About us
Mission
The Belarusian Association for Education and Science (BAES) is an organization that brings together people and initiatives connected with education.
We seek to make education in Belarus more democratic, fair, and open to everyone. We do not aim to be the leading or sole actor in this field — on the contrary, our goal is to create a platform where diverse educational communities can meet, exchange experiences, and support one another.
What do we do?
- We actively create a space for communication between educational initiatives within Belarus and beyond, enabling the exchange of experience, resources, and ideas even under conditions of political repression and restricted freedoms.
- We consistently develop professional support for teachers and researchers — an effort that has already produced tangible results through projects such as “Modern Competencies of the Belarusian Teacher” and “Developing New Educational Content.” These initiatives help professionals who have found themselves outside the official education system to continue their work and professional growth.
- We systematically strengthen partnerships with political actors (including the Coordination Council, the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the United Transitional Cabinet, and others), offering expert recommendations and policy analysis in the field of education, thus contributing to better preparation for future reforms.
- We gradually integrate Belarusian educators and researchers into the European and global academic community, helping them participate in international conferences, research projects, and exchange programs — thereby reducing the isolation of the official Belarusian academic sphere.
History
In 2022, a group of experts initiated the creation of the Belarusian Association for Education and Science (hereinafter — the Association).
The Association’s mission is to consolidate the Belarusian educational and scientific community on the basis of democratic values. Its goals include building mutual support networks, protecting legal rights and interests in relations with employers, implementing educational and research projects, and preparing for the reform of the education and science system in Belarus.
Priority areas of activity:
Organizing mutual support, protecting legal rights, and representing members’ interests in relations with employers;
Implementing educational and research projects;
Preparing for the reform of the education and science system in Belarus.
Our team
Pavel Tserashkovich
Founder and Head of the Belarusian Association for Education and Science (BAES), historian, anthropologist
“We need not only emergency assistance, but also institutional support — an organization that can foster a friendly environment for people from the academic sphere...”
Maryna Sakalova
Co-founder of the Belarusian Association for Education and Science (BAES), PhD in History, expert
“At BAES, I am responsible for research in the field of education policy and the development of strategic documents. I am one of the organization’s founders. For me, this is important because something collective must be created — something that works for everyone...”
Roza Turarbekava
Political scientist, PhD in History, expert and co-founder of the Belarusian Association for Education and Science (BAES)
“To prevent the de-Europeanization of Belarus from becoming so intense and uncontrolled, it is essential to support all educational initiatives — especially those directed first and foremost toward Belarus itself...”
Andrei Laurukhin
Philosopher, researcher, and expert, co-founder of the Belarusian Association for Education and Science (BAES)
“The Belarusian education system is probably going through the hardest period in its history: a double isolation compounded by the threat of assimilation into the Russian educational space and growing militarization...”
Aliaksandr Parshankou
Doctoral candidate at the Faculty of Philosophy, Charles University in Prague, expert of the Belarusian Association for Education and Science (BAES)
“The future of Belarusian education — especially under the aggression of the so-called ‘Russian world’ — depends primarily on the younger generation of resistors and professionals who will soon define the future of the entire educational sphere...”
Sviatlana Matskevich
Researcher, PhD in Pedagogy, expert and co-founder of the Belarusian Association for Education and Science (BAES)
“On one hand, we are forced to deal with the formal system inside the country; on the other, we are trying to nurture models of innovative education outside Belarus, maintaining connections with key actors and established collectives that still exist within the country...”
