Alexandr M. Radkov Minister of Education In August 2003, Dr. Alexandr M. Radkov was appointed as Minister of Education in the Republic of Belarus. Dr. Radkov brings to his Ministry extensive experience in higher education, having been Senior Lecturer, Assistant Professor, Head of a Faculty, Dean, Vice Rector, and Rector of Mogilev State University. He has published more than 100 scientific and methodological materials, monographs, and teaching and learning guidebooks. Born in 1951, Minister Radkov has earned both a master’s and a doctorate of science in the field of mathematics.

The Republic of Belarus, according to the UN Human Development Report 2003, is rated 53 on the list of the UN member states and belongs to the group of nations with a high level of human potential. This rating has been achieved to a great extent due to the level of education in Belarus which is currently being reformed with the aim of improving the quality and accessibility of all levels of education.

The system of nursery schooling involves all the 5-year old children into the training process of preparation for full-time school.

Within the period 1998 to 2002, a transfer of primary school education starting from the age of 6 years was fulfilled. The transfer to the 10-year basic schooling will be completed by 2008. The procedure of the transfer of the senior stage of the 12-year training to a new content of education has been defined. A five-day school week has been introduced. The curricula have adopted the changes aimed at a more liberal choice of the content of education. A new ten grade system of assessment has been adopted, to make the assessment process more individual and versatile.

Great attention is given to securing human rights for physically and mentally vulnerable persons. The country maintains and develops a network of after-school institutions for such pupils, with the state’s full financial support. The social and psychological support of the educational process has improved, with the introduction of professional social workers and pedagogical psychologists into the school teaching staff.

Belarus has created a system of school books publishing practically from scratch. Since 1994, over 3,000 titles of teaching books have been issued. Special attention is now given to the introduction of modern information and communication technologies into the training process.

The reforms of the vocational school are aimed at the enhancement of the quality of special training, at creation of a system of continual training. The mobility of vocational education has increased. Annually the list of trades and specialties in vocational schools is supplemented by 20-30 new items. About 70 per cent of their graduates obtain two or more specialties. The system of secondary specialized education is developing in the direction of creating colleges which provide education better integrated with that of higher learning institutions.

The higher education in Belarus has acquired universal character. The number of university students is 342 per 10,000 of population. The number of first-year students increases by 5 per cent every year. The process of transfer to a two-stage training system in universities has gained momentum.

The continual updating process has required introduction of the quality control in education, a system of monitoring and legal control and management of the educational industry. During the two latest years only, such laws have been adopted as the Laws on Education, On Vocational Education, On Specialized Education, and a number of bills have been prepared.