MINSK, 23 January (BelTA) – Curricula in Belarusian schools and universities need to be revised, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he spoke with scientists and academic researchers at a ceremony to present Doctor of Sciences diplomas and professor certificates on 23 January, BelTA has learned.
Education in Belarus was one of the topics discussed during the meeting. First Vice Rector of the Belarusian State University, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences Dmitry Medvedev spoke about his thesis on education.
“The main question facing our education and science, and life in general is what to teach and how,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
The president said that he is familiar with school textbooks, and their quality often raises questions. “Scholars seem to have invented something, understood what to teach and how. However, when it comes to practice, it does not work,” he said. “The problem with what to teach and how to teach remains. This year we will revisit this issue. We need to take a look at what we teach, develop the appropriate programs, reduce the theme selection where it is possible. The knowledge of some themes at the school level will be enough for a doctor, for example,” he said.
The head of state urged teachers not to be afraid of possible reduction of themes and not to hold on to the teachers' hours. “We'd rather pay you more for fewer hours. We need to create an in-depth education system to attract more students from abroad. They do come but they might not to tomorrow. We need to constantly improve the education system. Sometimes they act with the whole purpose of breaking things but have nothing to replace them with. Do not be in a hurry. The new must grow out of the old. Something has to die, as it happens in life. But do not act revolutionary in order to build a new world while not knowing which one and how,” the head of state noted.
