Pre-school care and teaching is provided by the family and state, collective, private and mixed pre-school institutions to children up to 7 years of age. The pre-school education system consists of 4.500 institutions, with more than 54.000 teachers, attended by about 450.000 children. The dynamics of pre-school institutions network, children’s contingent and pedagogical staff number is presented in Diagrams 2-4.

The percentage of 5 years age children in the senior level of pre-school institution amounts to 61.2 % with 71.5 % in urban and 48.7 % in rural locality. From 8 to 10 children fall on each teacher. At present there are state and non-state alternative pre-school institutions with different flexible operating programs and schedules They are aimed at preparing children for entry to primary schools. The most interesting and effective programs, reflecting the new education policy, are: "Family", "Harmony", "Charm", "First step", "Praleska" and others. They include the latest world and national scientific and practical elaboration in upbringing, teaching and development of pre-school and junior school age children and are based on personality orientated approach. Under the request to introduce new diverse study programs, methods and curricula a new model of so-called open kindergarten has been worked out for pre-school institutions.

The necessary training and retraining of pre-school personnel is provided by 15 educational institutions: 3 pedagogical universities and 1 pedagogical institute, 3 colleges and 8 pedagogical schools.

The trend to decrease the amount of involved in pre-school education children is due to general fall down of population in Belarus.

General secondary education in Belarus consists of three stages: primary education (4 years), basic education (9 years) and general secondary education (11 years). Primary education begins at 6 or 7 years of age and is given in elementary school, 1-4 classes of secondary school and 1-4 classes of grammar school (gymnasium). There are 760 elementary schools in the Republic with 20.6 thousand of pupils and 2763 of teachers. Most of them are women. The state of elementary school network, pupil cohort and number of teachers in 1992 -1999 is presented in Text-table 1.

Text-table 1

The dynamics of elementary school network, pupils cohort and number of teachers in 1992 - 1999

The aims and objectives of primary stage do not just focus on reading, writing and counting but education and development of personality, initial knowledge of nature, society and man. This is based on cultural and historical background of his native place, and skills in academic and labour activities, cultured speech, personal relations, fundamentals of personal hygiene and healthy way of life. Changing of aims, objectives and content of primary education in 1997-1999 years requires corresponding change in structure and volume of the study, new educational technologies. To achieve them the Ministry of Education together with the National Education Institute have introduced the new working curriculum and new textbooks.

Basic school education is compulsory for all children except those who are physically or mentally incapable of attending school. It is carried out in basic school, 1-9 classes of general secondary school and gymnasium and accomplished by examinations and getting Certificate on Basic School Education. Complete general secondary education is carried out in 10-11 classes of general secondary schools, gymnasiums and lyceums and accomplished by examinations and getting Certificate on General Secondary Education.

The system of secondary education, besides primary school, includes level II schools (5-9 classes) and level III schools (10-11 classes) that involves pupils of 10(11) – 16(17) years of age. Level II schools must ensure systematic knowledge, ability and practices, that are prerequisite for continuing general education or starting professional education, to draw a graduated pupil into social life as well as to develop creativity of an individual, upbringing an individual in the spirit of national self-consciousness and universal man’s morality. This level reveals typological characteristics of an individual, develops his abilities, interests and quality orientation. Diagnosing and adjusting these qualities would assist a pupil in manifesting his abilities and selecting a line for future education or labour activity. Just these level II schools provide basic education.

Level III schools ensure completion of general education by providing the amount of knowledge, ability and practices required to mould a responsible citizen who enjoys and exercises full human rights, who is prepared to act within the system of social relations, capable of self-education, self-bringing and living in harmony with nature.

Education in levels II-III schools is accomplished by final examinations according to which school leavers get a Certificate.

General secondary education is provided by general secondary schools, gymnasiums, lyceums, specialised schools, technical schools and colleges. At the beginning of academic year 1998/1999 the system of general secondary education included 4783 secondary schools with 1600516 of pupils. Under the guidance of the Ministry of Education there worked 4669 secondary schools, including boarding schools and except schools for mentally and physically handicapped children. Among them there were 738 (15.8 %) primary, 1054 (22.6 %) basic, 2776 (59.5 %) general secondary schools, 73 (1.6 %) gymnasiums and 25 (0.5 %) lyceums. General secondary education is carried out as well in 249 vocational schools and 151 state secondary specialised institutions including 4 colleges. The dynamics of general secondary schools number, pupil cohort and number of teachers in 1992 -1999 is presented in text-table 2.

Text-table 2

General secondary education in Belarus

Reorganisation of schools and locking up small ones revealed the tendency of increasing the average number of the pupils. This number reached 337.4 persons per a school establishment in 1998/99 academic year. In comparison with 1997/98 academic year admission to first and preparatory classes, number of pupils in pre-school institutions’ classes and prolonged day groups increased. In 1998 in day-time conventional secondary schools 151383 pupils were awarded with Certificate on basic education. About 63% of them continued their studies in 10 class of general secondary schools, gymnasiums, lyceums and colleges. 83008 pupils were awarded with Certificate on general secondary education, 12% of them were awarded with gold or silver medal. Basic illustrative data on the development of general secondary schools in 1992-1999 years are presented in text-tables 3-5.

Text-table 3

General secondary schools including boarding schools (shifting schools are not included)

Text-table 4

Evening (shifting) general secondary schools

Text-table 5

Number of pupils in day-time general secondary schools

The number of pupils in general secondary schools is distributed as follows: 20,600 in elementary schools, 77,200 in basic schools, 1,392,900 pupils in secondary schools and 21,500 of pupils in schools for mentally and physically handicapped children.

