10 Dec 2007
Not-so-free Education
According to the Belarusian Constitution everyone has the right to free education. According to this statement everyone has the right to take entrance exams to enter university, and those with best results can enjoy a free education without tuition fees. However, it is not correct to say that education is free because the state demands payback in form of labor after graduation. This practice is called “compulsory employment”, when after the graduation those who studied without having to pay have to work for two years at the place where the university (state) assigns them. This is an old soviet practice which was reintroduced in Belarus at the end of 90s.
