President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko instructed to solve all the problems identified in higher education by September. He stated this at a meeting with members of the Republican Council of Rectors of Higher Education Institutions, BelTA reports.
“My demand after our meeting today: all the problems have been voiced, we need to sift through them, look at them. This problem exists - it must be solved, this one sounded wrong - put aside or put it as the 25th problem. All this should be ranked and solved. By September this must be decided,” said the head of state. “You must organize this process. Members of the government, senior officials and university rectors are present here. Organize this. The demand will be serious. Before September 1, we must gather at my level. And you owe me and show and report. And textbooks, and so on. Start with the humanities (direction. - BELTA note)."
As for textbooks, the President stated that there are not many disciplines where you really need to work thoroughly with educational materials. After all, for example, in exact disciplines, as a rule, there is no such need. As for the rest, Alexander Lukashenko proposed entrusting the preparation of updated textbooks to university rectors: “Let’s give each rector a textbook. Let him organize the writing of this textbook.”
At the same time, the head of state ensures that the material is presented in understandable and accessible language, and that some things may be worth taking, including from Soviet textbooks.
During the meeting, the President was actively interested in all the problems that exist today in the higher education system and what is missing to solve them. The topics of the financial and economic component of the activities of universities, the cost of paid education and the profitability of higher education institutions were touched upon. “Look at the economics of universities,” demanded the head of state.
Alexander Lukashenko strictly demanded, including from the government and the Ministry of Education, to solve existing problems clearly, in a timely manner and taking into account modern requirements.
Minister of Education Andrei Ivanets reported in detail on the measures taken to improve the quality of higher education.
The chairman of this council, rector of BSUIR Vadim Bogush, reported at the event on the role of the Republican Council of Rectors and the implementation of state policy in the field of higher education.
“Over the past two years, we have done a lot of work to introduce new educational standards and, in close cooperation, we are updating qualifications and developing new specialties,” he noted.
In the modernization of teaching aids, they try to “go from the ground”, using the technological base of organizations and practitioners.
Vadim Bogush also noted the great work done in terms of expanding opportunities for selecting motivated applicants, but stated that it is necessary to act more actively at the school level. An equally important topic is strengthening the connection between education, science and production, and involving students in professional activities.
Chairman of the Higher Attestation Commission Alexander Guchok spoke about the problems of increasing the efficiency of reproducing the personnel potential of highly qualified scientists. He noted some alarming trends in the reproduction of scientific personnel. The central ones are the increase in the average age of scientific personnel and the decrease in the number of PhD degrees awarded.
Despite these points, Alexander Lukashenko emphasized the inadmissibility of lowering the level of requirements for applicants for obtaining a particular academic degree. “We don’t need candidates, just doctors, we don’t need them,” he said. “You must fiercely guard the regulatory framework that forms the requirements for these applicants. There should be no relaxation here. We don’t need dissertations for the sake of dissertations "There must be a severe demand here. - Oh, we will have fewer candidates! Well, let there be fewer, but they will be real scientists. Just like doctors of sciences. A doctor of sciences is a luminary."
Rector of the Belarusian State Order of the October Revolution and Red Banner of Labor Agricultural Academy Vitaly Velikanov spoke about the development of a personnel training system taking into account the needs of labor markets. We are talking here about targeted training, a practice-oriented approach, and creating attractive working conditions for young specialists.
Alexander Lukashenko was particularly interested in organizing university studies for those who already work in agriculture, but would like to gain additional knowledge and develop in the profession. Here, he emphasized, it is important not to scare people away with inflated requirements or an overloaded educational program, but to purposefully give students exactly the knowledge they need. The head of state outlined this issue, including from his own experience, since he once graduated from the Agricultural Academy with a degree in economics.
“This was the third education after political (the first was historical. - BELTA note). I consciously came to the Faculty of Economics, because I knew that in agriculture I would need a housekeeper. Everything else - crop production, livestock farming, etc. - I will learn there in practice. I am a villager,” he said.
However, during my studies there were also subjects that were much less relevant for work in agriculture. “Statistics are at such a level! I, the President today, remember - and then I think: “Why did I need this?” Therefore, I ask a question and make demands on your programs and see the manager of a farm who worked a little after college. An excellent specialist, but to you “she won’t go - she’s afraid of your program, she’s afraid to study at this academy,” the head of state gave an example. “There’s no need to simplify things. But we need to offer what they need.”
The head of state, both in this case and in general, demands a departure from formalism. This applies not only to the process of studying at a university, but also to entrance exams, the selection of promising students, approaches to working with young people and retaining personnel.
“We need to move away from formalism. For me, it is important that we do not lose the attractiveness of Belarusian education. I am raising this issue harshly not because our situation is completely bad. No. 30 thousand study from abroad and pay good money. This means “, not everything is bad. But we need to shake ourselves up to make it better. Because tomorrow we will lose the level that we have,” the President said.
For example, Alexander Lukashenko warned that next year there will be a serious demand from everyone for admitting applicants and staffing universities: “Otherwise, why do we need a rector? And the rector has to get everyone involved. This is not the case: we get together and then tell each other what "You have problems and difficulties. Well, you solve them at your own level. And we need to stop this chatter and all kinds of talk."
The President explained why he raises this and other issues so harshly. “We are undergoing a generational change. Everyone sitting here will leave sooner or later. And who will come for us? Won’t we reproach ourselves for not doing something? We all need to move, shake ourselves up! It’s up to you and me, what will happen tomorrow in Belarus, - Alexander Lukashenko emphasized. - Today we must think about who will come after us. We need to build a normal system for our children and leave it. And we are not dying. We will look from the side, we will bite our elbows: "Why didn't we do this, why didn't we decide? We need to bring higher schools to their senses. Without this, we won't go anywhere."
