“Partisan” Lyceum celebrates 20th anniversary

In 2003 by an order the Education Ministry, Yakub Kolas Belarusian Humanities Lyceum was closed, and since that time it works in semi-underground conditions.

As informed by its eternal head Uladzimir Kolas, over the time of existence of this educational institution about 700 persons have finished it.

As said by him, graduates of the Lyceum have become youth leaders, public activists, businessmen, scientists and professors, actors and musicians, journalists and writers.

As U. Kolas believes, graduates of the Lyceum are noted for their “deep knowledge, independent critical thinking and ability to handle information compellingly”.

He reminded that the decision to create a Lyceum with Belarusian language of instruction was adopted on January 15, 1989 at the meeting of Francis Skaryna Belarusian Language Society of Savetski district of Minsk under the chairmanship of Aleh Trusau.

“From the very beginning it became an alternative to the inferior role of the Belarusian language and national self-identification in the state system of secondary education,” Kolas said.

As said by him, over the 20 years the institution the from a Sunday extracurricular educational institution of to Yakub Kolas National Humanities Lyceum of the Education Ministry.

As noted by Kolas, the Lyceum with its branches in all regions of the country has become a pilot school in creating a model of national education, in the framework of which more than 50 educational programs have been created, as well as a number of textbooks. “Despite of the high level of teaching and bringing up, in 2003 the authorities deprived the educational institution its official status, and it returned to the form of a community-based organisation, having preserve the team of teachers, including well-known scientists, writers and translators,” Kolas said.

He expressed certitude that the modern Belarusian education based upon progressive achievements of world education science and European Christian values, would play their role in future Belarusian school eductaion.

Since 2003, after the educational institution was closed by an order of the authorities, it continues to work as the Belarusian Humanities Lyceum unofficially. Students study the independently at home, and take exams without attending classes.

Shut-down of the Lyceum is connected with the fact that it had an independent system of education which was not ideology-driven, and its teachers were critical about the authorities, setting as their aim to educate real patriots of Belarus who know their native language and history.