Teaching history of Belarus in Belarusian needs permission of parents

Schoolchildren will learn history of their country only since the third term due to reduction of lessons.

Children of 10th and 11th forms haven’t learnt History of Belarus this year. As Euroradio learnt, it is not the only peculiarity of teaching History of Belarus after the education reform.

Deputy schoolmaster of school #52 Valyantsina Petrykevich says the course of History of Belarus included 34 hours last year. This year only 19 hours remain for this subject.

“History of Belarus will be taught one hour per week from the third term. 19 weeks mean 19 hours. It was taught one hour per week before, but during the whole school year. We had 34 weeks,” the teacher said.

According to teacher of a lyceum of Baran town Tatsyana Labanava, the pupils of the 10th form begin to learn the history of Belarus from a period “Belarus as a part of the Russian Empire”.

“But they don’t repeat the previous material. They begin learning since the 19th and 20th centuries,” she says.

As teacher of a Talkou secondary school Natallya Ilyinich, pupils of the 11th form learn only superficial things from the programme of the former 10th form.

“They don’t learn the details. Values of the ancient world. Now they have only one lesson for the topic we have been discussing for a half of year in the 10th form,” the teacher notes.

“It occurs that if one wants, he or she may repeat the material,” methodologist of the Minsk City Institute of Development of Education Larysa Zharko says. According to the methodologist, 3 (!) hours are given to repeat the history of Belarus up to the 19th century.

Paval Loika, an author of history of Belarus book for schools, says minimum time was spent for teaching history before now. What does remain to say now?

“Of course, I don’t welcome it. I remember how History of Belarus was included in school programme. It was 1993. It was decided that the world history and history of Belarus will be taught separately. The course wasn’t big – one hour per week,” he says.

The situation with teaching History of Belarus in Belarusian is ridiculous, teachers say.

“It is funny. We want to teach in Belarusian, but we must get permission of parents and children. And then order books in Belarusian,” Tatsyana Labanava said.