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Changes to secondary education curricula will be minimal in the new school year. They will affect physical education, pre-conscription training and some other subjects. Iryna Karzhova, head of the General Secondary Education Department and deputy head of the Main Department for General Secondary and Preschool Education at the Ministry of Education, said this at a press conference at the National Press Center.
“Changes have been made to certain curricula ahead of the start of the school year. This concerns such subjects as computer science in grades 6-9. The emphasis is not only on theory, but also on students’ functional literacy and their ability to apply digital skills in everyday life. The updated curricula, of course, should keep pace with the times.
For example, this year the eighth-grade computer science curriculum includes a separate topic called ‘Artificial Intelligence.’ Students will begin studying artificial intelligence technologies. Our task is to teach them to use these technologies consciously, safely and for the benefit of their studies. Students will learn how to formulate prompts for artificial intelligence and verify the reliability of the information they receive”, she said.
Significant changes are expected in the pre-conscription training program.
“A separate section on unmanned aerial vehicles is being introduced in the tenth grades. The number of hours allocated to practical training has been increased. Thus, taking into account the field training camp, practical training accounts for about 90% of the total time allocated to studying the subject ‘Pre-Conscription Medical Training'”, she continued.
Last year, Belarusian schools introduced a third physical education lesson per week. It was dedicated to team sports. However, the approach will change in the new school year.
“Starting this school year, through the use of team sports, the lesson will be aimed not only at increasing students’ physical activity, but also at preparing them to meet the standards set out in the curriculum for the subject ‘Physical Education and Health'”, she said.