Belarus’s education system in May 2026 

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2 July 2026
Belarus’s education system in May 2026
Photo: Ministry of Education

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The results of the May monitoring study demonstrated the development of previous trends characteristic of Belarusian education in recent years, including restriction of the right to teach for politically disloyal citizens and strengthening of ideological control by the state over the education sector. As regards the processes of ideologization and militarization of education, over the month they affected absolutely all levels of Belarusian education.

The active inculcation of the ideological component into the educational process was largely associated with events dedicated to important ideological dates, specifically Victory Day and the State Symbols Day. The high rate of militarization of the educational process has been due to a number of factors. These include the holding of mandatory field training for 10th grade students in a revised format throughout the country at the end of the month, a significant number of paramilitary games and tournaments held in higher education institutions, and the creation of new “patriotic” associations in preschool educational institutions.

Detailed results of the monitoring study are presented in its full version (link to document in Russian), but the key features and events of May in Belarusian education include the following:

1. Finalization of the means for restricting access of politically disloyal citizens to teaching activities

The Belarusian Ministry of Education plans to introduce a special registry for tutors and other self-employed individuals providing children’s education services. According to the published document[1], anyone planning to provide tutoring or other educational services for children will be required to submit a notification not only to the Tax Inspectorate but also to the Department for Education Quality Control. The Department will then check the applicant’s criminal record and other restrictions on working with children and only then add them to the registry. It should be noted that, according to Belarusian law, individuals convicted of “extremist” crimes are permanently banned from teaching children. Here it should be recalled that anti-extremist legislation in Belarus is widely applied to citizens participating in opposition activities or expressing disagreement with state policy and is a key mechanism for implementing the state’s repressive policies. Already, individuals convicted of “extremist” crimes cannot work in schools, colleges, and universities. However, taking advantage of the bureaucratic sluggishness, they still had the option of finding employment in private auxiliary education centers or starting their own businesses. With the imminent introduction of licensing for supplementary education institutions for children and youth, as well as the launch of a registry for tutors and self-employed individuals, all legal forms of teaching will be inaccessible to politically disloyal individuals. This effectively amounts to a final, legally binding ban on the profession and discrimination against citizens based on their political views. Over the past four years, the state has been pursuing a systematic policy of establishing total control over education, and the introduction of the registry will close all possible avenues for those teachers who, due to their political views, cannot work in regular educational institutions.

2. Maintaining state control over the ideological content of textbooks and teaching aids

In May, Alexander Lukashenka’s decree “On the Preparation of Textbooks in the Humanities and Social Sciences”[2] was published, providing for the establishing of a state commission to oversee the development of textbooks and teaching aids in the humanities. According to the published document, the commission will include not only representatives of the Ministry of Education and the academic community, but also employees of Alexander Lukashenka’s administration, clearly indicating political oversight of the commission’s activities. In recent years, Belarus has seen a trend toward a stronger ideological component in the content of humanities textbooks, meaning that the activities of the newly created commission will be aimed at preserving established approaches. Under the commission, authors of textbooks will be forced to adapt the content of their materials to the state’s ideological requirements, as obtaining the commission’s approval is a mandatory condition for the subsequent publication of textbooks and for receiving their recommendation for use in the educational process. In this way then, the teaching of humanities in the Belarusian education system will be subordinated to the principles of pro-government ideology rather than to principles of scientific rigor and objectivity.

3. New initiatives aimed at further standardizing school uniforms in Belarus

In mid-May, a meeting between the leadership of the State Standardization Committee and Bellegprom [trans. note – state concern for the production and sale of light industry goods that is the largest state-owned association in Belarus, coordinating light industry enterprises and managing dozens of factories producing clothing, footwear, fabrics, and textiles, serving both the domestic market and exporting to dozens of countries] was held, specifically focusing on issues related to the production of school uniforms in Belarus. At the meeting initiatives to amend the state standard for student uniforms and to create a special registry of school uniform manufacturers and the criteria for inclusion in it were discussed. Over the past few years, the government has been seeking to tighten requirements for school uniforms and standardize them as much as possible. In this context, amending the state norms for student uniforms could significantly limit the variability of school uniforms and lead to their standardization. At the same time, the creation of a special registry of school uniform manufacturers will allow the government to create a kind of “white list” of manufacturers. It is expected that in the first stage, the special registry will be primarily informational for parents of schoolchildren and will be used to promote the products of individual manufacturers. However, in the second stage, a regulatory restriction may be introduced, requiring the purchase of school uniforms exclusively from manufacturers included in the registry. As a result, in just a few years, the choice of school clothing for parents of students may be significantly limited, and the range reduced to a few standard models, which will effectively result in a transition to a unified school uniform.

