Ales Kirkevich

What will the political officers in schools?

It seems that the two agencies which for the past year so often delighted the journalists scandals, suicides and all sorts of “accidents at work” – the Ministry of education and the Ministry of defence finally merged in ecstasy, and even that birth. Namely, the position of head of military-Patriotic education.

All positions that can exist in Belarus, gathered in a single “Ledger” – a hefty qualification guide approved by the Ministry of labor. The fact that on 17 January among employees in the education sector, a new position: head of military-Patriotic education. Required from the candidate for the position of service in the Armed forces (as an option – a military Department) and pedagogical education.

What’s he going to do? Applied patriotism: “to implement the ideology of the Belarusian state in the sphere of military security”. In fact, in addition to the formation of a “Patriotic consciousness”, the responsibilities of the newly made military instructor is to prepare kids (for a couple with a PE teacher) to all kinds of competitions, a record of military service, as well as individual work by the exhortation of students in terms of future service in the defence Ministry and other power structures.

Interestingly, the “Ledger” from the Ministry of labor no military training not previously listed. Though the subject “basic military training” in schools already have. Dim analogue pre-existing object with a similar name from the Soviet era. Apparently someone upstairs thought this is not enough. Need more patriotism, camouflage and wood machines. Whether it will strengthen in some way the defense of the country?..

Most of us remember the old time military training from schools and colleges. Lean and flabby, drinkers and not, framed by a noble grey hair has already bald… they All share something in common. Usually it was a weary retirees with transparent blue in the half-closed eyes which once reflected the cloudless sky of endless garrisons on the “edge of the earth” somewhere in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan or on the Kola. And yet they were United by awareness of the fact that the war there never will be. There in Tajikistan or Kazakhstan – it may still come up. And then – no. You can relax. Myself and the kids.

We at the Lyceum was also military instructor (maybe it was called somehow differently, I do not remember). Russian. A retiree. Name name I do not remember, called him – the Frolovich. Always smart and rather phlegmatic. Moderately punctual: more than 15 minutes to class not late. The Frolovich loved to laugh, to tell stories of military life, and then give everyone some obsolete text from the Soviet textbook for rewriting the abstract and peacefully to leave to play backgammon and smoke with the PE teacher.

One time we even marched behind the school. Times two metal dummy grenades. Two or three times to shoot from the Pneumatics, bought with our money, and then proudly took apart a leaky target of yellowish paper on the memory. The Frolovich smiled and looked at our attempts to maximally condescending. War is not to be. The lesson from the same teacher Hatchling could break his nose or break an arm. The Frolovich injuries were eliminated completely. There is no danger. As the meaning of Grace.

Now, perhaps, something has changed. And up there, moved. Can really afraid for the territorial integrity and constitutional order: news of the world after reading. Or maybe just tired of extremely low quality “human material” that enters the military. Sick, frightened, emaciated social networks and search men know nothing about “duty”, nor about the standards for the Assembly of a Kalashnikov. And look to myself, and the trouble the next day in a telegram channels will emerge!

Seriously, you can endlessly smile in response to initiatives of the Ministry of defense, and it is possible to think about. To war we did not have the word “never”, it is better to be ready for it. And the implementation of the standard at the time of filling the cone AK is unlikely to interfere with a young and growing organism. If it is about the student, then in between cramming feta and reread some of Saltykov-Shchedrin and can be the thing to do. Why would not it?

Here in Europe, even in neighbouring Ukraine, have been working completely different initiative for Teens of a similar profile. Talking about scouting. In Ukraine it is called “Plast”. The movement did not appear when roasted rooster pecked in the area of Crimea and Donbass, and somewhat earlier – a hundred years ago. Hiking in the mountains, camp in the Carpathian mountains, berets and delivery standards, sparks, fires, flying away into the starry sky… Romance for boys and girls, and a very specific set of useful knowledge. Well and patriotism, of course: military history of Ukraine, battlefields, laying wreaths at the monument to the Hetman and the rebels.

The thing is that Belarus scout organization if they were, at the level of Catholic churches. And there is more about prayer conversation than about patriotism. All other – non-religious – organization of the scout wing in Belarus simply removed from sight through the prohibition and deregistration in the late 1990s. Why? Must have been real and too Patriotic. And then began the resuscitation of the “glorious Soviet past” in the form of a new Komsomol and pioneers. How this looks in practice, you know…

To give youth basic military knowledge and instill love of country is not bad. Even a well. But there are nuances. Out of the incubator begin to take managers on military-Patriotic education and whether it is a clone of the very tired retirees, only much younger and with the eternal complaints about low teacher’s salary? From a “Holy spring” future military training will be to draw the very ideology of the Belarusian state, even if the President once mentioned, they say, we have not created any adequate ideology? What can you not to worry, it’s for wooden machines. They are always at hand. And if you run out – even out. Fortunately, the forest in the “partisan Republic” is still missing.

Ales Kirkevich, “BelGazeta”