Education Ministry Statement: Lyceum Liquidation Meant Just for Optimization
On 23 July participants of “Our Solidarity” campaign received an answer from the Education Ministry to their protest against liquidation of Yakub Kolas National State Humanitarian Lyceum, signed by U. Shcherba, Head of the Main Board of Common Secondary Education.
The letter says that the lyceum was liquidated with the aim to “optimize the system of Republican educational establishments”, as it was the only common secondary educational establishment that stood in the structure of the ministry. We received the explanations what it was and why it was forbidden by phoning to the Board: “educational establishments can’t subordinate directly to the ministry, and the lyceum was. At first we tried to join the lyceum to Minsk State Pedagogic University, but at that time the lyceum students won. So, we decided to pass it to the city in such a way. […] It is nonsense when a secondary educational establishment is directly subordinated to the ministry. It is the only case in the world. For all the time of its existence we faced with different problems and constant demands to join the lyceum to some other educational establishment, as, in accordance with the Ruling on lyceums can enter the structure of higher educational establishments, not be directly subordinated to the Ministry of Education” Who demanded the change in the lyceum status? The ministry workers openly say that it were the Presidential administration and the Soviet of Ministers. “Some time ago Ivan Pashkevich stood for the lyceum. The present authorities are more principle in solution of this question.”
The letter also says that “during reparation of the building in Kiraw Street, 21”, students of Minsk State Humanitarian Lyceum will study at other Belarusian-language educational establishments in accordance with the curriculum plans of the lyceum.” The authorities have already decided this question, though the lyceum programs are unique and have no equivalents at other educational establishments of Belarus. They say that the plans will be only a bit revised, remaining basically the same. Besides, the ministry still hopes that the students will agree to study elsewhere than the lyceum. At present it tries to organize discussions with the parents. Yesterday such a discussion was conducted with the parents, whose children studied in the 8th grade. Only some of them came and in single cases agreed to educate their children in another establishments. The majority of parents state that they will educate their children at home.
According to information of the NGO Assembly
