Higher Education in the Republic of Belarus

Scientific and intellectual potential is the major wealth of the Republic of Belarus. Therefore, development and enhancement of the national education system is the top priority of the public policy. As provided by the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus, the country guarantees its citizens the right to universal secondary education and creates conditions for further professional education. The state assures that secondary specialized and higher education is accessible to everybody according to their abilities. In compliance with the Constitution and the Act on Education, every citizen of the country has a right to receive tuition-free education.

Belarus tries to preserve the democratic character of education, paying much attention to common human values, developing independent critical thinking instead of simple perception of information. The main principles of the educational system in Belarus are the priority of human values, national culture as the basis of education, humanism, sense of ecological purpose, scientific basis, democracy, support of gifted students, and so on. The country is looking for the ways to develop innovative education in order to improve specialist training and raise their competitive ability as Belarus gets integrated into the global economy.

The system of higher education in Belarus as the basic source for increase in intellectual, cultural, scientific and personnel potential, involves 53 higher educational establishments, of which 43 are state owned (28 universities, 8 academies, 1 institute, 5 higher colleges, 1 higher school) and 10 are private. In 2007 – 2008 there were 413,658 students in the country getting higher education in 320 areas of knowledge, which lets the national economy fully meet its needs in the specialists. Annually, about 3,000 students from over 70 world countries (China, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Poland, Jordan, India) study in the Republic. 425 students account for 10,000 residents of Belarus (est. 2008). This ratio is among the highest in Europe. For every thousand people engaged in the national economy there are 331 specialists with higher and secondary specialized education.

Higher education is available both on free and paid basis. The latter option is for those who failed to win the entrance competition. The paying students can make use of tax credit system. The state prohibits the increase of the places for paying students at the cost of reduction of budget places. This policy is the major guarantor of the accessibility of all levels of education to all groups of population. On the whole, the volume of budget spending on education is fixed at 10% of national income.

Belarusian education is ranked among the best ones, and the Belarusian specialists are much in demand in the world. Therefore both our citizens and foreign students wish to study in the higher educational institutions of the Republic. In the system of higher education of Belarus a broad network of educational establishments was shaped. Four major types can be distinguished: University, Academy, Institute, and Higher College. University carries out fundamental research in natural sciences, humanities and other sciences. University is the centre of developing education, science and culture. It trains specialists at all levels of higher education over a wide range of fields of study. Academy trains specialists at all levels in one field of study and carries out applied and fundamental research, mainly in one branch of science or engineering. Institute trains specialists, as a rule, at the first level of higher education in a variety of specialities of one field of study. Higher College trains specialists at the first level of one or several specialities. Universities, academies as well as institutes are classified as higher educational establishments of university type and provide a two-level system of higher education with academic degrees of Bachelor and Master. The oldest higher educational institutions of the country are the Belarusian Agricultural Academy; the Belarusian, Mogilev and Vitebsk State Universities; the Belarusian National Technical University; Vitebsk Veterinary Medicine Academy.

Higher educational establishments are headed by Rectors. Pro-rectors are in charge of academic and scientific work. Every institution has several departments specializing in various fields of study and occupies its particular niche in training of highly qualified staff for all branches of national economy. Regardless of pattern of ownership all higher educational establishments are subordinate to the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus.

The rules of enrolment to the institutions of higher education provide for unified conditions for admission. But it is not that easy to become a student. Great demand on higher education led to substantial entrance competition irrespective of form of studies or speciality. Therefore, only the very best can study at budget cost. To obtain free education at state institutions a person has to successfully pass the compulsory centralized testing in two or three admission disciplines. Applicants can prepare for the tests on their own or join a preparatory department and study for one year before trying to enter a higher educational establishment. The entrants who passed the entrance exams successfully but did not get the necessary entrance score have the opportunity to study for their own account. As regards tuition payment, university education does not significantly exceed education services costs and stays within $2500 for the most prestigious specialities.

Three forms of learning are available at Belarusian higher educational establishments: full-time, evening and by correspondence. Full-time learning is the most widespread and in the greatest demand with 2/3 of the students. Less than 1% of students use evening form of learning and over 35% of students learn by correspondence. Correspondence and evening forms of learning are a good opportunity for persons with financial, age, physical and other limitations. External studies represent another form of receiving higher education. It is based on the independent study of subjects from the regular curriculum. Credits and examinations are taken without obligatory attendance of classes. This form of learning is for persons with secondary education, who cannot study full-time or leave their workplace. Diplomas are granted to external students on a regular basis. A combination of various forms of learning is accepted, so is learning on individual curricula. The efficiency of any form of learning is ensured by eminently qualified teaching staff including a large number of candidates and doctors of science, associate professors and professors.

