Belarusians Are Outraged By The Behavior Of Education Officials

Schools continue to "hassle" graduates.

Belarusian parents are complaining about a strange practice: even after receiving their high school diplomas, schools won’t leave graduates alone. Educational institutions require those who haven’t been admitted to a university to officially confirm that they are employed or enrolled in a training program—otherwise, their families face inspections and visits from the police.

The story came to light after one of the graduates’ mothers posted a puzzled message on the social media platform Threads: in addition to the standard enrollment report, the school now requires proof of employment or enrollment in a training program if the student has not been admitted to college. The woman explained that her daughter has a disability and, for medical reasons, can only study one specific field of study, which is only available at universities—and employers are reluctant to hire even healthy minors.

The post garnered hundreds of responses. Some commenters shared similar personal experiences: according to them, the lack of documentation proving enrollment in school or employment can result in the family being classified as “freeloaders,” and the police coming to the child’s home with the aim of “finding them a job.” Other users advised simply ignoring such demands, pointing out that after completing compulsory secondary education, graduates have no further obligations to the school, and no one can cite a formal legal provision requiring them to report their status.

Teachers themselves joined the discussion, admitting that they, too, are dissatisfied with this practice—it is not officially codified anywhere, yet they are the ones being pressured to obtain reports from former students “at any cost.” One teacher explained that, following a complaint from the father of a graduate who did not wish to answer such questions, he filed a report and refused to continue engaging in this type of monitoring. Some teachers acknowledge that this kind of pressure is one of the reasons why experienced educators are leaving the profession.

The author of the original post reported that she had submitted an official complaint to the Belarusian Ministry of Education and promised to share the response she receives.

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