Ahead of the university admissions campaign, the representative of the United Transitional Cabinet for Youth Policy, Marharyta Vorykhava, commented on the situation faced by Belarusian applicants when choosing their educational path.
According to her, the Belarusian authorities are consistently creating obstacles for those seeking to obtain a European education. In this regard, she advised students not to publicly disclose their plans to study abroad.
“If a school administration is aware of a student’s plans to enroll abroad, both the student and their parents may be subjected to preventive conversations aimed at discouraging or intimidating them,” she said.
“What is happening now shows that the state is not willing to support students who want to obtain a European education. On the contrary, pressure and intimidation are only increasing.”, Vorykhava stressed.
She also warned of particular risks for those choosing to study in Russia. According to her, there have been known cases in which students were allegedly targeted for recruitment into the Russian army after enrollment to participate in the war against Ukraine.
