Government likely to keep 12-years education system

The European Radio for Belarus has learned that a meeting on this issue scheduled to take place at the Office of the President was cancelled due to the sickness of the education minister. The Ministry of Education says it is not clear when a new meeting will take place or whether it will be held at all.

Saving is the main argument of those opposing to the 12-year schooling system. Proponents stress that it will help to relieve students of the schooling stress. Saturday is a day-off only at ordinary secondary schools so far. Students at specialized classes and gymnasiums keep going to school on this day.

Possibly, the threat of returning to the 11-years system made the Ministry of Education to “relieve” all the students, including those at gymnasiums.

Beginning from the next school year, five days a week at school will be a standard. Valiantsina Mayeyskaya, a deputy head of the general and secondary education department at the Ministry of Education, told the European Radio for Belarus that going to school on Saturdays would not be mandatory.

Mayeuskaya: “We are getting an academic curriculum approved by the Ministry of Health. They are amending their sanitary rules and standards as regards the allowed rate of exercise rate. This will create a formal ground for all the secondary education institutions to change to a five-week schedule”.

Yury Hladkou, the head of the general and secondary education department, says that the Ministry of Health has already given an unofficial go-ahead.

When asked if it means that the 12th year would not be abolished, Hladkou says:

“Unofficially, the Ministry of Health has given an approval. This is the most important thing in this case. We will have our typical academic curriculum agreed with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Finances. If they approve, it is a common sense that we will preserve the 12-years education system”.

Yury Hladkou also added that returning to the 11-year education system is backed only by some personalities at the presidential administration. This is not an official position of the Office of the President.