Protesters to be Stripped of Professor, Assistant Professor Academic Degrees? :: Charter'97 :: News

On November 17 Alyaksandr Lukashenka by his decree approved the new Regulations on Awarding with Scientific Degrees and academic status. Probably, paragraph number 74 is the most interesting in this document: in cases of committing a transgression incompatible with the educational activities citizens could be deprived of academic degrees”.

“Such practice does not exist anywhere in the world” – told Professor, Doctor of Physico-mathematical Sciences, Yuri Khadyka in his interview to the newspaper “KP in Belarus”. Once he went on hunger strike in prison cell, protesting against initiation of a criminal action against him for organizing a meeting. Now Khadyka is a deputy chairman of the Belarusian Popular Front Party. “The academic degree is awarded for certain scientific success of a person, achieved by him already. How does it concern his behavior after receiving the degree?! And what transgressions are incompatible with educational activities?! Are there many hooligans and brawlers among professors and assistant professors? I think that this paragraph will be pointed at dissenters, those professors who are not afraid to speak about their position to students, to participate in protest rallies and meetings”.

The Highest Professional Licensing Board is to interpret, which transgressions do not correlate with pedagogical work.