Belarus’s education system in April 2026 

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22 May 2026
Belarus’s education system in April 2026
Photo: EHU

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The results of the April monitoring study showed that the trends observed earlier in the current academic year have persisted. First and foremost, this refers to the continued rapid pace of the ideologization and militarization of Belarusian education, which became apparent in February and March and continued in April. In addition, in recent months, there has been another surge in propaganda activities by pro-government media, aimed at intimidating Belarusian youth with the threat of potential liability for studying at European Humanities University (EHU) in Vilnius. Further attempts by the state to complicate the operations of the private education sector in Belarus were also noted. All of the trends listed above continued in April. An equally significant development in April was the resumption of the practice of legally enshrining restrictive and repressive measures affecting the education system. The trend of using film screenings at Russian House venues in Belarus as a means of spreading a pro-Russian perspective on Russia’s war against Ukraine persists. We would also like to note the large-scale nature of the events marking the Day of Unity of the Peoples of Belarus and Russia, organized by pro-Russian organizations in April.

At the same time, we can note that the following events and trends were observed in the Belarusian education system in April:

1. The regulatory entrenchment of discriminatory and repressive practices

In mid-April, it was announced that the Ministry of Education had updated the requirements for participants in the database of gifted and talented youth.[1] According to the new version of the document, Belarusians who are studying at foreign educational institutions without a referral from Belarusian state authorities, or who hold visas or temporary residence permits from other countries issued on humanitarian grounds, are subject to exclusion from the databases. People who have committed so-called “extremist” crimes, which the document equates with serious and particularly serious criminal offenses, are also subject to exclusion. Young people who have committed offenses related to political activity (including participation in unauthorized mass events, as well as the production and even possession of materials recognized as “extremist”) will also be excluded from the databases. Thus, the new version of the document explicitly legalizes the practice of political repression and discriminates against Belarusian citizens with opposition political views. Moreover, support for the ruling regime is almost as important a basis for inclusion in the database of gifted and talented youth as scientific, athletic, and other professional achievements.

2. Restrictions on opportunities for Belarusian youth to pursue a European education due to the designation of European Humanities University as an “extremist organization”

A major development for Belarusian education in April was the decision by the Supreme Court of Belarus to designate European Humanities University (EHU) as an “extremist organization.”[2] The Supreme Court’s decision itself is not unexpected, but it could have significant consequences for both EHU and Belarusian youth. The “extremist” status deprives EHU of the ability to legally interact with prospective students and lecturers from Belarus, as any participation in university events, enrollment, studying, and working there will be regarded by the Belarusian authorities as participation in the activities or financing of an “extremist organization,” which is grounds for criminal prosecution. Similar consequences may also await those who hold a degree from the university and plan to use this document when seeking employment in Belarus. The “extremist” status could potentially deprive EHU of a significant number of applicants from Belarus, which would call into question the very existence of the university, which is one of the few accessible centers of independent European education for Belarusian youth. At the same time, EHU’s “extremist” status will further reduce the flow of Belarusian youth to European universities in general, a trend that has already been observed over the past few years. Russian universities will also benefit significantly from this situation, as they could potentially attract more applicants from Belarus due to young people abandoning the idea of studying in Europe.

3. Increased scrutiny of the private education sector by government regulatory and supervisory agencies

Several news stories in April point to yet another surge in government attention toward private education. Specifically, it was reported at the beginning of the month that prosecutors in Minsk had inspected 42 private early childhood education centers and found violations in the vast majority of them.[3] At the same time, the Department of Education Quality Control published a report on the results of an inspection of private driving schools,[4] which also noted a large number of violations. The increased attention of regulatory bodies to the activities of private educational institutions is particularly notable in the context of potential licensing of supplementary education for children and youth, which we have discussed in previous monitoring studies. In this regard, the large number of violations found during the inspections will serve as an additional justification for introducing licensing and a massive crackdown on the private education sector. Given the state’s desire to establish total control over the education sector, the private sector is viewed with suspicion by the state. Under these circumstances, the violations identified serve merely as a pretext for a significant reduction in the number of private institutions in the education services market.

4. The second National Survey on the Quality of Education (NIKO) was conducted in schools across Belarus

According to the organizers, approximately 20,000 students from 705 educational institutions across all regions of Belarus participated in NIKO-2026.[5] As in 2023, each student completed an assessment on two types of functional literacy: reading and mathematics, or science and finance. Students were given both multiple-choice and open-ended tasks to complete. It should be noted that NIKO tasks are not aimed at directly testing students’ knowledge, but rather at assessing their ability to apply acquired knowledge in real-life situations. In this sense, NIKO serves as the national counterpart to the international PISA study, in which Belarus’s participation has been suspended since 2022. Assessing students’ functional literacy is a pressing challenge for education systems worldwide, so the introduction of NIKO in 2023 remains one of the few decisions by the Ministry of Education that aligns with global educational trends. At the same time, it is important to note that the survey’s organizers have not yet published the results of NIKO-2023. In this regard, the results of NIKO-2026 may once again fail to serve as an indicator of the state of Belarusian education for society as a whole, but rather merely as information for a closed circle of officials.

