Aleh Hrableuski: Belarus realizes its unsteady position in the Bologna process

That’s why officials are not indignant over their non-membership in EHEA. is Authorities chose to distort and conceal information; education system is built in into the model of a totalitarian state.

The website of the Bologna process hasn’t yet included Belarus in its members. Despite the fact that our country is admitted to the EHEA, for other participants it still remains being something wild.

This circumstance doesn’t shock our Ministry of Education. Moreover, the officials claim that Belarus didn’t take any responsibilities after joining the bologna process. The answer to the letter written by Aleh Grableuski a lawyer, a human rights defendant, an expert from the Public Bologna Committee, clearly states that. “EuroBelarus” Information Service tries to look into this more than weird situation together with the human rights defendant.

- How meaningful, reasonable, and judicially correct was the answer of the officials to your inquiry? Could you voice its key statements?

- Let me quote the key lines of my inquiry:

“Please let me know: 1. What conditions are determined for Belarus in order for our country to become a full-fledged member of the Bologna process? 2. What printed or online resources of some state structure contain information about these conditions? 3. What concrete actions are planned (program, action plan, etc.) for fulfilling these conditions? 4. Is the information about the planned actions are available for the public and where can one read this information?”

How solid and judicially correct was the answer? The answer to each of the key moments was absolutely uninformative.

We suppose that the Ministry of Education didn’t find it necessary to give the information since its representatives are convinced in their “immersion” in the role of a participant of the Bologna process, thus, they do not admit any responsibilities/conditions, which means that they don’t need to explain anything.

The answer contains a hint that measures will be taken and covered in media, but gives no specific information (as in the inquiry).

The answer is judicially correct and only in the part where the terms of consideration are observed. But since there are no clear answers to the questions but only contradicting arguments the answer is unacceptable.

- According to the officials, after entering the Bologna process, Belarus doesn’t owe anything to anyone all of a sudden. Why does the Ministry conceal the fact that our country should fulfill its obligations for realization of the roadmap by 2018?

- Distortion and concealment of information is the authorities’ deliberate position. The reasons for “keeping silent” are the following: first, absence of political will for admitting the deficiency of the current educational system; secondly, inability to fulfill the conditions of the roadmap.

The current system of the higher education is built in the model of totalitarian state and cannot be reformed without the change of the regime – it is hard for me to imagine that the state will abandon the principle of appointing chancellors to electing them; thirdly, it is concealing it hoping for the problem to dissolve on its own – time will pass, and officials will provide a package of “cosmetic” normative acts designed for imitating the fulfillment of the roadmap and that’s it.

Besides, the authorities are keeping silent because they are extremely against any external control of the realization of the roadmap on the part of the civil society.

- If, according to the Ministry of Education, the roadmap is a matter of procedure that isn’t reinforced by any legal obligations, why are officials elaborating the package of measures on realization of the roadmap all of a sudden?

- It is the obvious contradiction that comes from the non-desire of the authorities to openly admit their obligations for fulfilling the roadmap and indicating that these obligations still exist.

- In your opinion, why do you think Belarus hasn’t appeared among the members of the Bologna process at the official website of the latter yet?

- It is so because Belarus that is pretending to be a “full-fledged” member doesn’t demand to be named in this list. It doesn’t because it realizes its unsteady position in the Bologna process.

- Can we think of the above-mentioned fact as of a marker of skeptical attitude the Ministries of Education of the EU countries have towards Belarus – the country that is included in the EHEA only conventionally?

- We can. The fact remains: the official website of the EHEA doesn’t list Belarus as a participant of the Bologna process.

- Are you planning to continue correspondence with the Ministry of Education on the realization of the roadmap?

- If the authorities will keep on concealing the questions of realizing their obligations regarding the Bologna process, I don’t have any other alternative but to continue correspondence.