Opinions & Interviews

Lukashenko: Belarus has preserved the best Soviet educational practices

MINSK, 13 February (BelTA) – Belarus has preserved the best Soviet traditions in higher education, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said at a meeting with members of the National Council of Rectors of Higher Education Institutions on 13 February, BelTA has learned.

“The most important thing is that we have preserved the continuity and quality of classical education. There was a risk of rushing into reforms and experiments. People from various foreign foundations went out of their way trying to push us to adopt them. They had a reason behind it. Let’s acknowledge: graduates of Soviet educational institutions made brilliant discoveries and inventions, which made them household names throughout the world. Back then, the knowledge gained in our universities was worth its weight in gold. And people continue to come to Belarus to study because we have preserved the best Soviet traditions,” the Belarusian leader emphasized.

Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that for such a relatively small country as Belarus, 30,000 students from more than 100 countries of the world is a good figure. “The export of educational services in 2023 exceeded $90 million. That’s also not bad,” said the head of state.

The president recalled that in the 1990s the country did the impossible to preserve scientific facilities and competencies in higher education. “We saved every penny, invested a lot of money in this sphere. And the result is the following: the number of universities has increased from 33 to 50, and the number of students has risen 1.5 times,” the head of state noted.

However, Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized that not only quantity, but also quality matters.

Belarus opened universities in the regions: in Baranovichi in 2004 and in Pinsk in 2006. Thus, higher education has become even more accessible and affordable in every corner of the country. Moreover, this was done at a time when the economy was just beginning to recover from the financial collapse of the first years of independence.

“We opened private universities in Baranovichi, Pinsk, and in some other places. Yet, the question today is how busy they are, especially those in Pinsk and Baranovichi. The governors were begging to open these universities to train specialists at the regional level. What is the result?” the head of state asked.

“In other words, this was our development strategy and we put it into practice. We took care of everything: we improved the technical infrastructure, upgraded laboratories and classrooms, built and continue to build new buildings of educational facilities and dormitories, and are renovating old ones,” Aleksandr Lukashenko remarked.

For example, works are now underway at Belarusian State University, Belarusian National Technical University, the Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radio Electronics and other higher learning institutions.

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