MINISTRY OF EDUCATION OF THE REPUBLIC OF BELARUS

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    <img width="1024" alt="Заседание Совета по сотрудничеству в области образования государств – участников Содружества Независимых Государств" src="/upload/medialibrary/057/w2s38w413upbvxqleurn5cazjap3k7u6.jpg" height="768" title="Заседание Совета по сотрудничеству в области образования государств – участников Содружества Независимых Государств">
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Minsk, November 18, President Hotel hosted a meeting of the Council for Cooperation in the Field of Education of the member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States. The event was attended by heads of relevant ministries, departments, subdivisions and educational institutions of the Republic of Belarus, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan, as well as the CIS Executive Committee.

Before the start of the event, guests went on a tour of the exhibition of achievements of Belarusian education, they saw the work of the country's leading universities, and listened a report about promising specialties and developments.

As noted by the Chairman of the Higher Attestation Commission Alexander Guchok, this exhibition helps people to conclude that Belarusian education corresponds to world standards and trends.

Traditionally, the meeting included topics on improving the CIS role in education and training of personnel of the highest scientific qualifications. The topics for discussion are the implementation of the decisions of the Protocol of the meeting of the Council for Cooperation in the Field of Education of the member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States of October 4, 2022 (Astana); progress in the implementation of the Action Plan to coordinate the activities of the CIS member states in the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal No. 4; inventory of the CIS legal framework in the field of education in 2023–2024.

Experts also discussed the work of the Commission in the field of ensuring the quality of education in the CIS member states; activities of the Working Group to study the state and prospects for the development of national certification systems for scientific and scientific-pedagogical personnel of the CIS member states; work on developing a draft Concept for ensuring the quality of vocational education in member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Deputy Minister of Education Alexander Kadlubay chaired this event and noted that almost 30 thousand foreign students receive education in Belarus, including ones from the CIS countries. In this regard, he indicated that it is necessary to define in the minutes following the meeting the necessary milestones that will allow citizens to feel comfortable, regardless of the country in which they receive their education.

It was also noted that in order to develop cooperation in the field of education of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Council of Heads of Government of the CIS in 1997 signed an Agreement on Cooperation on the formation of a single educational space of the CIS. The agreement was signed by the heads of government of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Moldova, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tajikistan. The adoption of this document provided the opportunity for the progressive and dynamic development of integration processes in the field of education.

Formed in 1997, the Council for Cooperation in the Field of Education of the CIS Member States provides a coordinating function in the process of formation and development of the common educational space of the Commonwealth. Its members include heads of state authorities in the field of education, as well as certification bodies for scientific and scientific-pedagogical personnel of the highest qualifications from 6 CIS member states.

On a systematic basis, at Council meetings, issues of organizing the implementation of decisions of the supreme bodies of the Commonwealth are considered, as well as the progress in implementing the most significant documents of a conceptual, strategic and long-term content in relation to the field of education.

Representatives from the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tajikistan actively participated in the implementation of tasks aimed at the further development of the common educational space of the Commonwealth in 2022–2023.

The current year 2023 in the Commonwealth is designated as the Year of the Russian Language as a Language of Interethnic Communication. In order to implement it, the Council of Heads of Government of the CIS approved a Plan on October 28, 2022 in Astana, which includes 154 events for general humanitarian, scientific, educational and enlightenment purposes. The key aims are improving the qualifications of teaching staff in the field of the Russian language, supporting gifted children and youth in the field of Russian studies, developing librarianship and book publishing, and information support for the Year of the Russian Language.

During the meeting, members of the Council were also informed that in the IV quarter of 2024, the VIII Congress of Teachers and Education Workers of the Member States of the Commonwealth of Independent States is planned to be held in the Republic of Armenia on the topic: “Education in a changing world: the influence of global realities on the development of education in states - members of the Commonwealth of Independent States."

Within the framework of the Congress, the III International Festival of Pedagogical Excellence will be held in the categories “Teacher”, “Educator” and “Psychologist/social educator”. A ceremony will be held to award the badge “Excellence in Education of the Commonwealth of Independent States” to teachers and education workers who have made a significant contribution to the development of the common educational space of the CIS.

The result of the meeting of the Council for Cooperation in the Field of Education of the CIS member states was the adoption of a number of important protocol decisions. It was indicated that the Council needs to focus on the issues of organizing and coordinating the implementation of documents adopted by the supreme bodies of the Commonwealth, developing documents of a strategic and long-term nature, increasing the efficiency of its work, and also continuing work on the implementation of interstate target programs and plans for joint events of the CIS member states, development mutually beneficial cooperation of the CIS with regional and international organizations.

The next meeting of the Council for Cooperation in the Field of Education of the CIS member states in 2024 is planned to be held in the Kyrgyz Republic.