Belarusian universities begin training personnel in six new specialties

May 19, Minsk / Yulia Vanina - BELTA /. This year's admission campaign will see Belarusian universities enroll students in 6 new specialties (fields) for the first time. All of them have undergone the relevant procedures and have been included in the State Classifier-2009 "Specialties and Qualifications". This was announced today at the traditional annual meeting of responsible secretaries of higher education institutions by the First Deputy Minister of Education, Alexander Zhuk, as reported by a BELTA correspondent. As Alexander Zhuk explained, Belarusian State University will admit applicants for the specialties "Biochemistry", "Microbiology", "Physics of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology", and "Cosmo-aerocartography" for the first time. Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics will admit students for the specialty "Informatics and Programming Technologies", and the International State Environmental Institute named after A.D. Sakharov and Brest State Technical University will admit students for the specialty "Environmental Activities". A number of higher education institutions will also begin training personnel in specialties that are new to these universities: Yanka Kupala Grodno State University - "Transport Logistics", "Information Resources Management", "Information and Communication", "International Law"; Belarusian State Transport University - "Transport Logistics"; Baranovichi State University - "Agronomy", "Zootechnics (shortened program)"; Brest State Technical University - "Machines and Equipment for Food Production", "Rural Construction and Land Improvement", etc. In the structure of enrollment for full-time state-funded education, technical and technological specialties have the highest share (about 25%), healthcare and pedagogical specialties account for 11% each, agricultural specialties for 8%, natural science specialties for 6.8%, architecture and construction for 6%, economics for 6.6%, and legal specialties for 4.1%. Over the past 5 years, enrollment in state universities for high-tech specialties that meet the personnel needs of innovative production has increased in the following fields: "Engineering and Technology" - by 3.3 thousand people (an increase of 20%), "Natural Sciences" - by more than 800 people (an increase of 32%), "Architecture and Construction" - by 1.1 thousand people (an increase of 34%). This year, it is planned to admit 91,000 students of all forms of study to state-owned higher education institutions, including 51,000 for full-time education and 40,000 for distance learning. -0-