A. Lukashenko signed the Education Code

January 14, Minsk /BELTA/. Head of State Alexander Lukashenko signed the Education Code, adopted by the House of Representatives and approved by the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus, on January 13, 2011. This was reported to BELTA by the press service of the Belarusian leader. The Education Code is based on the current laws ("On Education", "On Vocational Education", "On Education of Persons with Psychophysical Disabilities (Special Education)", "On General Secondary Education", "On Higher Education"), Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus of July 17, 2008 No. 15 "On Certain Issues of General Secondary Education" and is aimed at comprehensive and systematic regulation of public relations in the sphere of education. The Code provides for the creation, on the basis of existing legal institutions, of a unified, holistic mechanism for legal regulation of educational relations, ensures the systematization and ordering of legal norms, reduces the number of regulatory legal acts in this area, and eliminates other existing shortcomings in the regulation of educational relations. At the same time, the norms of the Code ensure the continuity of legal regulation of the educational sphere and do not provide for conceptual changes in these relations. Structurally, the Code consists of a general and a special part, which consistently and systematically set out established and proven legal norms, as well as norms that are in demand by the current state of educational relations. The education system established in practice is enshrined. According to the Code, education is divided into basic education (includes levels of preschool, general secondary, vocational, secondary specialized, higher and postgraduate education), additional education (additional education for children and youth, additional education for adults), special education. The document defines the subjects of educational relations, which include students, legal representatives of minor students, pedagogical workers, educational institutions, organizations and individual entrepreneurs who have been granted the right to carry out educational activities (including the educational fields where they can carry out such activities), and establishes the rights and obligations of all subjects of educational relations. The Code defines pedagogical workers (teaching staff) and establishes the requirements for them. At the same time, it is provided that pedagogical activities cannot be carried out by persons deprived of the right to engage in pedagogical activities, persons with a criminal record, persons declared legally incompetent or with limited legal capacity, persons not entitled to engage in pedagogical activities in cases established by legislative acts. The general conditions for the emergence of educational relations, as well as the general requirements for the admission of persons to obtain education, are defined. At the same time, the rules for admitting persons to obtain secondary specialized education, higher education of the first stage, and postgraduate education will be approved by the President of the Republic of Belarus, and for obtaining vocational education and higher education of the second stage – by the government. Measures of social protection for students are also established, concerning, among other things, the use of textbooks, provision of meals, health protection, payment of scholarships, provision of dormitory places, provision of loans on preferential terms for payment of the first higher education, and transport provision. The conditions and grounds for bringing students to disciplinary responsibility, as well as the procedure for applying disciplinary sanctions (remark, reprimand, expulsion), are regulated. The Code enshrines the requirements for organizing the educational process when obtaining each type of education (requirements for the duration of the academic year and holidays, types of training sessions, number of hours allocated for practical training, size of study groups (classes), and others). The grounds for changing and terminating educational relations are defined, and the procedure for reinstating persons expelled from educational institutions is regulated. In addition, the document regulates the procedure for granting students leave, which is divided into academic leave, childcare leave until the child reaches the age of three, and leave for military service. A clear list of documents on education and training is defined, as well as the specifics of issuing documents on education of a special sample (with honors or with a medal). A new document on education is provided – a researcher's diploma, which will be issued to persons who have successfully completed postgraduate studies. The conditions and procedure for the distribution of graduates are also enshrined. The Education Code of the Republic of Belarus will come into force on September 1, 2011 (from the new academic year) and will complete the codification of education legislation, ensuring a more complete compliance of legal norms with the current state of educational relations.-0-