Special education in Belarus
...tion worked out a curriculum of two components - a mandatory basic comŽponent and a school component including optional subjects study. Their ratio changes with the schoolchildren's age. So, in primary school optional subjects amount to 14 per cent of academic time, at the 3rd level school (10-11 classes) to 24.4 per cent. The curriculum basic component stipulates mandaŽtory studying of subjects of the social-and-humanitarian cycle (the Belarusian and Russian languages and literatures, ForŽeign Language, History of Belarus and the World's History, Man and Society), natural-and-scientific cycle (Mathematics, Informatics, Geography, Biology, Physics, Chemistry) and aesthetic cycle (music, fine arts, world artistic culture), physiŽcal training and labour education. Disabled children and children with specific features of psychophysical development are accepted to vocational schools, secondary special schools and higher educational instituŽtions on privileged conditions on the grounds of medical indications. Off-school education and upbringing institutions (354 in 1999) are a composite part of the unified educational system and intended for intellectual development, satisfaction of chilŽdren's interests, capabilities and talents, for their self-educaŽtion and creative labour, professional self-determination, reaŽsonable leisure, rest and entertainment. These are centres of children's artistic and technical creative work, tourism and ecology, children's parks, clubs which are attended by 348,500 schoolchildren. In addition, 245 junior sports schools operate in the educational system, including Schools of OlŽympic Reserve, where 83,800 pupils go in for various sports. Vocational education is one of the most important links of the national educational system which is involved in training qualified working staff. 249 vocational schools (134,400 pupils) work in the system. Pupils are trained in more than 300 professions. Admission to such educaŽtional institutions is carried out on the basis of both nine-year and secondary education. In most educational instiŽtutions general educational disciplines are taught in parŽallel to vocational training. At present, these educational institutions go over to training workers in integrated broad professions thus contracting training in single proŽfessions. 1996 saw the start of such training of qualified workers which ensured general secondary education together with profound stud...