4. Centralized testing was held in Belarus

Just over 59,000 students from general secondary education institutions in Belarus took the centralized testing in two stages: on May 26, students took an exam in one of 13 elective subjects[3], and on May 29, an exam in state languages ​​was held.[4] As with last year, the most popular elective subjects were mathematics (19,400 registered), social studies (12,600), and biology (11,900). The trend toward declining demand for Belarusian language among graduates continued, with 10,400 centralized testing participants (17.7%) selecting it in 2026, representing a decrease compared to the previous year (10,800 and 19%). Following last year’s increase in centralized testing results, government agencies are expected to refrain from increasing the difficulty of questions, as this could negatively impact statistical performance. Even with some tightening of centralized testing procedures[5], a significant number of high results are expected to persist, which will lead to high passing scores at Belarusian universities and encourage applicants to seek alternative admissions pathways, including targeted university education [trans. note – requiring typically 3-5 years of work service in critical state sectors and industries upon graduation in exchange for tuition assistance]. Expanding the practice of targeted education is a government tool for partially addressing the labor shortage, as the mandatory five-year period of work after its completion allows for the long-term retention of young specialists at companies and organizations.

5. Fast pace of ideologizing the educational process at all levels of the Belarusian system of education

As noted above, the ideologizing of the educational process in May has affected all levels of the Belarusian education system. The high intensity of ideological events can be explained by the major ideological holidays celebrated in Belarus in the first half of May. May 9th is Victory Day in Belarus, a date traditionally considered key in the country’s ideological calendar. Events dedicated to this date spanned all levels of the educational system, from preschools to universities. A rather disturbing element of these events was the widespread dressing of young children and schoolchildren in military uniforms. Equally noteworthy was the involvement of children in various parades in which they marched in military uniforms. Collectively dressing up in military uniforms and actively involving children in parades does not foster a view of war as a tragic and destructive phenomenon. On the contrary, it can contribute to its romanticization, glorification, and perception primarily through the prism of festive and playful symbols. Immediately after Victory Day, Belarus celebrated State Symbols Day. Following the political crisis of 2020, the promotion of official symbols has become a key focus of ideological work with children and youth in Belarus.

Related to this, a large number of events on this topic were held in educational institutions in early May on a scale and intensity comparable to those related to the Great Patriotic War. An interesting phenomenon over the month was the large-scale increase in government efforts to involve children in pro-government children’s associations, specifically the Octobrists and Pioneers. Large gatherings were held throughout Belarus in May, during which thousands of schoolchildren were accepted into pro-government children’s associations. Another element of ideological work observed in May was the active dissemination of pro-government propaganda narratives among schoolchildren and students. The full version of the monitoring study documents various examples of this, but the most notable event was the resumption of propaganda lectures by propagandists Grigory Azarenok and Andrei Lazutkin at Belarusian universities. This time, the lectures were held at universities in Gomel, Mogilev, and Vitebsk. Positive changes in May included a noticeable reduction in the number of events aimed at intimidating young people with various forms of liability for “extremist” activity. Also, compared to last year, the role of the ideological component in the “Last Bells”—traditional events marking the end of the school year—has diminished considerably. In mid-May, events dedicated to Family Day significantly contributed to the high degree of ideological influence, promoting ideas about the family with a traditional distribution of roles and, in some cases, criticizing Western social models. Representatives of the Orthodox clergy were actively involved in thematic classes dedicated to Family Day. As a result, the Orthodox Church’s participation in the educational process has remained at a high level for three consecutive months, which may be indicative of the establishing of a consistent trend.

6. Intensification of the militarization of Belarusian education

A high degree of militarization has persisted in Belarusian education over the past several months, but in May this trend took on new forms. This was primarily due to the introduction of mandatory field training camps for 10th-grade students in all schools across the country. For the first time, the duration of the camps was extended to 10 days, but an even more significant change was the new format. In some cases, overnight camps were organized, whereas previously such a practice had been the initiative of only a few educational institutions. Military bases and summer health camps converted for field training were used for these events across the country. In addition, tent camps were established at a number of schools, where students lived for the duration of the camps and participated in various paramilitary activities. As a result, at least one site for hosting overnight camps was in operation in virtually every district of Belarus. At the same time, a significant number of schools continued to hold traditional gatherings, which required students to participate in relevant events only during the day. Nevertheless, the efforts undertaken by government agencies demonstrate a desire to expand the practice of 24-hour field training exercises. If this course is instituted, military training for schoolchildren will be more intensive and will contribute to the further militarization of the education system. The intensification of the militarization of Belarusian education in May was not only associated with field training exercises. Over the past month, several military-patriotic groups were opened in kindergartens and new military-patriotic clubs have been established in schools and colleges. Furthermore, large-scale paramilitary tournaments and events continued to be held for high school, college, and university students. The 2nd Youth Military-Patriotic Forum was held in Gomel with the participation of senior Belarusian officials and security forces.[6] This event conclusively demonstrates that the Belarusian authorities remain interested in strengthening the militarization of Belarusian education.

