Slonim school masters face forced subscription to state-owned press

On May 13 all the heads of schools and kindergartens of Slonim district visited the head of the education department of the executive committee of Slonim Tereza Yushkevich (pictured) to show certificates of subscription to the state-owned “Nastaunitskaya Hazeta” (“Teacher's Newspaper”), “Slonimski Vesnik” (run by the district administration), “Hrodzenskaya Prauda”, “Sovetskaya Belorussia” and “Znamia Yunosti.” Subscription to these editions is controlled by the head of the department of education. Each head of school and kindergarten was pressured to personally subscribe to these periodicals, as well as provide subscription for schools and kindergartens. Teachers were dissatisfied with such compelling and reported the facts of harassment to an independent “Hazeta Slonimskaya.” As a result, the newspaper published their complaint and a list of newspapers that were forced to subscribe to. For example, the high schools of Slonim are supposed to subscribe to not less than 15 copies of “Sovetskaya Belorussia,” “Slonimski Vesnik” and “Nastaunitskaya Hazeta,” district schools – at least 8, basic schools in the district - 4, preschools - 2 periodicals.