Students Of Minsk University Go On Strike

More than two hundred people took part in the strike.

On Monday morning, students of the Minsk Innovation University went on strike. The reason for the protest is the desire to defend their university, which has not been renewed accreditation with regard to some specialties. As a result, according to rector Mikalai Susha, 1600 guys and girls can be left without diplomas.

The strike began at 9.30 a.m. The meeting place was the second floor of the main building of the university. About 15 minutes before the start, about 200 people had already gathered there. Students were slowly coming up. Some had posters in their hands. “We have earned diplomas”, “No to other universities” - this was written on big sheets of paper, reports tut.by.

- The minister said that we should not worry, we will be transferred to other universities, but is this a way out for graduates? - asks Lyubou Karzyuk, a 4th-year student who graduates from the University with a degree in Law this year. - We called MITSO, they said that the academic difference, which I, for example, will have to take exams in, is about 30 subjects. It is November now, in June I have to get a diploma, before that I go through pre-diploma practice. How can I possibly manage to do all this?

In total, the accreditation of the university was not renewed with regard to five specialties - “Law”, “Economics and Enterprise Management”, “Information Technology Software”, “Transport Logistics”, and “Psychology”. According to the university, 1,600 students are studying at them. Rector Mikalai Susha previously explained that the university had a permanent license, so students can continue to study. But, if the situation is not resolved, graduates will not be able to receive a state diploma.

According to Fiodar Bahdanau, an activist and headman of one of the groups, the second floor of the main building did not admit all those who disagree. Some of the guys were standing on other floors and in another building.

As Mikalai Susha explained, every five years all educational institutions in the country undergo accreditation. Over the 28 years of its existence, MIU has undergone a lot of accreditations and certifications, and everything has always been fine. What happened this time, Mikalai Susha does not know. According to him, in early November, the university received a letter from the Department of Education Quality Control. The document says that the educational institution’s accreditation with regard to five specialties wasn’t renewed. The rector is sure: all violations that were identified during the check are not serious and are correctable. The management of the MIU will appeal the decision of the commission. Students are also ready to defend their university: last week they announced that they planned to go on strike.

Minister of Education Ihar Karpenka commented on the situation. He emphasized that students should not worry. In accordance with the legislation, by decision of the Ministry of Education, they will be able to continue their education at other universities in their specialties with the subsequent issuance of state diplomas. The Minister recommended the management of MIU “to understand the essence of the recommendations of the commission, eliminate the identified shortcomings and organize the educational process in accordance with the norms of the law”.