Grammar school: We refused a teacher as she did not speak Belarusian

The administration of the school with Belarusian classes speaks Russian; Belarusian grammar schools lack elementary school teachers.

“An elementary school teacher was sent to us. We always warn everyone that our children study in Belarusian and she had to refuse,” the administration of Minsk grammar school #9 recalled. Children study in Belarusian there.

The grammar school is looking for a teacher of chemistry, social pedagogue and elementary school teacher now. It is not easy to find a teacher who has a good command of Belarusian, the administration admitted.

“All our teachers can speak Belarusian and the staff is full,” the administration of Minsk school #72 replied in Russian. There are Belarusian classes in this school.

Minsk grammar school #4 is looking for a teacher of English now. They teach their new teachers Belarusian on their own.

“There are language problems sometimes but they get used to teaching in Belarusian pretty soon. However, we know that there are problems with extended-day school group teachers as most of them are psychologists and social pedagogues. There are no problems in the elementary school,” grammar school #4 replied.

Minsk school #60 has more problems with looking for teachers in general than with looking for Belarusian-speaking ones. It lacks elementary school teachers.

“It is difficult to find a teacher now. Many are on maternity leave now. However, graduates have a good command of Belarusian now, it is easier than it used to be in the past. Our ‘A’ classes are Belarusian. We have the same number of children in Belarusian classes every year,” the school administration replied in Russian.

Vice PM Anatol Tozik obliged teachers to learn Belarusian on August 27.

There were 11 schools with Belarusian classes, 5 Belarusian grammar schools and one school per two million Minskers in 2013. 25 thousand entrants took the Belarusian language test and 76 thousands – the Russian one last year.