Photo: poranny.pl
For the third year in a row, children of Polish origin in Belarus have been deprived of the opportunity to study Polish in public schools.
Educational institutions with Polish language of instruction in Grodna and Valkavysk have been translated into Russian by the decision of the authorities since 2022. Such actions are contrary to the Constitution of Belarus, which guarantees representatives of national minorities the opportunity to study in their native language.
“The measures of the Lukashenka’s government are aimed primarily at destroying the cultural heritage and national traditions of the Polish minority in Belarus,” said Barbara Olech, a member of the Podlaskie branch of the “Wspolnota Polska” society.
“What is happening in this situation is simply disenfranchisement. We can say that we have a relationship with the conscious destruction of Polishness and the conscious destruction of the Polish identity of Poles,” says Olech.
As a result of the anti-Polish campaign of the Lukashenka’s regime, private educational institutions, such as Polish language courses, are also being repressed. During the year, the authorities liquidated more than 10 educational institutions, and criminal cases were initiated against some employees and teachers.