Education minister: Children have the right to study in Belarusian

The Ministry of Education makes sure that students have an opportunity to study in Belarusian, if their parents wish so, Minister Mikhail Zhuraoukou told Euroradio at a news conference in Minsk today.

Zhuraukou: "If parents wish their child to study in the Belarusian language, the state must ensure this opportunity. We monitor the situation so that the rights of our citizens to study in a state language of their choice are not infringed upon."

In the view of Zhuraukou, interest in the Belarusian language is on the rise. However, Belstat reports that only 13.7% of Belarusian schoolchildren study in their native tongue.