The Minister of Agriculture and Food met with students of agricultural classes in Orsha
We remind you that last Tuesday, at a meeting dedicated to developing a strategy for the development of the agro-industrial complex of the Vitebsk region, the President emphasized that the sphere requires renewal. And immediately he asked: "Where can we get specialists?" As one option, according to Anatoly Khotko, is among the graduates of agricultural classes. Moreover, the country is considering the issue of admitting graduates of specialized agricultural classes to agricultural universities based on interview results.
Such school "incubators" appeared in Belarus back in 2018. Today there are already 400 of them, and about 2.5 thousand schoolchildren are involved in them. There are 66 agricultural classes in the Vitebsk region.
– When we talk about automation, robotization, digitalization of the village – this is not fantasy, but the real tomorrow! – emphasized the head of the ministry. – Therefore, it is important to attract talented, literate, professionally oriented youth to the agro-industrial complex. To achieve this, we will develop and refine the agricultural classes project with the Ministry of Education.
A proposal is being considered whereby graduates of agricultural classes, having grades in specialized subjects of at least 7, could be admitted on a targeted basis to agricultural universities without exams, but only based on interview results.
To ensure the learning process is as effective as possible, specialists have developed methodological programs, and agricultural enterprises have also joined in teaching schoolchildren. The agricultural producers provide their material and technical base for practical training. Here, schoolchildren are clearly shown that agriculture today is a high-tech industry.
The main idea of agricultural classes, according to Anatoly Khotko, is to make the choice of a future profession conscious. Young people who have become acquainted with the basics of agricultural specialties are already expected at specialized universities in the country.
This profile has existed at Orsha Secondary School No. 2 since 2018. Grades 10-11, with about a hundred students, study according to this program. Career guidance is provided at a high level here – the educational institution cooperates with the Belarusian Agricultural Academy and the Vitebsk Academy of Veterinary Medicine.
– We are expecting the first graduates this year – our future students, – noted the Rector of BSAA, Vitaly Velikanov. – We intend to organize an agro-class annually. Teachers working in specialized classes have undergone training seminars. We invite students to our open days, to master classes at the leading departments of the academy, where we will introduce them to future professions.
In addition, schoolchildren go on excursions to leading farms and study chemistry, biology, physics, and mathematics in depth.
– Chemistry and biology help broaden one's horizons, – believes 11th-grade student Sergey Sokur. – I plan to become either an agronomist or an animal scientist. This is promising, especially today, when agriculture is rapidly developing in many directions. Despite being a city dweller, I might apply to the Belarusian Agricultural Academy after school.
The basics of agricultural science are studied at Secondary School No. 2 twice a week. The classes are more like master classes: no textbooks or problem books. The goal is different – to explain in simple terms to high school students the main things that can be useful to a future farmer in their work.
In addition, an electronic educational and methodological complex "Introduction to Agricultural Professions" was developed specifically for elective classes, which includes not only a summary for each lesson but also a ready-made presentation and an educational video. With such an electronic assistant, it is not difficult to make a lesson understandable and interesting.
– School students will learn about the world of agricultural plants and animals, gain an understanding of production technologies and storage conditions for agricultural products, breeding, biotechnologies, ecology, veterinary medicine, genetics, as well as technological support for agricultural production, – said the director of Secondary School No. 2 Ivan Makovetsky. – Graduates will be able to classify fodder, technical, fruit, berry crops, medicinal and essential oil plants, and understand animal breeds and machinery.