Ceremonial assemblies dedicated to the start of the new academic year will be held today in schools across Belarus, according to BelTA.
1 million 30 thousand schoolchildren will commence their studies, including 115 thousand first-graders (compared to 110.2 thousand in 2018/2019). The theme of the first lesson will be a line from Yanka Kupala's poem "Maladaya Belarus" - "Занімай, Беларусь маладая мая, свой пачэсны пасад між народамі!" ("Take, my young Belarus, your honourable place among nations!"). As noted by the Ministry of Education, "the wonderful words of the Belarusian bard resonate with the theme of the Year of Small Motherland, emphasizing the sovereignty and independence of Belarus, which has been strengthened over the 25 years of the institution of the presidency." The first lesson will also be dedicated to the Great Victory.
Every first-grader in the country will receive a gift from the President: the book "Belarus - Nasha Radzima" with an electronic DVD supplement. The publication is richly illustrated, and the DVD contains additional information for viewing and listening, interactive games, and tasks (quizzes, puzzles, electronic colouring pages, etc.).
In the new academic year, Belarus will have 2951 preschool educational institutions and 3003 general secondary educational institutions, including 8 newly built schools with a capacity of 7288 places. 127 vocational colleges and lyceums, and 111 secondary vocational education institutions will open their doors to students, as well as 47 and 83 institutions implementing vocational and secondary specialized education programmes, respectively. Students will study in 42 state and 9 private higher education institutions.