Parents: ‘Kolya-Friendly’ Schedule Becomes Uneven

87% Belarusian schools formally start lessons at 8.30 to 9 a.m., but in practice it is much more complicated.

Deputy Minister of Education Raisa Sidarenka revealed the real number of schools, which transferred to the “Kolya-friendly schedule”, for tut.by journalists.

— If in spring 85% of educational establishments were going to switch to the schedule with the lessons beginning at 9 a.m. instead of 8.30 a.m., then now 87% of schools actually did it, — Deputy Minister of Education Raisa Sidarenka said. — We have already said many times that according to sanitary norms and rules, the optimal time for starting the classes was always 9 a.m. If educational establishments chose any other time, it should have been justified.

The ministerial official added that each school should analyze its working regime to make it most effective.

— As for the weird things happening in some educational institutions... A representative of the Ministry of Education arrived to Barysau to explain them how to conduct classes, after we had received a signal. It was obvious that two shifts starting at 9 a.m. was an absolutely wrong decision. If signals come, we monitor the situation, collect information, react.

The parents of some schools in Minsk are reporting another problem. If students used to come to school at the same time every weekday, now the schedule became "uneven". It happens so that a kid needs to come to school to 8.00, then to 8.15, then to 8.30, then to 9.00 on different days.

— Is it normal for both parents and kids to try to memorize such schedule? — the journalists asked the Deputy Minister.

— First, school students have diaries, — Raisa Sidarenka replied. — The time of starting the lessons should be fixed: either 8 a.m., or 8.15, 8.30, or 9 a.m. I think that in these cases the schedule differs, because there are some additional lessons before classes. The sanitary norms provide for one requirement — classes should begin not earlier than 8 a.m. at the first shift and end no later than 19.40 — at the second. If there are any problems — the principal should solve them.