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One more hour a week to be allotted for foreign language instruction at general education schools

The number of academic hours allotted for foreign language instruction at general education schools is expected to be increased this year from two to three a week, Deputy Education Minister Kazimir Faryno told reporters on August 19, as quoted by BelaPAN.

The education ministry has spent three years devising an action plan to improve the quality of foreign language instruction, Mr. Faryno said. A group led by Natallya Baranava, rector of Minsk State Linguistic University, has been in charge of the conceptual aspects of this work, he said.

The main goal is to shift the training focus from grammar to communication skills, Mr. Faryno said. For this reason, a decision has been made not only to allot more hours to foreign languages but also to divide classes into three groups, not two as before. Alyaksandr Lukashenka voiced his support for this idea while meeting with Education Minister Alyaksandr Radzkow on August 5, Mr. Faryno said.

Schools are organizationally and methodically ready for the introduction of an additional foreign language hour, which will mean extra workload for teachers but also higher pay, he said.

“Linguistic gymnasiums” will also have an additional foreign language hour every week, Mr. Faryno said.

Starting 2012, schoolchildren will take a compulsory graduation examination in foreign languages, he noted.