MINISTRY OF EDUCATION OF THE REPUBLIC OF BELARUS

Today, a round table took place in the White Hall of the Memorial Temple in honor of All Saints and in memory of the victims who served to save our Fatherland. The topic is children surfing the Internet and the issues of counteracting the destructive influence of the information space on the individual.

The event was attended by the Metropolitan of Minsk and Zaslavl, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus Veniamin; representatives of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Belarus, representatives of ministries and departments. Among guests also the Permanent Commission on Human Rights, National Relations and the Mass Media; the Defense and Security Committee of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation; "Belarusian Union of Journalists"; Charitable Foundation for Support of Family, Motherhood and Childhood "Pokrov" of the Belarusian Orthodox Church.

During the meeting, the speakers focused on an important point - the Internet for children and modern means of learning, development, and communication space, including both interesting and very dangerous and inadmissible content for children.

According to the Deputy Minister of Education Alexander Kadlubay, the topic under discussion is close and understandable for the education system. The development of information technologies, their active implementation in life and in the educational process make it necessary to take additional measures to protect children from the numerous risks of virtual space.

“The most important direction in the prevention of cybercrime against children is education and informing children, parents, teachers about the risks and dangers,” said Alexander Kadlubay.

In this regard, on the websites of educational institutions, in classroom (school) parental chats, materials of a preventive nature in the area of information security are placed frequently, including information on responsibility for committing cybercrimes.

Also, on the information stands of institutions of general secondary, vocational and secondary specialized education, there are constantly placed memos for students and legal representatives on the prevention and counteraction of this type of crime: "Computer Security": "How not to become a victim of fraud", "Cyberbullying", "ABC of Security”, “Types of Internet Fraud” with information on liability for cybercrime.

During the academic year, educational institutions distribute thematic information materials (booklets, memos, leaflets) on the rules of “digital hygiene” among students and their legal representatives.

On the Internet sites of district and regional socio-pedagogical centers, leaflets “Safety on the Internet” are posted for use in educational institutions.

Good helpers in outreach work with teenagers are the videos “How not to become a victim of a cybercriminal”, “Prevention of cybercrime”.

The issues of children's safety on the Internet are also considered during the implementation of the republican educational project "Parent University".

The Deputy Minister of Education also drew the attention of the round table participants to such a moment that the topic of preventing the negative impact of the Internet on children is included in the educational process.

Thus, in institutions of general secondary education, a curriculum is being implemented on the subject "Fundamentals of Life Safety", which in grades II-V provides for the assimilation by students of knowledge of the elementary rules for the safe use of the global computer network Internet and the ability to comply with them. In grades VІ-VIII, when mastering The program of the optional lesson "Fundamentals of Life Safety" it provides for students to get acquainted with the rules of safe work on the Internet, such dangers of the Internet as fraud, manipulation, gambling addiction are studied, the children get acquainted with the negative impact of computer technology on their health and development.

The social studies subject in the 10th grade also contains a media education component. Students are offered assignments on information security, developed memos: “Questions for analyzing a person’s media profile”, “What you need to pay attention to when reading news (how to recognize fakes)”, “How to separate facts from opinions in the media”, “Questions for analyzing electronic messages and petitions.

The Ministry of Education, together with youth public associations, provides another important area - carrying out systematic work on the use of relevant approaches in working with young people on the Internet, including social networks and instant messengers, to combat cybercrime, prevent their commission, and increase digital literacy.

“We are counting on the support of public organizations, clergy, deputies in solving the difficult issue of protecting children from the negative impact of the Internet,” summed up Alexander Kadlubay.