In the Year of Entrepreneurship, vocational schools in the Vitebsk region intend to earn Br13 billion.

February 15, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. In the Year of Entrepreneurship, educational institutions of the Vitebsk region need to show business initiative and actively implement modern educational technologies. This opinion was expressed today at a meeting of the education department of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee by its head Ivan Shchurok, BELTA correspondent reports. "The Year of Entrepreneurship launches a new five-year plan, and the implementation of the decisions of the IV All-Belarusian People's Congress depends on how it goes," Ivan Shchurok emphasized. In his opinion, general education institutions of the region need to focus on the use of information technologies in teaching not only exact sciences, but also humanities and natural sciences. Currently, 93% of general education institutions in the region are connected to the Internet. However, only a small fraction of schools have broadband access to the World Wide Web. School libraries, which should become school information centers in the next five-year period, require strengthening of their computer base. In the Year of Entrepreneurship, vocational and technical educational institutions of the region are tasked with earning Br13 billion. According to Ivan Shchurok, this is a realistic amount, as the colleges have a good material base that allows them not only to train qualified personnel for various industries, but also to provide services to the public and produce consumer goods. If in 2009 the vocational education system earned Br10.7 billion in extra-budgetary funds, then in 2010 this amount reached Br11.6 billion. At the same time, the most important task of vocational training in the region is to provide working personnel, primarily for the construction industry, the agro-industrial complex, the housing and communal services system, and consumer services. In the last two years, enrollment in construction specialties has increased by 3.5 thousand people. A similar increase is expected in the coming years for specialties for the agro-industrial complex. In addition, close attention will be paid to the quality training of young workers. In 2011, at least 30% of vocational school graduates should receive the 4th qualification grade. In the 2011-2012 academic year, vocational schools and vocational lyceums intend to enroll 3.1 thousand graduates of basic schools and 1.9 thousand graduates of secondary schools, while 11.7 thousand ninth-graders will receive certificates of completion of basic school, and 8.9 thousand graduates will be awarded diplomas. -0-