Believers Discomposed About New Law On General Secondary Education

06.07.2006.

The Council of Republic approved the draft law On general secondary education on June 16. The changes introduced into the new version of the law worried teachers, parents and believers of various denominations.
According to the new law the rights of parents are seriously limited. Now they are deprived of the right to choose the form of educational process of their children. That means the parents who want their children to receive education out of state educational system wont have the right to do that.
As is known, the school in Belarus is secular and the world outlook and morals taught there are secular as well. And what about those parents who want to teach their children according to the Bible principles? Asks Sviatlana Svietlaja, pedagogue and specialist in the field of education Why the parents who bear responsibility for raising of children are deprived of the right to choose how to teach their children?
The movement of so-called home schools is just gaining force. Believing parents are worried by too much ideology, lack of freedom and pressure onto children from believing families. As a result they choose home variant of education for their children. Up to the latest time, Belarusan legislation provided such opportunities for out-of-school education. Normally, such pupils showed quite high level of knowledge. Now the Belarusan believers are wondering if this opportunity will remain.
A range of essential issues related to the new law were not discussed publicly. None asked those people who are directly affected by the law parents and teachers, says Sviatlana Svietlaja, - in spite the law says about preservation of psychical and physical health of our children, actually they are put in such conditions that only can bring harm.
In mid-May the draft law was backed by members of House of Representatives. Now it should be signed by president.