Academic Freedom in Belarus

Galina Shaton Academic Freedom in Belarus AN ANALYSIS OF ACADEMIC FREEDOM IN BELARUS MUST BEGIN WITH THE indisputable assumption that academic freedom is extremely impor­ tant for contemporary education. The goal of academic freedom is not in itself a policy prescription, and therefore does not in itself indicate how professors can fulfill their duties. Academic freedom is to be real­ ized through the creation of an effective system of education, which opens global perspectives for students. Academic freedom in Belarus continues to be restricted and violated. Belarusan universities are insti­ tutions resistant to change. This situation is reinforced by commonly shared values about the mission, goals, and functions of universities. Unfortunately, academic freedom is not included in the shared values of Belarusan educators and academics. In undemocratic political contexts, limitations on academic free­ dom are predominantly connected with attempts by powerholders to impose a ban on certain dimensions of inquiry and discourse. Ofcourse, they primarily affect explorations in the field of humanities, which go beyond the borders of the dominant ideology. These constraints are obvious to the majority of scholars involved in research activities. Being under constant control and criticism from the side of powerholders, they try not to express their views explicitly. The absence of academic freedom means that opposition (to the officially approved) opinion is not only seen as incorrect, but also as something immoral and danger­ ous. In such conditions education, marked by the absence of free discus­ sion and dialogue, tends to be ideologically restricted. social research Vol 76 : No 2 : Summer 2009 615 The Belarusan system o f education is tightly organized and highly centralized. The Ministry of Education is responsible for the state and development of the system of education. All educational establishments are subordinate to the ministry, which organizes the system of quality assurance and elaborates state regulations in this field. The Ministry of Education governs all institutions of secondary, continuing, and higher education. It governs by means of regulation, quality control, accreditation, licensing, standard setting, and method­ ological guidance. Contemporary Belarus has 44 institutions of higher education belonging to the state and 10 institutions established on a private basis. It is the responsibility of the Ministry of Education to define curricula not only for secondary schools, but also for institu­ tions of higher education. The rights of institutions or institutional departments to create their own educational plans and programs are veiy limited; they can only change some parts of the prescribed offi­ cial curricula. All course programs are based on state programs and have to be approved by the administration. In their teaching process, professors are to follow all offi­ cial requirements, even if they do not agree with course materials. Unfortunately, academic freedom that includes the free expression of opinion is extremely limited in classrooms. Professors may not respect the official programs, but this can generate conflicts. Such conflicts can lead to the loss of employment, since all professors in Belarus have no tenure and have to sign job contracts with the administra­ tion. The administration is free to choose the duration of contract and the reasons for its termination. This situation creates additional limi­ tations for academic freedom, since decision on losing one’s job does not give allow the opportunity for free discussions and the exchange of opinions. Belarus’s system o f education has found its developm ent influenced by global and international trends. W ithin every nation, attem pts to integrate global changes in m ainstream curriculum generally coincide with efforts to introduce more academic freedom 616 social research in university classrooms. Due to the policies of Belarusan power­ holders, scholars in the country have many problems establishing international contacts and participating in exchange programs. The exclusion of Belarusan scholars from international exchanges and the closing down o f international educational organizations create additional obstacles to the m odernization o f the Belarusan educa­ tional system. In this era of globalization, the absence of free access to informa­ tion that leads to intellectual isolation also influences academic free­ dom. Belarusan scholars are excluded from the universal processes of knowledge creation and have fewer opportunities to discuss the results of their investigations with their colleagues from different countries...