Opinions & Interviews

Lukashenko: Time to actively involve youth in country’s political life

MINSK, 18 October (BelTA) – It is time to actively involve young people in the country’s political life, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko said at a meeting at the Academy of Public Administration under the aegis of the Belarusian President, BelTA has learned.

Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed that the state policy remains unchanged in Belarus: the country seeks to preserve the continuity of generations and to keep  the best achievements of the past. “Almost a third of our citizens – around three million people – were born in sovereign Belarus. They are young people who look at the world from the perspective of a citizen of an independent European state,” he said. “It is time to actively involve these young people in the country’s political life. It is time to foster statesmanship in those who follow them. The dialogue between generations should be based on mutual trust and respect. This dialogue should represent a harmonious combination of experience and innovation, wisdom and determination, caution and courage,” Aleksandr Lukashenko added.

The teaching staff of the academy also has the central role in this process. Their task is not only to share their deep knowledge but also to train their successors. “I know that a lot of students who defended their Ph.D. and doctoral theses already work here alongside their former teachers,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted.

He noted that the academy also admits graduates of secondary educational institutions. They can major in economics, law, or modern information technology. There were proposals to stop admitting secondary school graduates, but the president insisted that the academy should preserve this practice. “Although only few secondary school graduates enter the academy, it is these young people who will take administrator jobs in the future,” he said. “We will see, maybe we do not need this practice. Maybe another form of education will be introduced by the time a new building of the academy is constructed,” he added.

Aleksandr Lukashenko pointed out that the academy should keep track of graduates’ job placement and future career development. “The academy should actively cooperate with government agencies, especially with the Belarus President Administration, in this matter, because it is young and energetic people who will lay a solid basis for the country’s strategic development for 20-30 years ahead,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted. “The principle is easy: in order to prepare politically and socially mature 40-year-old leaders, their professional development should begin at least during student years, at the start of their careers,” he added.

“Everyone who dreams of a political career should understand that the path of a leader is not easy. It is hard and strenuous work. Only those who will stand the test of power and time will manage to rise to a high level, to make responsible and crucial decisions,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed. “Trust can be earned only with tangible results. These are the criteria that lay the basis for the state personnel policy. They are universal and correspond with the current times,” the president added.

According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, he often hears about efforts of government officials to achieve a certain goal, but the outcome is not always satisfactory. “It is time for tangible results. It is up to you to decide which methods you employ and how much effort you put into it,” he noted.

Aleksandr Lukashenko said that government agencies have started to employ more young people. However, the president pointed out that government agencies should take into account not only candidates’ age but also their qualifications.

“The growth of the national economy, people’s living standards and the country’s position on the global arena greatly depend on the results of our work, the work of present and future administrators. Their strategic thinking and problem-solving skills also influence stability and harmony in the society,” the president stressed. “Examples of some countries demonstrate that not only natural and financial resources give a country competitive advantages. The main condition for a country’s rapid development is highly-qualified specialists and professionals,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted.

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