Education ministry says Polish and Lithuanian schools will not be closed
Belarus' deputy education minister Aliaksandr Zhuk said earlier that Belarus would not open special schools for ethnic minorities. According to the official, such schools exist already, but the main task is to provide opportunities for citizens to study both in the Belarusian and Russian languages. Only some subjects will be taught in minority languages. The European Radio for Belarus asked if the government would close down Polish and Lithuanian schools after this statement of the official.
Yury Hladkou, head of secondary education department at the Ministry of Education, explains:
“The deputy minister was misinterpreted. He meant to say that all the schools in this country are state-run. When we say "a Polish school", it does not mean that it is organized by the Republic of Poland. It is Belarusian. If local authorities decide to open a school wth the Polish or Lithuanian language, they seek approval from the education ministry and open it”.
Yury Hladkou, head of secondary education department at the Ministry of Education, explains:
“The deputy minister was misinterpreted. He meant to say that all the schools in this country are state-run. When we say "a Polish school", it does not mean that it is organized by the Republic of Poland. It is Belarusian. If local authorities decide to open a school wth the Polish or Lithuanian language, they seek approval from the education ministry and open it”.
