Teachers’ salaries cut due to low numbers of pioneers

A teacher and out-of-school activities organizer from Minsk school Nr 70 has not been given a bonus of Br 700,000 for… a low number of pioneers. And this sum makes one third of hisr salary!

“I was invited for a conversation by the head of the teaching department and she said that the figures of pioneers are growing too slowly.” Allegedly I receive bonuses, about Br 700,000 for reaching high planned figures. And this bonus is given for the number of pioneers and for the working day of irregular duration. So I was paid Br1.6 mln instead of 2.2 mln. There were no pioneers really. But I had a non-standard workday,” Andrei, the teacher told to Euroradio,

The more pioneers the better. A supervising teacher can be given a cup for that, for being… an honour of the grammar school!

“We have a competition for the best class. The results were summarized in the end of the year, including the number of members of pioneer organisations. It is our honour, we shall give the cup of our grammar school to them,” representatives of Minsk grammar school Nr 12 say.

Entire classes are enrolled in the pioneer organization in the race for figures. All fifth classes have entered the organisation, and only in one class 8 pupils haven’t. It is okay, they have not done anything wrong,” said teachers at the grammar school.

Parents make one problem. They refuse for religious reasons.

“There are parents who are categorically against, they have aggressive attitude. There are situations when parents oppose children’s joining for religious reasons. But in general, parents do not hold protest rallies,” representatives of the school Nr 66 in Minsk say.

“Pioneers should know laws, some history of the pioneer organization, traditions and dates related to the organization. They should know when to salute,” these are the requirements.

The winner of the regional competition “I am a leader” from the settlement of Kastrychnitskaye, Ksyusha Dzyahelka is a member of the pioneer organization for three years. Her mother recalls that the girl was to memorize an oath reminding of Leninism to become a member.

“They learnt by hearth the oath on pioneers. And they were admitted to the organization at a cemetery with communal graves. Once we learnt the Oath to Lenin, and they gave an oath to their motherland, it is altered a little,” Alena, Ksyusha’s mother, said.

For her daughter to be admitted, mother wrote an application to the Young Pioneer organization. Only the name and surname were to be added there: “They give a printed application, and one has to fill in one’s name, that’s all.”

By the way, not all pupils have become pioneers. And Alena noticed that at parents’ meetings.