Partly, general secondary education is carried out in new types of educational institutions - gymnasiums and lyceums, which provide better education and full intellectual and professional development of personality with high educational potential. Gymnasium is an educational establishment that provides a general secondary education at a heightened level. It is aimed at developing individual creative abilities of a person. Lyceum is a vocationally oriented educational establishment that provides completion of general secondary education attended by vocational specialised training to meet the requirements of higher school. As a rule, lyceums use the teachers and educational and material facilities of universities and research institutes. College is an educational institution that provides general secondary education and that is strong oriented to vocational training with awarding of qualifications of "special secondary education" which has not nevertheless a status of higher education.

In the academic year 1998/99 in the Republic of Belarus there were 73 gymnasiums, 25 lyceums and 3 colleges with 69,100, 13,600 and 1,700 pupils respectively. The dynamics of their development beginning with the 1992/93 academic year is presented in text-table 6.

Text-table 6

Number of gymnasiums, lyceums and colleges and students (at the beginning of academic year)

Gymnasiums and lyceums make up 1.5 % and 0.5 % of total number of secondary schools.

At present in the Republic the implementation of General Secondary School Reform Program and transition to its new structure and content are going on. The new model of general secondary school would include 3 levels: 1-4^th years of study (preparatory -1-3 classes) – primary general education; 5-10^th years (4-9 classes) – basic general secondary education; 11-12^th year of study (10-11 classes) – complete general secondary education. The new idea assumes transition to 12-year period of study with 5-day training week, which gives wider possibilities in respect to individual pupils requirements and interests, peculiarity of each educational institution, regional, social and cultural surroundings. The new curriculum includes only 17 teaching courses and subjects instead of 24-27 subjects existing earlier. The maximum study load is from 30 to 40 class hours a week on basic and senior school stages that corresponds to average world levels. It is being done for the cost of realisation of the ideas of integration of educational content, structuring of basic and auxiliary study material according to levels of school, its new aims, objects and functions.

General Secondary School Reform will be carried out till 2010. Its main objectives are achievement of up-to-date level of education; promotion of prestige of education; acquisition real priority status of education for state and society. The basic principles of educational reform are as follows: equality of citizen rights in obtaining education irrespective of national, religious and social background; orientation of national and cultural as well as regional base of education at the adoption of higher achievements of national and world culture; humanisation and democratisation of education; unity of educational and pedagogical aims; differentiation of ways in obtaining education; protection of young generation; succession of education and continuity of its stages.

In 1997/1998 academic year in the sphere of general secondary education besides the beginning of General Secondary School Reform the following important actions were realised: adoption and realisation of state programs "Rural School", "Foreign Languages", "Teacher", "Education system informatisation" and departmental programs "Cadres" and "Textbook"; elaboration of state educational standards of general secondary education, new basic curricular and 38 subject programs for different levels of general secondary schools of the new model; publication and dissemination among general secondary schools of 212 items of new textbooks including 33 for special ones with common circulation more then 10 millions of copies etc. The Ministry of Education acts to provide the schools with reform coherent new normative and methodical documents aimed to cardinal improvement of education quality in general secondary school.

There is an urgent tendency and achievement of recent years is the expansion of non-state education on all levels. Non-state educational institutions work in accordance with the law "On Education in the Republic of Belarus" which says: "Non-state educational establishments can carry out education of any level and type…" These are private educational institutions created by individuals, organisations, public associations and trade unions. Their structure and functioning are built according to typical scheme, adopted by state sector. For realising their educational activities they receive special permission or license in the Ministry of Education which takes into account their study curricula and programs, qualification of teaching staff, material and technical study base conditions, employment of graduates etc. In order to make their work more proper and effective the Ministry of Education has elaborated a number of normative documents, concerning their status and type of diplomas.

At the beginning of 1998/1999 academic year there were 35 non-state educational institutions including 13 higher educational establishments, 6 secondary specialised, 16 schools and gymnasiums. They involved about 100 thousand of pupils and students.

Of great importance in the development of national education system is special education. According to statistical data 10.9 % of Belorussian children can be referred to peculiar one in their psycho-physical development and require the urgent need in special education corresponding their educational demands. In 1997/1998 year there were 27 children’s homes, 31 general secondary boarding schools, 25 secondary boarding schools of sanatorium type, 80 boarding schools for mentally and physically handicapped children, 22 children’s homes of a family type, 27 diagnostic rehabilitation centres, 707 defectological places, 417 special classes in secondary schools. 185 special educational establishments of this type involved 26 thousand of children, of whom 2 thousands studied at home.

In recent years the material and financial as well as social status of special educational establishments improved to a better side. All allocations significantly increased and were detached according to the existing norms in top-priority way. The necessary normative base, providing for their rights on education irrespective of level and degree of disturbances, is created. Beginning from the 1995/1996 academic year special educational establishments started transition to a new content of teaching. In 1998 the educational standard project for children with peculiarities in their psycho-physical development was elaborated. The Ministry of Education creates new regulation on special education including the concept of improving special education, regulations on a diagnostic-rehabilitation centre, on classes of correction-developing education, on places of correction help, creation of computer data bank on disabled children and children with peculiarities in mental and physical development etc. At present the national educational methodical complex is being created which embraces national educational programs, textbooks, methodical recommendations and didactic means of instruction, textbooks for the blind, different models of group and individual teaching.