5. The continued high rate of ideologization at all levels of the Belarusian education system

The results of the monitoring study indicate that the educational process continues to be heavily ideologized at all levels of the education system. Pro-government ideological narratives were promoted both through routine projects and events and through specific initiatives, including the following examples:

– Widespread participation by the Belarusian education system in ideological events and activities commemorating the Day of Unity of the Peoples of Belarus and Russia. Some ideological events in honor of Unity Day began to be held in the Belarusian education system as early as late March, but in the first days of April they were held at all levels of the Belarusian education system – from kindergartens to universities. Hundreds of examples of such events were recorded during the month. Over the past few years, the Day of Unity of the Peoples of Belarus and Russia has evolved from a minor occasion into one of the most prominent ideological events of the academic year. The substantive focus of such events is largely oriented toward promoting pro-Russian ideas and fostering a positive perception of Russian-Belarusian unity. In a number of cases, concepts of a shared historical and cultural space, as well as ideas of a common people and Fatherland, are being promoted in the educational environment, which in the future may have a negative impact on the formation of national identity among students.

– Continued strong presence of the Orthodox Church in the educational process. In April, dozens of instances were recorded in which young children, school students, college students, and university students were regularly taken to Orthodox churches. Visits by Orthodox priests to various educational institutions and meetings with children, teenagers, and young adults became an equally widespread phenomenon. A significant portion of these events was related to the celebration of Easter. At the same time, Belarusian Catholics also celebrated Easter in early April. However, no joint events between educational institutions and the Catholic Church were recorded during the month. This phenomenon attests to the special status of the Orthodox Church within Belarus’s education system, which enjoys full and unrestricted access to educational institutions, while other denominations are clearly limited in their activities. The special status of the Belarusian Orthodox Church is further confirmed by a number of other events that took place during the month, demonstrating the Orthodox Church’s significant influence on the education system. The regular presence of the Belarusian Orthodox Church in the educational process not only calls into question the secular nature of Belarusian education but also creates the risk of the Orthodox Church actively promoting its ideological narratives among young people. It should be recalled that the BOC is a branch of the Russian Orthodox Church. Therefore, Belarusian schoolchildren and students may be subjected not only to pro-government but also to pro-Russian propaganda, which will be disseminated by individual Orthodox priests with the full approval of government officials.

– Increasing number of measures aimed at intimidating college students with the threat of prosecution for “extremism.” Among the traditionally large number of measures designed to intimidate students at various levels of the Belarusian education system, there was a particularly striking trend in April that affected all regions of the country: the large-scale involvement of college students in discussions where they were intimidated with administrative and criminal liability for various aspects of “extremist” activity. In total, during the month, such events were recorded in more than 50 colleges across all regions of Belarus, indicating the centralized nature of their organization and implementation. At the same time, these conversations appear to be a one-time project that will not be continued in the future. It is expected that intimidating events for school and university students will continue in May and June, though their number will be significantly reduced to the usual levels.

– Other ideological activities and phenomena. The ideological work carried out by state agencies within Belarus’s education system has also taken a number of localized forms that deserve special attention. For example, as in the previous year, the education system was involved in events marking the anniversary of Vladimir Lenin’s birth, which indicates a continued effort to promote a positive view of the Soviet period in Belarusian history. Additionally, new cases of the cult of personality of Lukashenka have been observed within the education system. This is particularly evident in the information regarding the textbook “Learning English Using Materials from Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s Speeches,” which was published by Belarusian State University of Foreign Languages back in 2025.[6] The examples cited demonstrate the high level of ideological influence in Belarus’s education system. Elements of pro-government ideology are instilled not only through centralized state projects and campaigns, but also at the level of local initiatives, including the activities of regional authorities and individual educational institutions. At the same time, the ideological component is increasingly being integrated into activities that initially have no direct connection to ideological or socio-political themes.

