The number of graduates will double this year

This year there will be two parallel graduation classes at secondary schools (11-graders that were supposed to graduate from school within the 11-year educational programme in 2009 and so called 11’ (apostrophe) graders that were supposed to study for 12 years). In addition to that, there will be two parallel graduation classes from the basic school (from 9^th grade and 9^th’ (apostrophe) grade).

School children will now go to school five days a week and Saturdays will be dedicated to mass sport, physical education and recuperation activities, as well as labour trainings. ‘Optional’ subjects may be held on Saturdays for the upper grades. In the mean time, the school children going to so-called apostrophe classes (9’ and 11’) will have to go to school six days a week due to the fact that they will have to apprehend the school programme previously previewed for two years in the course of one.

Egalitarianism: everyone will have unified school curriculum

All secondary schools will teach all subjects at a basic level, i.e. all school children are now taught within the framework of a unified curriculum. The Decree No 15 stipulates that “taking into account parents’ opinion all students, depending on their abilities, desires and state of health may study certain subjects at the advanced level at extra-curriculum classes (optional subjects) within the framework of the common educational plan with regard to the number of teaching hours”. Extra-curriculum classes as a rule should be held before or after the main classes. Extra-curriculum classes may be organized in case there are minimum 5 applications from parents in city schools and three in rural schools.

The Head of the Secondary Education Department of the Ministry of Education Jury Gladkov explains that following the desires of school children or their parents it will be possible to learn any subject at the advanced level, including those not included into the unified school curriculum. “The obligatory part of the educational plan has been shortened while in the meantime the extra-curriculum part or, so-called ‘optional’, has been increased. Therefore in case a student was studying physics, mathematics or foreign languages at the advanced level, he or she would have an opportunity to continue his or her studies in this regard however as an ‘optional’ subject only. In order to do so a student or his or her parents should submit an application”, said Mr. Gladkov.

How much would an ‘optional’ subject cost?

“Optional subjects” will be organized on a voluntary basis, they are not obligatory and they will be held after the main classes, therefore teachers would have to rely on self-awareness of students and on their parent’s financial situation as well. Prior to the 1^st of September the authorities were assuring the population that the decrease of the number of classes would not reflect on the quality of education, that everything would be compensated by free of charge additional classes. However later on it became clear that ‘optional’ classes will be set up on a paid basis. The cost of four classes, lasting for 45 minutes within the framework of the same subject will cost one minimal basic value, i.e. 35 thousand Belarusian rubles. That would constitute 70 thousand for two subjects accordingly… At the same time a recommendation was issued to students to take up minimum two ‘optional’ subjects. When one multiplies it by 9 school months, the figure would be 630 thousands (over 300 US Dollars) per child. In case parents have two or three children, the cost of the ‘free of charge’ secondary education would go up significantly. Therefore an issue comes up whether it is ‘legal’ to make parents pay for the basic education of their children, which is stipulated as ‘free of charge’ in the Constitution.

The word ‘curriculum’ derived from the word ‘crying’

The Ministry of Education published and disseminated to all secondary education establishments a ‘Unified Curriculum’ (a unified educational plan), which identified the overall number of ‘optional’ classes to be paid by the government, rather than parents. For instance, in 11’ (apostrophe) grade there are eight of such subjects (including “Basics of Safety of Living”). Subjects, such as Russian and Belarusian languages and literature, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and History are proposed to be organized on a paid basis and to be held after classes. Moreover, these classes would only be organized if a teacher collects at least five applications from parents in city schools or three in rural schools. Otherwise it will be unprofitable for schools to function.

‘Optional’ classes will be organized based on applications from parents only and paid only via bank transfer.

Are Gymnazias and Lyceums luckier?

Gymnazias and Lyceums are the only secondary education establishments to continue teaching subjects at the advanced level. However the number of hours has been shortened. In gymnazias, focusing on humanities subjects, five hours a week of teaching the first foreign language (advanced level) were reduced to four. Subject ‘the second foreign language’ (basic level, 2 hours per week), is abolished on principle.

School children attending regular schools with advanced teaching of special subjects (not gymnazias or lyceums) suffered the most. For instance, that concerned specialized schools with aesthetic, art, economy, physics and months advanced teaching and schools providing advanced level of teaching of foreign languages where students are now being taught in accordance with the unified curriculum, just like at regular schools.

A teacher of one of the specialized schools of the capital advancing in economy is dissatisfied, “at our school children were taught the “Basics of the Economy” from the fifth grade and the upper graders were taught special economic disciplines, international economy, economic geography and other subjects. Our teachers elaborated their unique programmes. Our graduates passed the entry exams to the Economic University easily. Now our school will be just like others”. However there is an option to advance in these subjects in the course of ‘optional’ classes.

“It is all in the interests of children in order to reduce the pressure of learning”

Teaching foreign languages at secondary schools now starts from the third grade, two hours a week. School children going to the second grade suffered the most from the current reform, they started learning foreign language from the first grade and now they would have a one year break.

The subject “World Art Culture” has been abolished completely, and the subject “Music and singing” will be taught at primary school only. A new subject was introduced – “Sketching”. The subject “Sociology” is introduced to replace the subject “People. Society. State”. Subjects “History”, “History of Belarus” and “World History” are made one subject.

The upper graders are now taught the Belarusian and Russian languages 45 minutes a week. The number of Physical Education classes is reduced. The authorities declare that is all done in the best interest of children, in order to reduce the pressure of learning.

Ludmila Korsak