MINSK, 27 September (BelTA) – There is no need to be over-focused on ratings but better pay attention to university performance and achievements, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said during the Open Microphone with the President session with students of the engineering and technical universities of Minsk on 27 September, BelTA has learned.
When asked whether he pays attention to a place a particular Belarusian university holds in the world ratings and whether it was important for national educational institutions to participate in such an evaluation system, Aleksandr Lukashenko advised not to pay much attention to such ratings, because, as a rule, they are not objective. “If universities want to be in this rating system (and some really do), then do your best. I pay almost no attention to it. They are all politically-biased,” the head of state said.
The real, objective assessment of higher education institutions is their demand among applicants, the president believes. For example, the head of state was briefed today that BSUIR’s export services went up by 5% year-on-year. Export services make almost half of the university's annual budget. “This is the real rating. When foreigners seek your education, that means a lot,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “It does not really matter how they compile their rankings. You know how they do this.”
“They are not fair there, you are right,” the BSUIR rector confirmed.
The president noted that Belarusian universities are popular among foreign nationals; a sufficient number of people come here for education. They often learn about universities not from ratings, but from word of mouth, which is much more reliable and objective.
As for the ratings, they can be biased. “I wouldn't be surprised even if China may act unfairly towards us in some things - it's competition,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. According to him, even a country as friendly to Belarus as China, takes care of its own interests first.
“They consider everything. If you are nice to them, they will help,” the president said. One example of such cooperation is the construction by China of such large-scale world-class facilities as a swimming pool and a stadium in Minsk.
Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized that Belarus is capable of producing high-quality sophisticated goods not only in education but also in the real sector of the economy, though not in the same volumes as in larger countries. Thanks to the support of the Belarusian side, some countries, such as Venezuela, have created new industries in the civil and military sectors. “We know how to do everything that is needed. Those who need to learn something know who to approach,” the head of state said.
When asked whether he pays attention to a place a particular Belarusian university holds in the world ratings and whether it was important for national educational institutions to participate in such an evaluation system, Aleksandr Lukashenko advised not to pay much attention to such ratings, because, as a rule, they are not objective. “If universities want to be in this rating system (and some really do), then do your best. I pay almost no attention to it. They are all politically-biased,” the head of state said.
The real, objective assessment of higher education institutions is their demand among applicants, the president believes. For example, the head of state was briefed today that BSUIR’s export services went up by 5% year-on-year. Export services make almost half of the university's annual budget. “This is the real rating. When foreigners seek your education, that means a lot,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “It does not really matter how they compile their rankings. You know how they do this.”
“They are not fair there, you are right,” the BSUIR rector confirmed.
The president noted that Belarusian universities are popular among foreign nationals; a sufficient number of people come here for education. They often learn about universities not from ratings, but from word of mouth, which is much more reliable and objective.
As for the ratings, they can be biased. “I wouldn't be surprised even if China may act unfairly towards us in some things - it's competition,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. According to him, even a country as friendly to Belarus as China, takes care of its own interests first.
“They consider everything. If you are nice to them, they will help,” the president said. One example of such cooperation is the construction by China of such large-scale world-class facilities as a swimming pool and a stadium in Minsk.
Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized that Belarus is capable of producing high-quality sophisticated goods not only in education but also in the real sector of the economy, though not in the same volumes as in larger countries. Thanks to the support of the Belarusian side, some countries, such as Venezuela, have created new industries in the civil and military sectors. “We know how to do everything that is needed. Those who need to learn something know who to approach,” the head of state said.
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