The first month of 2026 showed a certain slowdown in the pace of the ideologization and militarization of the education system in Belarus, and this situation can be explained by a combination of several factors. First of all, in early January, the education system typically gradually returns to its normal mode of operation following the end of winter break. During this period, a significant portion of organizational and educational efforts is focused on restoring the regular academic process.
At the higher education level, an additional factor is the winter exam session, during which the primary focus of students and faculty is on taking exams and wrapping up the semester. As a result, ideological and militarized activities temporarily take a back seat. Compared to the situation in 2024 and 2025, a very important difference was observed at the beginning of 2026: no election campaigns were held in Belarus. In the previous two years, electoral processes largely determined the intensity of ideological activity in the educational sphere.
In the first months of the calendar year, a significant number of events were recorded aimed at involving school and university students in campaigning and voting. In 2026, this aspect of ideological work was completely absent, which noticeably reduced the overall level of ideologization of the education system compared to previous years. That said, it cannot be claimed that ideological events in educational institutions were not held at all. For example, in January, a fairly large number of activities were held related to explaining and discussing the decisions of the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly.
However, their overall scale and intensity were noticeably lower than the volume of ideological events observed during the same period in the two previous years. Finally, at the beginning of the year, Belarus lacks significant ideological dates and commemorative events that could serve as an additional incentive to increase the intensity of ideological work in the educational sphere. Taken together, these factors led to the education system receiving a certain respite from the intense presence of pro-government ideology in the first month of 2026. Despite the continuation of individual ideological events, the overall level of their activity was noticeably lower compared to previous periods.
Regarding the expected trends in ideologization and militarization, it should be noted that in February, these processes typically proceed unevenly. In the absence of major political events and significant ideological dates, it can be expected that the number of ideological events will remain roughly at the same level as in January. A noticeable intensification of ideological activity in the education system traditionally begins in March, which is linked to the celebration of Constitution Day, and thereafter the intensity of the ideologization of Belarusian education continues to increase until the end of the school year.
A completely different situation is expected regarding the process of militarization of the Belarusian education system. In February, Belarus marks Defenders of the Fatherland and Armed Forces Day, which is traditionally used as one of the key occasions to intensify military-patriotic work. As monitoring studies from previous years show, the celebration of this date is regularly accompanied by a noticeable increase in the number of militarized events at all levels of the education system. Thus, in contrast to the relatively stable dynamics of ideological activity, a widespread intensification of the militarized component in the educational environment can be expected in February.
A trend toward a slowdown in the process of ideologization is also evident on the official resources of the Ministry of Education. In February 2026, the ministry’s official website published 21 news items, of which 5 (about 24%) were ideologically oriented. During the same period, the Ministry of Education’s Telegram channel posted 199 publications, of which 41 (approximately 21%) were devoted to ideological topics. For the second month in a row, there has been a decline in the level of ideological bias in the Ministry of Education’s news agenda: while the share of ideological posts was 35% in December, it dropped to 26% in January and to 21% in February.
For the first time since 2023, the share of ideologically oriented news in the first months of the year fell below the 25% mark, which can be viewed as a positive trend in the ministry’s information policy. Nevertheless, an analysis of the information agenda shows that in January-February 2026, approximately one in four news items from the Ministry of Education was still devoted to ideological topics.
When examining the state of the Belarusian education system, the following key trends, events, and phenomena recorded in February 2026 can be identified:
1. New measures aimed at reducing the share of private institutions in Belarus’s education system.
2. The dates for the admissions campaign and the end of the academic year have been set.
3. The renewed focus on psychological safety in Belarus’s education system in light of the tragic events in Brest and Minsk.
4. A unified information database will be created in the Belarusian education system.
5. Minimal level of ideologization of Belarusian education in the current academic year.
6. A sharp intensification of the process of militarization at all levels of Belarusian education.
7. The persistence of Belarus’s isolation in the sphere of international educational cooperation.
8. A sharp increase in the number of events with pro-war and propaganda themes. An increase in propaganda about the “special military operation” in communications targeting the Belarusian audience.
You can read or download the whole monitoring of education in Belarus for February 2026 at this link.
Материал доступен на русском языке: Система образования Республики Беларусь в феврале 2026
