Minsk: action of solidarity with Ivan Shyla

12.06.2008. Tags: Young Front, actions, expulsion, Shyla, youth leaders.
Source: Charter`97.

An action of solidarity with Ivan Shyla has been held today in the center of Minsk. On 4 June, before his last final exam, Ivan Shyla was expelled from a secondary school because of public activism.

The activists of the Young Front, whose member the unlawfully expelled schoolboy is, unfurled a banner ‘School for everyone’ near the building of the Ministry of Education, RFE/RL reports.

The security of the ministry building threatened to call for the police. The action participants said they would stay as much time as they considered necessary.

The deputy head of Maskouski district police department of Minsk appeared on the site of the action only after the young men had gone to hand in a petition to the Ministry of Education demanding voluntary dissolution of this government institution.

The participants of the action said they think expulsion of Ivan Shyla from school discredit a profession of a teacher in the eyes of both pupils and teachers.

The young men demand that fair and professional teachers should be employed by the Ministry of Education.

Reference:
One of the leaders of the Young Front Ivan Shyla was expelled for his ‘active public work’ the day before his last exam (English). Earlier the teachers’ council allowed the young activist to sit for the exam, but due to pressure of Minsk officials during a repeat voting the teachers’ council adopted a decision to expel him. Headmaster Volha Siankova has written a letter of resignation from her position due to a desire to terminate her employment. He assistant for educational work Alena Semchankava was fired ‘for unsatisfactory work’.