The last months of 2025 demonstrated not only the preservation but also the further strengthening of the process of ideologization of the Belarusian education system. Along with traditional ideological activities implemented at all levels of education, new practices have emerged, including ideological meetings dedicated to the importance of the decisions of the next session of the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly (VNS), the expansion of the pro-government movement Belaya Rus’ in the educational process, as well as the integration of ideological components into events on neutral topics. At the same time, the events of December 2025 demonstrated a certain slowdown in the pace of militarization of the Belarusian education system, especially against the backdrop of October-November indicators. The decline in militarized activity in December-January is traditional and, as a rule, precedes a sharp intensification of the militarization process in February. It should also be noted that the process of ideologization of Belarusian education is likely to slow down in January. Unlike the beginning of 2024 and 2025, no significant political events are expected in Belarus during the period under review that would require the active involvement of the education system in broadcasting pro-government narratives among young people. In addition, seasonal factors contribute to the decline in the intensity of ideological work: in January, schools are on vacation, and higher education institutions traditionally hold exam sessions. All these factors suggest that the results of the current monitoring study will show the lowest intensity of ideologization and militarization in the Belarusian education system since August 2025.
As usual, we review an analysis of the information policy of the official resources of the Belarusian Ministry of Education. In January, the number of ideologically oriented news items on the ministry’s resources predictably decreased, as the December increase in activity was directly due to the meeting of the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly. In January, 26 news items were published on the official website of the Ministry of Education,[1] of which 4 (19%) were ideological in nature. During the same period, 198 publications were posted on the ministry’s official Telegram channel,[2] of which 53 (27%) had a pronounced ideological component. Thus, the overall indicator of the ideologization of the Ministry of Education’s news policy did indeed decrease and amounted to 26%. At the same time, even in the absence of significant ideological reasons, every fourth publication of the ministry has an ideological focus, which is one of the signs of the high degree of ideologization of the Belarusian education system.
Summarizing the results of the monitoring study, the following key trends and phenomena characteristic of the Belarusian education system in January can be identified:
1. The negative impact of the demographic crisis on the Belarusian education system.
2. The goals of state policy in the field of education for the next five years have been defined.
3. Decisions and statements aimed at further digitization of procedures in the field of education.
4. Actions by state bodies aimed at regulating the conduct of the 2026-2027 admission campaigns.
5. Uncertainty and contradictions in the process of creating an innovative educational center.
6. A slowdown in the pace of ideologization of the Belarusian education system, accompanied by the emergence of new ideologically oriented projects.
7. Militarized activities at the preschool level and preparations for increased militarization in February.
8. Educational contacts with European Union countries and the new procedure for training Belarusian citizens at foreign organizations using budget funds.
9. Efforts to attract Belarusian applicants and students to higher education institutions in Russia.
10. Activities of historical clubs in Russian Houses. Events with historical themes at pro-Russian organizations.
11. Russia’s war against Ukraine. Events with pro-war and propaganda themes. Propaganda of the «special military operation» in work with the Belarusian audience.
You can read or download the whole monitoring of education in Belarus for January 2026 at this link.
Материал доступен на русском языке: Система образования Республики Беларусь в январе 2026
