MINSK, 20 October (BelTA) – Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko has approved the appointment of new heads of the public higher education institutions, BelTA has learned.
Natalya Karchevskaya, the former First Deputy Culture Minister, was appointed Rector of the Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts.
Natalya Lapteva will lead the Minsk State Linguistic University. She previously held the post of the Dean of the Germany Language Department at the university.
Aleksandr Bakhanovich is the new rector of the Brest State Technical University. He previously worked as deputy rector of the Belarusian National Technical University.
“We are not going to pretend that everything is well in universities. We know all the problems. You know them as well as I do,” the head of state said.
“There is no catastrophe there, however. Students have always had a protesting rebellious spirit. Some suggest that we should not tolerate all this, that we should expel these students. I remember myself being a student. You know, I was a nuisance for the dean of the History Faculty. But I never acted against the authorities,” he said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko said that at university he was also engaged in public activities, defended the students' interests. “I always fought for justice. I was a Komsomol activist, a member of the Komsomol public control movement that watched over order and discipline, fought against corruption. I was always for justice. I did well academically and was an activist, and that was why I was never expelled,” said the head of state.
“I remember my university years and think that probably there are a lot of misguided students. There are those who will never get back on the right path. But these are very few. Others, however, feel the urge to follow suit. I understand such things and tried to calm down both law enforcers and officials. I urged them to be patient. We have to be patient, people will come back to their senses sooner or later,” the president said.
