MINSK, 24 August (BelTA) – Politics cannot stay out of the classroom, but this should be official politics, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he addressed the National Pedagogical Conference on 24 August, BelTA has learned.
“The question that is in the air now: should schools participate in the political life of the country? The answer is unequivocal: we cannot keep politics out of the classroom. In fact, there is no politics without school. Yet, there should be only one type of politics there - the official politics, the national flag and anthem. And let's stop discussing this matter,” Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized.
The president noted that the same principle is observed in all self-respecting countries - from the United States of America to China and Russia. The head of state is sure that professionals are fully aware of it.
“They also understand that the civic stance of teachers, their participation in the public or political life of the country are an example for students to follow. School educates not only students, it also re-educates many parents. After all, we all know very well that any fundamental knowledge should be backed by examples from real life. While interacting with children, one cannot avoid analyzing the events of the past and present, assessing these events through the prism of the interests of the state in which we live. What is this if not politics?” the Belarusian leader asked.
Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized that only a patriot can raise a patriot. In his opinion, here it does not matter what discipline a teacher teaches. “One can formulate a task in chemistry in such a way that students will be proud of their country. And vice versa. Why am I saying it? Because part of our youth strives to leave the country after getting education here. Not all, but the trend is alarming. After all, those who leave lose their roots - this is the worst thing that can happen. It is good when they go abroad for new experience, knowledge to come back and apply it in their homeland. And then we need to take a closer look at who teaches them what,” he is convinced.
The president noted that on the one hand, Belarusian teachers help high-potential students grow into highly qualified specialists who are in demand abroad. On the other hand, schools under-perform when it comes to patriotic upbringing. “How should we assess our progress in patriotic upbringing of children? Probably, we will not get the highest score, as evidenced by facts,” he added.
