OREANDA-NEWS. June 5, 2008. The final decision was made to switch Belarusian secondary schools to the 11-year education scheme at the government session held by President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko to table the development of general secondary education.

According to Anatoly Rubinov, First Deputy Head of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Belarus, the switch to the 11-year scheme is well-planned and will not lead to shocks. “The best school practices will be preserved. The changes a decree is supposed to lay down suggest avoiding novelties, which have been deemed inadvisable, but the accumulated experience will not be abandoned to avoid school disruptions,” said Anatoly Rubinov.

The present-day school is supposed to improve education quality not by overloading students, increasing school education hours and years, but via perfecting the quality of textbooks, the educational process, stressed the official.

Anatoly Rubinov dispelled fears about the possibility of getting two sets of textbooks next year. In his words, senior school students, who were supposed to be the last graduation class of the 11-year school and the first graduation class of the 12-year school, are of the same age. In 1998 kids went to school when they were 6 (to start in a preparatory form and stay for 12 years of education) and when they were 7 (to begin with the usual first form and stay for 11 years).

During the session the President underscored, the centralised testing system needs attention. Tests should not be too difficult. Instead they should be linked to the educational level of the general secondary school.

There are problems with preparing textbooks, as they should be made understandable and intelligible for kids. Anatoly Rubinov also underscored, schools should prepare more than professionals, they should prepare citizens, who are ready to start the adult life and continue getting the necessary knowledge.