A. Lukashenko considers it necessary to optimize the programs and timelines for training specialists in the country

9 August, Minsk /Alina Grishkevich - BELTA/. Issues of readiness for the new academic year of educational institutions, personnel training in the country, and optimization of the structure and content of educational programs were discussed on 9 August during a report to the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko by the Minister of Education Sergey Maskevich. This was reported to BELTA by the press service of the Belarusian leader. The Minister informed that all educational institutions are fully ready for the start of the new academic year. In particular, teaching and lecturing staff have been recruited, and the necessary educational and methodological materials have been published. The sale of school uniforms, footwear, and stationery has been organized. According to the Minister, measures for material support of low-income families with schoolchildren have also been considered. In schools, everything is prepared for the provision of full meals for children during their studies. This year, 6 new schools, 15 new preschool institutions, and 2 new dormitories will start operating in the country. The Ministry of Education is launching several pilot projects, one of which is focused on the intensive implementation of electronic learning tools in the educational process. This project is being implemented jointly with the Belarusian High-Tech Park. Eight educational institutions in the country have been selected where an experiment on the use of netbooks in primary classes will begin. A new learning device was presented to the President. The Head of State approved the idea. During the report, the issue of the quality of personnel training in Belarusian institutions was discussed. "We need to consider the issue of personnel training in the country very seriously. I am afraid to be mistaken, but it can be said that we train students in about one-third of what is then absolutely useless in life," Alexander Lukashenko noted. "And we know, there is nothing to hide here: in universities, many students do not study certain subjects at all, or only study them to pass a test or exam, because they will not need them in the future." This problem was raised during the President's recent working trip to the Gorki district of the Mogilev region, where the oldest agricultural university, the Belarusian State Agricultural Academy, is located.

"Just like in other higher education institutions, substantial modernization is required. The academy serves as a prime example: approximately a quarter or a third of graduates do not work in their specialty afterwards, but pursue various other paths – from law enforcement to industry. So, why was the intake of applicants increased? Is there nowhere else to put the money?" – the President posed a pertinent question. Alexander Lukashenko criticised university curricula: "The programmes are outdated and not oriented towards the current development of agricultural production." The Head of State also touched upon the duration of studies: "Based on what students receive at the academy and other higher education institutions, study periods can be safely reduced by 25%. We have agreed that in the final year of study at the academy, students will exclusively engage in the sphere of material production, at agricultural enterprises, to gain direct familiarity with the development of the agro-industrial complex." The President emphasised that he categorically insists on changing both the specialist training plans and the duration of studies. Alexander Lukashenko separately addressed the demand for specialists trained by Belarusian higher education institutions. "We need to look at who we are training. Today, we most need engineers. But we have an oversupply of lawyers, economists, and political scientists – soon we will not be able to employ them all. Yet, knowing this situation, we continue to train them. This is unacceptable; the situation must change," said the Head of State. The President has decided to hold a republican meeting this year to thoroughly analyse the state of Belarusian education and coordinate the activities of educational institutions. -0-

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