Ihar Lialkou: Modern schoolchildren know more about Europe than an average Belarusan

It is for eleventh time that the Belarusan schoolchildren will be taking part in a competition in the best knowledge of European Union.

On April 5 the 11^th National competition of school teams “What I know about Europe?” has been launched. International Consortium “EuroBelarus” is one of the partners of the event.

This year the main elimination procedure will be held online. Those teams that would give the biggest number of correct answers on the online questions will be invited to participate in the finals, which are to take place in autumn.

Ihar Lialkou, the founder of the competition and its director, told EuroBelarus Information Service what expectations the organizers have from the participants and what changes have happened over the last few years.

“This year we mark the tenth anniversary of EU’s enlargement, - Ihar Lialkou says. – Among other countries, in 2004 Poland, Lithuania and Latvia also became the members of the EU. Thus, Belarus started bordering with the EU. So this year the contest will concentrate its attention more on our neighbors: what these countries have  gained upon their entrance into the EU, what they lost and how their relations with Belarus have changed”.

The contest is aimed at stimulating interest towards Europe, its history and its values, as well as to bridge the gaps in the information about Belarus-Europe relations in the formal education system. “Belarus is developing in the context of European civilization, so each citizen should get knowledge about Europe equally with the humanities”, - marks Ihar Lialkou. He is convinced that the contest successfully copes with this task.

It is obvious that each year schoolchildren who participate in the contest improve their knowledge about Europe.

“Ten years ago students had little knowledge about the EU and the work of its institutes, - Ihar Lialkou recalls. – But with each year the level of knowledge has been improving”.

He emphasizes that schoolchildren who participate in the contest know more about Europe than average Belarusans. “The fact that youth graduates from school with such level of knowledge speaks about the important values. Such youth fills us with optimism,” – he believes.

The founder of the contest notes that modern children have much more knowledge about Europe or other countries than about their homeland, which indicates that the teaching of Belarusan history has worsened over the last decade. That is why lately the organizers have started introducing more elements about history and the present Belarus.

“We are trying to introduce in the contest such subject areas as Belarus’ development in the European context,” says the director of the contest.

Modern school doesn’t cope with its task to provide youth with all-round knowledge about Belarus, Ihar Lialkou believes. Thus, the topic of Belarusan history and development should also be touched upon in the system of informal education. The work in this direction will also be continued within the framework of the contest “What I know about Europe?”