News & Events in Belarus

MINSK, 28 July (BelTA) – Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has emphasized the importance of preserving and promoting national traditions, expertise and knowledge in aviation training. The Belarusian leader made this statement as he met with Minister of Transport and Communications of Belarus Anatoly Sivak and First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Alexander Radkov on 28 July. The parties discussed suggestions on the transformation of THE Minsk State Higher Aviation College into an academy, BelTA has learnt.

The President noted that the matter will be discussed publicly because it is very important to preserve the educational traditions in training aviation specialists in order to avoid problems that arouse, for example, in Russia where inadequate level of training of aviation crews led to a number of accidents and crashes.

“We have preserved this education and we have the higher aviation college. We are going to transform it into an academy,” Alexander Lukashenko noted. The President emphasized that transformation means dramatic reforms, not just a formal change of the status.

The head of state asked the attendees what they think about this transformation and how much it would cost. The parties also discussed whether this educational institution should be supervised by the Education Ministry instead of the Transport and Communications Ministry. “Should we do it? A draft decree has been elaborated. I am concerned that our sectoral educational institutions are not transferred to the Education Ministry,” the President asked. He emphasized that in any case the number one task is to find the best option and the most efficient solutions.

Anatoly Sivak informed that the name of the educational institution should be changed from the formal point of view, because the Education Code does not provide for such educational institutions as a higher college. However, the name change should be coupled with a profound reform aimed to improve the quality of education. “The college provides vocational training and higher education, however, today we need to make a step forward,” the minister said.

Following the meeting Anatoly Sivak told reporters that the college and the aviation academy to be set up will continue to be supervised by the Transport and Communications Ministry. He informed that the parties discussed not only the college and the training of personnel for the aviation sector, but also the training of specialists for the entire transportation sector of the country.

The academy is to be established within this year. The physical infrastructure will be upgraded and the requirements to the teaching staff will be toughened.