Posted: 17.01.2023 13:57:00

Lukashenko: it’s time to end all perturbations and reorganisations in education system

The President of Belarus demands to finish with the reorganisation of the management system in education. The Head of State stated this today when making personnel decisions.

In particular, Aleksandr Lukashenko, agreed to the appointment of new rectors at the Brest State Technical University, at the Vitebsk State Medical University and at the Grodno State Agrarian University. In this regard, the topic of reforming the management system in the field of education was also touched upon.

“We started a very serious reorganisation, first of all, in the education system,” the President noted. “I have spoken about this more than once, but the conclusion was clear: it’s time to end all these perturbations and reorganisations.”

The Head of State recalled that earlier it was instructed to reach a final decision on this issue, “I asked to take a serious look at the Education Ministry regarding this issue, so that we do not have unnecessary structures there.”

On the example of one of these issues, the President outlined the problematic moments related to the restructuring of certain elements of the Education Ministry’s structure and its subordinate organisations. The point in this case is that instead of the Quality Control Department, it was proposed to set up a quality management, but in parallel, the National Agency for Quality Assurance in Education was established, “What’s the difference then? What’s the point?” Aleksandr Lukashenko is perplexed.

“Actually, the work on the Agency is just beginning,” explained Rector of the Brest State Technical University Sergei Kasperovich. Prior to his new appointment, he worked as the Head of the Main Department of Vocational Education Department at the Education Ministry. “The personnel have been recruited. The task of the Agency is to ensure quality at all levels of education.”

“So the Department failed to cope with it?” the President asked.

“Actually, the department did well,” Sergei Kasperovich responded, adding that this structure had many other tasks, therefore, part of its functions was transferred to the Agency.

However, the President is not satisfied with this approach, “Do you understand what’s going on? There was a Department, now we have established an Agency. We have management instead of the Department, and the Agency at the same time. Well, what was, then remains. Do we need to pay the Agency? Yes. You have recruited 35 people. Here, they did the job. You do not see this and make an proposal ...”

The Head of State believes that a different approach would prove correct, the essence of which is that the issues of the Department cannot be submitted to the National Agency for Quality Assurance in Education, “I think that this is the right position. Why should government issues be given to some kind of almost public organisation, where there is not even a single civil servant?”

Sergei Kasperovich tried to explain that the proposals of the Education Ministry’s leadership are to include the Department in the form of the chief directorate, i.e., to make it a fully-fledged state structure within the ministry, rather than a separate legal entity. At the same time, the Republican Institute for Knowledge Control is still preserved, which deals with testing for admission to universities, and now also with a centralised exam. That is, this structure is responsible for knowledge control during graduation from schools and when entering universities. Meanwhile, according to Sergei Kasperovich, the Agency is invited to carry out systematic work to ensure accreditation, assess the quality of education, and inspect private educational institutions at all levels.

And again there was a question from the President about the essence of the whole perturbation, “Well, you have 8 people in your management and the Agency has 35. You can take these 35, not even 35, but 30 plus these 8 and deal with it. If there is order and discipline, one person can cope with it. However, if it’s a mess, there will be no sense even if you recruit 200 people there.”

Aleksandr Lukashenko once again urged leaders at all levels to be attentive and careful towards people, including the issues of personnel appointments.

In an interview with journalists after the meeting, Sergei Kasperovich noted that any proposals for improving and reorganising the education system are always very seriously weighed and discussed at the level of the Head of State. As far as the activities of the Department and the Agency are concerned, final decisions have not yet been made.

“There will be a separate report by the Education Minister to the Head of State and at the level of the Government, I believe, where they will be accepted,” Sergei Kasperovich explained. “The question now is to improve activities: what will happen to the Quality Control Department, will it enter the structure of the Education Ministry as a separate structural unit, or will it continue its activities? Issues of interaction with the National Agency are also on the agenda. Today the Agency is actually co-ordinated by the Department. There is an understanding here of the need to improve this work and increase its efficiency.”