Specialists are educated on the basis of the modern science and technology achievements, in conditions of close integration of the teaching process with scientific, practical and creative activities of students and teachers. Higher educational institutions create within their structures or are combined with research institutes, laboratories, training-and-production and investigation enterprises, design and technological bureaus, workshops, other enterprises and organisations in line with the type of specialists training. Curricula and programs take into account both specific features of the national system of higher education and necessity of its integration into the world’s educational space. The curriculum structure includes study of disciplines of humanitarian and social-economic type – 25-35%, of general scientific and general professional type – 35-45%, of special disciplines – 25-35%, of specialization disciplines – 10-15%.

Higher education in Belarus does not only mean lectures, seminars and exams. In addition, Belarusian students participate in international scientific conferences and competitions, student exchange programs. Belarusian teams take first places at competitions in mathematics, economy and programming. However, organisation of the educational process is not the only concern of the higher school.

Social state policy in the sphere of higher education envisages financial support of students: non-resident students are provided with accommodation at hostels, advanced students of state institutions receive monthly allowance, some groups of students are granted social allowance. The most gifted young people can also apply for the nominal scholarship from a special President Fund on Social Support of Gifted Pupils and Students. Universities place at students’ free disposal sports facilities and library funds, encourage their creative work and render assistance in conducting leisure activities.

Since 1994 the country has been reforming the national system of higher education basing on the principles of state policy in the field of education and international classification adopted by UNESCO. In 2002 a two-stage system of higher education was introduced in Belarus. The 1^st-stage university education usually lasts four to five years and after that a student takes state examinations and defends a graduation project. Those who have successfully completed their studies receive a Diploma of Higher Education and in accordance with attestation results they may be given a Bachelor’s degree. Graduates both from state and private universities are granted state diplomas of higher education. A more stringent selection and much more advanced 2^nd-stage curriculum (for obtaining a Master’s degree) allow perfectly educated intellectual elite of the country to be formed. After university graduation young specialists have the possibility to get a postgraduate education. Here training of the scientific personnel with highest qualifications is conducted with granting scientific degrees of Candidate of Science and Doctor of Science.

Graduates of state educational establishments are provided with the first workplace in concordance with the labour legislation of the Republic of Belarus. In 2007 the head of state gave an instruction to straighten out the system of primary job assignment to university graduates taking into consideration the demand for specialists. At present university graduates can be given jobs both at state-run and private-owned companies. In the 2006-2007 academic year 94% of students, whose education was funded by the state budget, and 988 students out of 7,980 ones, who paid for their education, were assigned jobs by the government.

Transition to the mass higher education necessitated a more strict control over the quality of providing educational services. Regardless of the pattern of ownership, all higher institutions of education are subject to accreditation procedure, which takes place every five years. Accreditation is aimed at the confirmation of the adequate level of the quality and contents of undergraduate and postgraduate training, which should meet the requirements of the established educational standards. Accreditation entitles the educational establishment in question to issue a standard certificate of education of the corresponding level. Quality Assurance, Control and Management in higher education is provided by the President, the Ministry of Education, the Department of Quality Control, and the Rectors’ Council on the basis of the National Educational Standards.

Belarus continues to reform its system of higher education with the aim of creating an independent, qualitatively new national higher school, conforming to international standards and ensuring each citizen the right to the high-quality education in accordance with their abilities and inclinations.

Task I. Find the words in the text which are close in meaning to the following:

1. institution of higher education (4)

2. candidate for admission (2)

3. a list of courses of study (1)

4. to promise (3)

5. grant (2)

6. mandatory (2)

7. dormitory (1)

8. workforce (3)

9. to be given (7)

10. in conformity with (6)

Task II. Connect each word from the column on the left with the proper words from the column on the right. Skim the text and say in what connection these collocations are mentioned.

1. win	a. a monthly allowance
2. study	b. the world’s educational space
3. receive	c. fundamental research
4. carry out	d. the first workplaces
5. defend	e. a scientific degree
6. grant	f. at budget cost
7. provide with	g. a competitive ability
8. correspond to	h. a graduation project
9. integrate into	i. international standards
10. raise	j. the competition