Belarusian higher educational institutions get ready for influx of students next year

The number of budget vacancies in Ministry of the Interior Academy of the Republic of Belarus will increase by quarter. Pedagogic University will be ready to accept twice as many students in 2009. Universities have to increase the number of places because of the cancellation of the 12-years educational system that will make two waves of entrants “attack” them. Let us remind you that Alyaksandr Lukashenka promised that the number of budget vacancies for entrants would increase in Belarusian higher educational institutions. “We will offer more budget vacancies and ask private universities to accept more students”, - reassured the President.

The order is caused by Lukashenka’s previous decision to cancel the 12-years educational system which would lead to two waves of entrants competing for the opportunity to become students. Educational institutions were enthusiastic about the statement of the leader of the state.

As far as ERB has found out, policemen will be the first to fulfill the President’s order. The number of budget vacancies in Ministry of the Interior Academy of the Republic of Belarus will increase by quarter.  360 students will be accepted this year, said the rector of the institution Ivan Syarhei in an interview with ERB:

“We are waiting for a greater number of entrants next year. 90 people will fill budget vacancies. We are able to do it and the possibility will be realized in the future”.

The educational pro-rector of Pedagogic University Yury Bykadorau says that providing more “budget” vacancies is not a problem. It can even be done by reducing the number of paid vacancies:

“There are about 2 thousands entrants this year. We can reduce the number of paid vacancies and increase the number of budget ones – there is no problem. The number of vacancies is regulated by the license, however, only 50% of students pay for their education now so we can double the number of budget places if we like”.

In fact, increasing the number of budget vacancies is not a problem for state universities. Anyway, additional vacancies will be financed from the budget. Private institutions are also ready to increase the number of vacancies but they cannot accept more students than their licenses allow them to.

They should also remember that additional students will require additional classrooms and teachers, said the rector of Belarusian Commercial Institute of Management Valery Kozhar in an interview with ERB:

“We have a license and we can accept as many students as it allows. If they decide to increase the number of students allowed by our license we will be glad to accept them, we are ready for it.

The license also takes classrooms and teachers into account… we cannot simply accept students and let them graze… we should be ready to organize a normal process of education for them”.

The head of the educational commission of the House of Representatives Uladzimir Zdanovich says that our higher educational institutions can increase the number of budget vacancies. There should be no problems with licenses but it is too early to announce the exact number. 90 thousand people will become students this year:

“About 90 thousand people will become students of Belarusian higher educational institutions including state and private universities this year. Speaking about the next year, I have to admit that I do not have this information. However, higher educational institutions can increase the number of vacancies including budget places.

It will not cause big problems with licenses. There will be clear numbers given: the number of internal and external students that ought to be accepted to fill budget vacancies”.