6. The uneven nature of the militarization of Belarusian education

Unlike the process of ideologization, the introduction of a militarized component into the educational process in April differed somewhat from the trends observed in previous months. In April, militarized activities continued to take place, but their intensity differed from that of previous months. In particular, militarized activities at the preschool level were virtually nonexistent. As for school education, all the activities listed above continued to take place, though their number decreased significantly compared to previous months. Notable events included the traditional militarized tournaments Zarnichka, Zarnitsa, and Orlenok, which were held in all regions of the country. At the college level, the militarized component maintained a noticeable presence throughout the month, and among the main changes, a decrease in the number of propaganda events held with students can be noted. At the higher education level, however, the degree of militarization of the educational process, on the contrary, increased significantly, which was due to several factors. First, the process of establishing military-patriotic clubs continued at universities in Belarus. Second, students at many universities in Belarus began preparing to participate in the large-scale militarized tournament Proryv. In addition, the Ministry of Education continues the practice of intensifying the militarization of the educational process, as evidenced by the new curricula for Belarusian colleges published in April.[7] According to the revised curricula, the total number of hours allocated to the subject “Pre-conscription and Medical Training” has remained unchanged. However, the proportion of practical classes within this course has increased significantly – from 28 to 56 hours – by reducing laboratory and practical classes in a number of other disciplines, including foreign languages and computer science. Thus, starting next academic year, college students will be more deeply involved in the military training process, and the changes reflect a trend toward strengthening the role of the military component in the country’s education system, including at the regulatory level.

7. Continued trends in international educational cooperation and the start of the international Olympiad season

In April, international contacts in the field of education were recorded between Belarus and foreign partners from Azerbaijan, Brazil, Vietnam, Zimbabwe, India, Kazakhstan, China, Nigeria, Oman, Russia, Somalia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and France. By the end of the month, Russia had unquestionably taken the leading position among the international partners of the Belarusian education system. A notable event in April was the holding of the regular joint meeting of the collegiums of the Ministries of Education of Belarus and Russia in Smolensk, and the issues discussed there suggest that the Belarusian education system’s dependence on the Russian system will continue to grow.[8] China became the second most important partner for Belarusian education in April, and among the significant events of the month were the agreement to establish the China-Belarus Institute of Outstanding Engineers[9] and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Academy of Public Administration and the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.[10] Another important area of educational cooperation was the participation of Belarusian school students in a number of international academic competitions, which the Belarusian Ministry of Education considers a priority. The first performances at major competitions this year indicate that the Belarusian school education system retains the ability to work effectively with motivated students and achieve competitive results at the international level. At the same time, the results of individual competitions point to a moderate downward trend compared to previous years. Looking ahead, limited academic contacts and a decline in Belarus’s integration into the international educational community may further contribute to this trend.

8. Continued use of film screenings as a means of promoting a pro-Russian perspective on Russia’s war against Ukraine

In previous monitoring studies, we have repeatedly noted the established practice of promoting a pro-Russian perspective on Russia’s war against Ukraine through film screenings at Russian House venues in Minsk, Brest, Hrodna, and Homiel. Over the past 3-4 months, such screenings have become regular, with their schedules published on the venues’ own media platforms at the beginning of each month. The overwhelming majority of these screenings are related to Russia’s war against Ukraine. At least six such screenings took place in April. Among the films shown in April were: the film “Donbass. The Truth Under Fire”;[11] the film “I Accuse Fascism,”[12] which is about the combat operations of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Kursk region; and the film “Cossacks. The Terek Brigade,” which is about a brigade that participated in combat operations in Ukraine. The film openly lists the locations where it is fighting: Bakhmut, Soledar, Kherson, and Chasiv Yar.[13] These screenings not only foster a pro-Russian perspective on the war and its participants but also create a distorted view of the conflict’s causal relationships, as well as a negative perception of and attitude toward Ukraine as the defending party.

9. A large-scale celebration of the Day of Unity of the Peoples of Belarus and Russia organized by pro-Russian associations in Belarus

During the first half of April, the main focus of pro-Russian organizations’ activities and events was the Day of Unity of the Peoples of Belarus and Russia. In just under two weeks, more than 20 events were held involving the Russian Houses in Minsk, Homiel, Hrodna, and Brest alone. In Hrodna[14] and Brest,[15] large-scale concerts[16] and festive events[17] took place at concert venues, with the participation of students and young people, among others. In general, we can note an expansion of the agenda and the number of events on the theme of “union unity” between Belarus and Russia organized by pro-Russian actors in Belarus. Compared to last year, both the number of events and their geographic reach have increased. As before, the key audience consists of young people, school students of various ages, and university students. Many events feature Belarusian government and public figures, as well as leaders and representatives of universities, libraries, and other institutions. All of this demonstrates a fairly high level of institutional cooperation between the two countries. We would like to highlight the variety of formats for this cooperation: lectures, quizzes with prizes, exhibitions, concerts, etc. In our view, such formats make it easier to spread ideas about “unity,” shared history, etc.

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Материал доступен на русском языке: Система образования Республики Беларусь в апреле 2026

22.05.2026