Rights of national minorities of Belarus are restricted

According to the amendments to the Law On Languages in the Republic of Belarus that will come into force in ten days, representatives of national minorities in Belarus would be able to teach their children in their national language only with permission from the Education Ministry.

As Ezhednevnik informs, earlier local executive and regulatory agencies could set up preschool institutions or separate groups, establish secondary schools or classes, where education and instruction was carried out in the language of a national minority, or a language of a national minority was studied.

After the amendments to the Law On National Languages come in force, representatives of a national minority still have such a possibility, but in order to realize it, they would have to find authorization of the Education Ministry, as local executive authorities won’t be able to adopt a corresponding decision without such an approval.