Honestly, my colleagues and I yearned to return to childhood on entering the new school. We were so impressed by its wonderfully equipped classrooms, gym, swimming pool and canteen. Of course, it has all been paid for from tax payers’ money but construction has been swift, creating a beautiful, neat school. It is a true gift to its 700 pupils and their parents. Speaking at the solemn opening ceremony, the President noted that he wants adults to also attend such modern schools, to take part in sports and to spend time with pleasure.On September 1st, Borovlyany school organised open lessons, with the President in attendance. At an English lesson, the teacher thanked for raising hours spent on teaching foreign languages this year. Meanwhile, pupils showed Mr. Lukashenko their skill in speaking English, saying goodbye in the language of Byron and Shakespeare. “Thank you, Mr. President,” they said. Several minutes later, Mr. Lukashenko dropped in on a lesson on national history, speaking to children in Belarusian. The pupils asked the President to write down for them what he most wishes for regarding our country but he joked that a whole page wouldn’t be enough to ‘write all his wishes’. Mr. Lukashenko urged the children to be ‘beautiful, healthy and clever’.
Before leaving, several pupils asked Mr. Lukashenko to visit a neighbouring children’s village – Istoki (in Leskovka) – where orphaned and abandoned children reside, as they do at Borovlyany’s SOS-Kinderdorf International village. The children’s parents are also their teachers. Istoki is a Belarusian project, sponsored by Golf Club and Delta Bank. During his visit, the President drank tea with the children and spoke to officials, noting that, in the coming five years, all children should be transferred from traditional orphanages to cosy family-type houses (like Istoki). Mr. Lukashenko also believes that children should be removed from parents addicted to alcohol. “It seems better to take them from families where parents are unable to raise their children; we’ll raise them instead,” said the President, adding, “Children are sacred to us. I don’t speak idly.”
By Vlad Vasiliev
