In a recent broadcast the Belarusian TV channel ONT explored what kind of university student Aleksandr Lukashenko was and how he stood out from the crowd during the years he spent at Mogilev Pedagogical Institute, BelTA has learned.
In the early 1970s the History Department was one of the most prestigious ones at Mogilev Pedagogical Institute. The competition was extreme: eight applicants competed for one seat at once. The applicants included kids from privileged families: children of administrators, executives, bosses of various levels.
But the tough competition and humble origins (a peasant family) did not prevent young Aleksandr Lukashenko from becoming a history student. Classmates recalled that after the admittance exams it seemed that the most complicated part had already been behind them. But the first exam session became kind of a cold shower for them. Some students got satisfactory and unsatisfactory grades.
Nevertheless, the student Aleksandr Lukashenko always demonstrated an ardent desire to learn and to get to the bottom of things. Vladimir Popov, an assistant professor of the Universal History Chair at Mogilev Pedagogical Institute named after A.A. Kuleshov (1972-2018) was a curator of Aleksandr Lukashenko’s class. He confirmed the description of the student.
“He always demonstrated deep knowledge of various matters. Particularly international affairs and the foreign policy of our state,” Vladimir Popov recalled.
The future president sometimes had to help out his classmates. “During seminars they would ask him to make a speech in order to have a small window. And he would make a lengthy speech that could be followed by more questions. He helped us out like that,” recalled Vladimir Morozov, a student at the History Department of Mogilev Pedagogical Institute (1971-1975).
Aleksandr Lukashenko’s classmate Yanina Matveichuk shared recollections of visiting the head of state’s home area. “We were walking across a field and it was cold. He looked at me and said: ‘You are cold. Can I offer you my shirt?’ He had a white nylon shirt. It was fashionable back then. He was ready to give the shirt off his back,” Yanina Matveichuk noted.
The student Aleksandr Lukashenko also paid attention to sport, work, and even journalism. The football team the future president was part of became a champion of the institute. In his third year at the institute Aleksandr Lukashenko was entrusted with producing the newspaper Komsomolsky Prozhektor [Komsomol Projector]. The young student would criticize those, who did not prepare for seminars, and those, who misbehaved in the hall of residence.
The student Aleksandr Lukashenko also remembered his home area. While his classmates went to concerts or movies on weekends, Aleksandr Lukashenko went to the native village. His mother awaited his arrival. She needed his help around the house.
By the way, BelTA’s YouTube projects After the Fact: Lukashenko’s Decisions and “How it was: DOC” offer rare archive footage of the Belarus president. The footage allows more fully understanding Aleksandr Lukashenko’s attitude to various matters and aspects of development of the country.
Follow us on:
