In February 2026, previously established trends in Belarus’s education system remained. First, the Belarusian authorities announced plans to introduce mandatory licensing for all institutions providing supplementary education to children and youth, which is a continuation of the policy aimed at eliminating the non-state sector in the education system. Licensing of educational activities was introduced for universities and colleges quite some time ago, and starting in 2022, all kindergartens and schools in Belarus must obtain licenses. In all of the examples cited, the introduction of licensing resulted in widespread problems for private educational institutions, while the public sector navigated the process without any setbacks.
The most telling example was the introduction of licensing for kindergartens and schools in 2022, when, out of dozens of non-state institutions, only 6 private schools, which also operate 3 kindergartens, were able to obtain a license. In our view, the introduction of licensing for supplementary education for children and youth will lead to the mass closure of private studios, clubs, and circles, and the non-public sector in the education system will shrink even further. Second, a notable event in February was the government’s decision to create unified databases in the education sector. This measure can be viewed as another step toward the digitization of administrative and educational processes.
It is expected that in the long term, this will improve the efficiency of managing the education system and simplify citizens’ access to a range of services and information related to the learning process. Third, a monitoring study based on February’s results indicates that the international presence in Belarus’s education system remains extremely limited. In particular, the annual “Education and Career” exhibition once again featured only institutions from Belarus and Russia, whereas prior to 2020, educational organizations from a much wider range of regions around the world participated in the event.
As for the processes of ideologization and militarization of Belarusian education, two completely opposite trends were observed in February. On the one hand, the level of ideologization of the educational process was at a minimum during the current academic year: traditional ideological events were primarily held with students, and the only notable events in February were the large number of meetings between young people and veterans of the Soviet-Afghan War. A negative trend of the month was a noticeable increase in the number of events aimed at intimidating students with various forms of administrative and criminal liability, and a particularly large number of such events were held at the college level.
On the other hand, throughout February there was a significant surge in militarized activities at all levels of education. Propaganda events aimed at fostering a positive image of law enforcement agencies and recruiting new recruits from among current students were constantly held with children, teenagers, and young people. At the college level, there was a mass opening of military-patriotic clubs, and various militarized games and tournaments were held throughout Belarusian schools. The results of monitoring studies of the Belarusian education system in previous years suggest that the ideological component of the educational process may intensify in March, linked to the celebration of several key dates – Constitution Day and the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Khatyn Tragedy.
At the same time, the level of militarized activity may decrease, as its sharp rise in February is typically temporary and tied to the celebration of Defenders of the Fatherland Day and Armed Forces Day. At the same time, traditional monitoring of the Ministry of Education’s official resources shows that major ideological dates in March had no impact on the level of ideologization of the Ministry of Education’s news agenda. In March 2026, the Ministry’s official website published 28 news items, of which 8 (about 29%) were ideologically oriented.
During the same period, the Ministry of Education’s Telegram channel posted 238 publications, of which 48 (approximately 20%) were devoted to ideological topics. The overall share of ideologically oriented news on the Ministry of Education’s resources was 21%, a figure virtually unchanged from February. Thus, based on the results of the first three months of 2026, the level of ideological content in the Ministry of Education’s news agenda was noticeably lower compared to the same periods in 2023-2025. At the same time, despite this trend, the overall presence of pro-government ideology in the ministry’s information policy remains significant.
When examining the state of the Belarusian education system, the following key trends, events, and phenomena recorded in March 2026 can be identified:
1. The 2026 admissions campaign as a new step toward subordinating the education system to the needs of the state
2. A sharp increase in the level of ideologization at all levels of Belarusian education
3. The continued rapid militarization of Belarusian education
4. Minimal international educational contacts and intensified cooperation with the DPRK
5. The trend of using film screenings as a means of spreading a pro-Russian perspective on Russia’s war against Ukraine continues
6. Events and celebrations marking the anniversary of the annexation of Crimea
7. Distribution of Russian Literature by Pro-Russian Organizations
You can read or download the whole monitoring of education in Belarus for March 2026 at this link.
Материал доступен на русском языке: Система образования Республики Беларусь в марте 2026