7. Intensification of educational contacts with Italy and threats of reprisals against students of the European Humanities University (EHU)

Throughout May, international contacts in the field of education were established between Belarus and foreign partners from Angola, Brazil, Zambia, Iran, Italy, China, Cuba, Myanmar, the UAE, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, and South Africa. Russia and China traditionally remained the main areas of Belarus’ international educational cooperation, while interaction with other countries was intermittent. At the same time, it is worth noting a meeting between the leadership of the Belarusian Ministry of Education and an Italian delegation, during which the prospects for resuming bilateral cooperation in the area of humanities were discussed.[7] Similar meetings with representatives of Western European countries have not been held for quite some time, so their resumption may be seen as a potential signal for the restoration of certain channels of interaction between the Belarusian and European education systems. While it is premature to talk about overcoming the current isolation, having such contacts creates the preconditions for the possible expansion of cooperation in the future. Events related to the continued pressure from Belarusian government agencies on EHU were of a completely different nature. In early May, a representative of the Belarusian prosecutor’s office openly stated that studying and working at the university could be considered grounds for criminal prosecution.[8] As a result, by the end of May the university administration reported a significant outflow of Belarusian students from the university.[9] Moreover, a wave of reprisals against people studying or collaborating with EHU can be expected in the near future. These actions are aimed at further reducing the flow of Belarusian youth to European universities, which has already significantly decreased in recent years. Potential reprisals against EHU students and faculty will inevitably have a deterrent effect on applicants considering education outside of Belarus.

8. Extensive involvement of pro-Russian organizations in Victory Day celebrations

A monitoring study for May of this year revealed the active involvement of pro-Russian organizations in the holding and organization of events dedicated to Victory Day in Belarus. Of particular note is the synchronized preparation and active involvement of young people and school students, as well as local authorities in the regions of Belarus. The events and activities can be divided into a couple of categories:

Ideological Events, Concerts, and Demonstrations

Russian Houses in Minsk and the regions organized and held a number of events. A concert dedicated to Victory Day was held at the Russian House in Minsk. It was attended by teachers and students from the Belarusian Academy of Music and the Belarusian State University of Culture and Arts.[10] The National Library of Belarus took part in the Second Belarusian-Russian Children’s Teleconference “Echo of Victory in the Hearts of Belarusian and Russian Children,” organized by the Minsk City Institute for Education Development together with the Russian House in Minsk.[11] Students from Minsk schools participated in the event.[12] Another example of Belarusian students’ involvement in pro-Russian organizations was the participation of students from the Grodno Agrarian University in the United Russia Party’s international historical event, “Victory Dictation.”[13] The largest ideological event with pro-Russian participation was the joint international event “Flame of Memory.”[14] A ceremony was held in Minsk to hand over a bit of the Eternal Flame from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to Minsk educational institutions and representatives from all regions of Belarus. The Russian House in Minsk hosted a dialogue platform, “Echo of Victory in the Hearts of Children,” as part of the city’s United Heritage patriotic project, with students from Minsk, St. Petersburg, Nikolaevsk-on-Amur, and Komsomolsk-on-Amur participating. Notably, the organizers referred to the students as “children of the Union State,” further emphasizing their commitment to creating a unified educational space.[15]

Film Screenings on the Great Patriotic War and Parallels with Russia’s War against Ukraine

In May, unlike previous months, the main theme of the films shown was World War II. The films were shown at Russian Houses both in Minsk[16] and in the regions.[17] A new feature was the inclusion of contemporary films about Russia’s war against Ukraine. For example, on May 21, the Russian House in Minsk screened “Normandy-Niemen: The Return.”[18] The film tells the story of French volunteers fighting alongside the Russian army against Ukraine. On May 28, a documentary film produced by the propaganda channel RT Documentary, Homers of the Russian Spring,[19] was screened. The film tells the story of poets and writers from Russia fighting in the war against Ukraine.

In this way, Russian propaganda is attempting to gradually merge two narratives: the memory of the Great Patriotic War and the current Russian war against Ukraine. Past events are used to explain and justify present events and participants in the Great Patriotic War are effectively compared to those in the war against Ukraine. Essentially, the audience is developing the impression of a direct historical continuity between these two wars.

The Immortal Regiment rally became the primary and central event organized by pro-Russian organizations in Belarus. Despite a formal ban by Belarusian authorities, the marches were coordinated in all regional cities of Belarus and Minsk.[20] In Minsk, the event was led by Russian diplomats and representatives of pro-Russian organizations.[21] In Mogilev, the rally was held with the participation of Yuri Makushin,[22] head of Rossotrudnichestvo in Belarus. In Brest, representatives of the Russian Consulate and the Russian Society organization took part.[23] In Vitebsk, staff of the representative office of the Russian Embassy in Vitebsk participated. Here also, an attempt to distribute St. George’s ribbons to Belarusian students by pro-Russian activists was recorded.[24] The Immortal Regiment procession in Grodno included Gavriil Mamontov, Consul-Counselor of the Russian Consulate General in Grodno, and Yulia Semenchenko,[25] Director of the Russian House in Grodno. In Gomel, the Immortal Regiment march was led by Alexander Morzhukhin, Director of the Russian House in Gomel, among other staff members.

The holding of the Immortal Regiment march in all regional centers with the participation of Russian diplomats and representatives of pro-Russian organizations in Belarus demonstrates a high level of coordination between them along with increasing promotion of their historical narratives in the Belarusian public sphere. Furthermore, their symbolic presence in Belarus is growing.

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

02.07.2026