Maryna Shtrachava: Students are dismissed even if they take part in a seminar on informal education

Why Belarusan students refuse standing up from their rights, but agree to clean Ice Palaces and to vote early for unknown candidates?

Belarusan students now can enhance the quality of their education by joining the monitoring on violation of academic freedoms.

While youth is doubtful whether to apply for this interesting project, a correspondent of “EuroBelarus” Information Service finds out the details from Maryna Shtrachava, a representative of the youth organization “Student Rada”, a coordinator of monitoring.

- You are directly participating in the monitoring on violations of academic freedoms and rights of students. Please, tell which universities in Belarus persistently violate the above-mentioned values?

- It’s hard to answer this question, as the monitoring has only started last week. And within the frames of the first round of the monitoring we only listed the violations, and they are quite diverse.

We are planning to cover a larger number of universities during the second round of monitoring, and only then draw conclusions.

- By the way, how many universities did you cover during the first round?

- At that time we had observers from seven universities – both from Minsk and from the regions: Homel, Brest, and Hrodna. It is hard to cover Minsk, as most universities are situated in it.

- Please, give examples of the strongest violation on the part of administration towards students.

- These are mass violations that have to do with elections and the Ice Hockey World Championship in Minsk. We were not surprised with the data we received, as students were forced to vote early, threatened with expulsion from dormitories and with non-pass at exams earlier. Judging from experience, these are rather threats than real actions; however, they happened on a larger scale than before. As to the championship, students were forced to work at Chyzhouka-Arena and clean it before the start of the IHWC.

When monitoring, we were surprised that the pressure was exerted even on apolitical students, not youth activists or opposition students for participation in events organized by NGOs. This year we noticed that administration of university can dismiss students if they take part in a seminar on informal education. Our universities doesn’t like that the youth is getting supplementary education.

- How actively do students react to the invitation for participation in the monitoring?

- Last year 17 people took part in it. This year we have only started accepting applications; however, we plan to cover more universities and have more observers.

- On the whole, is the fear to be dismissed from university conquers the feeling of just?

- Unfortunately, yes. Even though the monitoring is anonymous, we guarantee confidentiality to every participant, and the provided information is only known to an observer and a coordinator, students refuse to answer many questions that have to do with the pressure on the part of universities. In this sense, for some reason Belarusan students are very intimidated.

- Let’s recall the situation with the European Humanitarian University, where recently there was a wave of layoffs of the teaching staff. Will the open list with the signatures of 136 students and 45 alumni have some impart on the management of the university?

- Situation in EHY is very difficult. We are also working on an open list to its management. EHU is acting as a regular Belarusan university now, not anything like a European one.

Administration in the BSU (Belarusan State University) is more or less attentive to students’ signatures, as it understands that 100-200 signatures is quite a lot. Of course, some students might not sign the list though supporting the initiative. I hope that the EHU will take signatures into consideration, as if the university acts against the will of the students, they might go to another one, which really corresponds with the values of the Bologna system.

- What form of struggle can you recommend to EHU students?

- I support peaceful protests, so I can recommend signatures as a first step, or skip the lecture of the professor, who supports administration, or even organize a common striking day and skip all lectures and classes. If the whole university does it, it will be clear that people demonstrate their civic stance and want changes.

- As you remember, after Ploshcha-2006 and Ploshcha-2010 active students, who participated in the demonstration, were dismissed from universities. However, it opened them an opportunity to study in Europe – for instance, apply for Kalinouski program. Is it a good security blanket for dissidents?

- This is a very difficult question for me. On the one hand, such programs provide a good opportunity to continue education.

But though it is nice to get education abroad, on the other hand, alumni of these programs usually stay abroad, while this instrument was created for getting education abroad an coming back to Belarus in order to improve our country. All in all, this is a good instrument that works differently from what it was designed for.

Also, some students use it with no good reason: they pretend that they were dismissed from university due to political reasons, and leave for Poland.

- Has the situation with the attitude of universities’ administration to the politicized students changed since Ploshcha-2006 and Ploshcha-2010, when students went to demonstrations only to turn into marginals for the domestic system of education?

- According to the results of the monitoring we see that the situation hasn’t changed. The attitude remained the same; well, the students might not be dismissed right away. But even now, as I said, even for participation in some seminar they are brought to the dean’s office and might be dismissed.

- What is the situation with the system of student self-government?

- Formally, it is present in every university with students’ councils. But in reality, either students don’t use their powers, or the administration doesn’t permit that to do so, and even appoints someone to students’ councils. Now self-government is something more related to interesting events and travelling. I don’t say that this is unimportant, but it shouldn’t take 98 per cent of their time.

- What is the approximate percentage of students who are not afraid to raise their heads up and dispute with the dean or the head of a university?

- Unfortunately, this figure is very low. Most students are afraid: university is a large mechanism, what can I do against it? Some merely don’t know what to do with the right s and freedoms. “Student Rada” also provides legal aid, and often they get questions about realization of students’ rights, not violation. Students don’t know whether they can do some action or not.

- What Belarusan university leads in violation of students’ thirst for academic rights and freedoms by professors?

- Frankly speaking, I don’t know any. In most universities rights and academic freedoms are not even discussed.

- Can it happen that the monitoring will only remain on the paper and the system will swallow up this lofty idea?

- I do believe that it won’t. Especially, if we continue our monitoring. I think that it can be more useful for students than for university. When you are studying, you can miss some absurdities in your education; but when you take part in the monitoring and try to answer the questions in the checklist, you set your mind thinking about these problems, and start understanding that this is wrong and should be changed.

And I hope that the monitoring will affect not only university’s administration but students as well. The system has to be changed. Anyone shouldn’t be expelled only for voicing his or her opinion. Things should be different.