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 -------------- ¶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 -------------- -------------- ¶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? -------------- ¶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 -------------- ¶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 -------------- ¶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 -------------- ¶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 -------------- -------------- ¶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? -------------- -------------- ¶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 -------------- ¶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