Opinions & Interviews

MOSCOW, 28 May (BelTA) – The existing legal framework provides the citizens of Belarus and Russia with equal opportunities for receiving quality education, Education Minister of Belarus Sergei Maskevich said at a joint meeting of the State Science and Technology Committee, the Education Ministry of Belarus and the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation in Moscow on 28 May.

The majority of educational services are funded from the budget, which is guaranteed by the constitutions of the two countries. “We believe that this issue has already been systemized at every level of the education system and does not need any dramatic changes. We are currently working on simplifying the access to education for the citizens of the two counties, especially to vocational and higher education, which use competitive selection,” Sergei Maskevich said.

In his words, laws concerning public relations in the education sector of Belarus and Russia are constantly improved and optimized. The Code of Education of Belarus and the Federal Law on Education of Russia, which define the near-term priorities in education development, have become important steps in this direction. These two legislative acts have harmonized the education system of the two countries, removed many contradictions.

The participants of the meeting also discuss amendments to the agreement between the Government of the Republic of Belarus and the Government of the Russian Federation on the development and operation of Belarusian-Russian University of 19 January 2009. According to the participants of the meeting, an important role in the organization of joint training of degree professionals is played by Belarusian-Russian University, the branches of Russian State Social University and Moscow State University of Economics, Statistics and Informatics. For instance, in 2012 Belarusian-Russian University trained over 700 specialists, including more than 90, whose courses were funded from the budget of Russia.