Lukashenka Spoke Against Centralized Testing: Will Exams Be Back In Belarus?

The dictator is also concerned with the amount of homework in schools.

He said this today, receiving a report from Education Minister Ihar Karpenka, BelTA informs.

- Of course, I read, see and hear, I'm informed that not everything is ok with entering universities. There is still criticism of the centralized testing. They criticize the new method of calculation of these grades, which you invented. Although the main thing is not grades, but knowledge. Everyone should understand, including parents, if the child has knowledge, then whatever grades and scores they have, they will still enter the university. If there is no knowledge, no grades will help, - Lukashenka said.

- I will say frankly that I have recently listened to many parents (and I have enough students in my big family, so I'm interested in this), and I'm already beginning to think, receiving a lot of information that we may have to improve, to put it mildly, the system of admission to universities.

What worries me the most is that the applicant, who wants to become a student, does not pass exams when face to face with the examiner, with the teacher of universities or other educational institutions, - Lukashenka said.

In this regard, he recalled the time when he studied at the university, and noted that it is unlikely that his results in testing would be better than in a personal conversation with the teacher.

Lukashenka demands not to overburden children with homework

- As I have already said in terms of school loads, we need to make sure that children, especially those in schools, get their knowledge in the classroom and polish it up when doing their homework. At universities, it's a completely different matter. It's a different thing there, because there a person came to his or her specialty. He is inclined to it, it will be easier for him to study.

And here, a pupil has everything - from mathematics to humanitarian and technical subjects. There are no children who understand all these sciences equally.

It is also necessary to pay attention to it and not to overload children, especially at home. We do not need them to work 5-6 hours at school, and the same amount of time at home. This is not normal. We harm children, - Lukashenka said.

Lukashenka instructed to hold an expanded meeting on education with the participation of experts by the end of the year.