HIGHER EDUCATION: NOTHING IS TRULY FREE IN BELARUS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MINSK 000267

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ELAB PGOV BO
SUBJECT: HIGHER EDUCATION: NOTHING IS TRULY FREE IN BELARUS


Summary
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1. (SBU) Public universities dominate higher education in
Belarus and follow a largely Soviet model. Despite a
constitutional right to a free education, most students pay
tuition. The GOB offers an ever-decreasing number of
"budget", or tuition-free places, and may eventually offer
none. Students who accept a "free" education oblige
themselves to accept a two-year government assigned job upon
graduation. Non-scholarship graduates rely on connections to
find jobs, but often have to take low-paying jobs for which
they are over-qualified. End summary.

State Universities Dominate Belarusian Higher Education
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2. (SBU) Higher education in Belarus remains a
state-controlled affair. Several ministries, including
Education, Culture, Health, Sports, and Defense control
state-owned universities. Approximately 300,000 students
were enrolled in 43 state-run universities, compared to
58,000 in 12 private universities. State-run does not mean
inexpensive. According to students and faculty, tuition at
state-owned universities ranges from USD 1,100-2,000 (i.e. up
to over half the average annual salary) depending on the
university and on the department. Equivalent departments at
private universities charge USD 300-700 less for tuition.

Who Receives a "Free" Education?
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3. (SBU) The Constitution of Belarus guarantees citizens the
right to free higher education based on competition.
University applicants take two tests as part of the
centralized testing process; one either in Belarusian or
Russian, and the other on the subject they intend to make
their major. The GOB currently funds a predetermined number
of tuition-free places. The number of tuition-free or
"budget" places depends on the GOB's perceived need for a
particular specialty. The Ministry of Education's press
office stated that for the 2006-2007 school year the GOB
offered 31,414 budget places, but this figure has been
declining annually. Vladimir Zhdanovich, a member of
Belarus' House of Parliament, stated that there would
eventually be no tuition-free students. Instead, low
interest loans, already available, will become widespread.


4. (SBU) A Belarusian State University employee involved in
the "raspredeleniye" (distribution of students to government
jobs) process, stated that students from rural areas and
Chernobyl-affected areas receive preferential consideration
for university enrollment and budget places. In exchange for
a free university education the GOB expects graduates,
especially teachers and physicians, to return home. This
ensures that schools and medical facilities in villages and
radiation-affected areas have sufficient staff. Extremely
poor students may also receive a budget position. In
addition to free tuition, over 90 percent of budget students
also receive a monthly stipend. According to students,
stipends range from between USD 50-106 a month.

Discounts and Loans for Paying Students
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5. (SBU) In May 2006, the Council of Ministers issued a
directive entitling the best-performing students to a tuition
discount of up to 60 percent, depending on their grades. The
discount will be valid throughout the next academic year
unless the student receives poor marks, fails a course, or
violates their university's code of conduct. (Note:
Misconduct may be defined as missing class for unacceptable
political activity. Some universities reportedly scheduled
special classes on Sunday, March 25 to coincide with an
opposition rally. End note.) Non-budget public university
students who cannot afford tuition may apply for low-interest
loans.

The Payback: Two-Year Hardship Assignments
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6. (SBU) Large employers such as factories, the Ministry of
Education and the Ministry of Health send requests to
universities for graduates. This results in lists of
positions that each university department with budget spaces
must fill. Medical students and teacher's college students
on full-scholarships are almost always assigned to jobs via
this system. During "raspredeleniye" budget students may

MINSK 00000267 002 OF 002


choose from the list that details what positions are needed
where. Those with the highest grades choose first. However,
such jobs often require city residents to move to some
remote, "backwoods" part of the country, far from family and
friends, where specialists remain in short supply.
Additionally, government jobs usually pay less. According to
students, a recent graduate may expect to earn between USD
250-400 a month at a government job, and between USD 300-700
at a private job. Despite all of this, students rarely turn
down the offer of a "free" education.

Refusing An Assigned Job Has Consequences
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7. (SBU) The GOB prints the end date of obligatory service on
budget student's diplomas. By law GOB and private
enterprises may not hire graduates who have not fulfilled
their two-year work assignment. Furthermore, graduates
refusing to accept their government-assigned job must
compensate the GOB for their training costs. In the past,
each university was responsible for collecting tuition
reimbursement payments from its graduates. In 2006 the GOB
passed a new law that transferred this responsibility to the
government. According to GOB statistics, the number of
students who failed to report to assigned jobs decreased from
14 percent in 2005, to less than two tenths of a percent in

2006.


Work Assignments Not Just For Budget Students Anymore
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8. (SBU) At the end of the 2005 academic year paying medical
students also began to receive government job assignments by
order of the Ministry of Health. Pavel Bespalchuk, rector of
Belarusian State Medical University, stated that this was
simply an attempt to assist paying students, whose numbers
have increased in recent years, "find employment" after
graduation. Unlike budget students, paying students will not
face "repressive measures" should they turn down a government
work assignment.

How Do Non-Scholarship University Graduates Find Work?
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9. (SBU) According to students, faculty, and a private
employment agency, most fee-paying students found work in one
of three ways. Most common was the use of connections
available through family or friends. Next, beginning during
their third year, students do a number of internships outside
the classroom as part of their coursework. Often these
internships lead to a job after graduation for hard working
students. Third, the GOB, as well as some private
enterprises, recruits students with the specialties they need
at graduation. As a last resort, students go to a private
employment agency, post their resume on the internet, or look
in business newspapers.

Comment
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10. (SBU) Offering "budget" places at state universities
allows the Lukashenko regime to, at least in word, maintain
the illusion that it provides a high level of free social
assistance in all spheres of life. However, the two-year
assignment that the GOB demands in return proves that this is
truly just an illusion and that nothing is really free, even
in Belarus. Many people told Poloff that, rather than face
unemployment, many university graduates take low-paying jobs
for which they are overqualified. Students stated that
employers look upon work and educational experience in the
U.S. very favorably.


11. (SBU) It would seem likely that if funding for "budget"
places at state-owned institutions is replaced with
low-interest loans, an increasing number of students will
want to study at the cheaper private universities. If this
occurs, the GOB might be forced to apply the raspredeleniye
process to all paying students, as it has begun to do with
medical students, in order to keep sufficient numbers of
specialists in the regions. Should that happen, it would
create even greater labor market distortions and further
alienate Belarusian youth.
Stewart