the Russian oligarch Sulejman Kerimov, as a suspect of abuse of
power.
Doctor in hunger strike
Doctor Ihar Pasnou of Vitebsk is said to have begun a hunger strike after a
court sentenced him to forced treatment at a psychiatric clinic after he openly
criticized the city's poor health care.
July
Activist sentenced to prison
Opposition activist Andrej Hajdukou is sentenced to 18 months in prison for
trying to contact "a foreign intelligence service". It is not clear from the
judgment which country it would apply to. Hajdukou worked in 2010-2011 for
Presidential candidate Andrej Sannikau, who in October 2012 was granted
political asylum in the UK.
June
Foreign Minister Makej is allowed to travel to the EU
The EU repeals the entry ban on Foreign Minister Uladzimir Makej "to promote
diplomatic relations" between the European Union and Belarus. Husk and several
other high-ranking Belarusian officials have been denied visas to the EU since
January 2011.
May
New law restricts foreign TV
A new law limits the possibility of incorporating regime-critical or foreign
TV channels. From now on, special permission is required to install satellite
antennas or regular TV antennas on roofs and facades in multi-family homes. For
already installed satellite antennas, the owners must apply for permits
afterwards.
April
Russia's defense minister announces military plans
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shujgu says after talks in Minsk that Russia
will station four advanced anti-robot batteries in Belarus 2014 and that a
Russian military air base will be built in the country by 2015.
February
Border guard sentenced to prison
A border guard is sentenced to two years in prison for failing to report the
border violation when a plane dropped teddy bears across Minsk (see July
2012).
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