University of Białystok invites Poles from Belarus for studies

High school students are students from the Social High School at the Polish School in Grodno. They came to Białystok at the invitation of the university. High school students could become familiar with the offer of the university, see the new university campus, talk to staff and students and explore the city.

Rector of the University of Białystok Prof. Leonard Etel told the youth that Białystok is located close to Grodno, it is just a few tens of kilometres travel. "We want you to notice us as a place where you can study" - he said. He added that the university has good conditions for studying, as well as comprehensive educational offer. Eight faculties offer nearly 30 courses taught in Polish, English and Russian.

As of this academic year, there is also a modern university campus, home to four faculties: biology and chemistry, physics, mathematics and computer science. Etel told PAP that we should brag about such modern buildings, where young people can develop their passions.

Tatiana Biełocka, a teacher who came with young Belarusians, said that young people are eager to study in Poland. "Studies in Poland are very attractive for them, is a modern education, access to other universities, to various projects and educational programs. Besides, these young people have Polish roots and Pole\'s Card, they can quite easily start such studies" - she said.

Currently, the university educates 113 students from Belarus. Most of them - according to the University of Białystok - have Polish origins and thanks to Pole\'s Cards study on the same terms as Polish citizens, which means free full-time studies.

Another form of encouraging Belarusians to study in Białystok are lectures at the Polish Consulate in Grodno. Dean of the faculty of pedagogy and psychology, University of Białystok, Mirosław Sobecki told PAP that thanks to the cooperation with the consulate it is possible to organize lectures for young people. He added currently the lectures are on the subject of science.

Belarus is not the only country where the university is looking for prospective students. Etel said that he was making efforts to open the University of Białystok to young people from other countries. However - he noted - an obstacle is often a fee, which must be borne by foreign students. "We would love to have students from Ukraine, but for them 2 thousand euros they have to pay is often prohibitively expensive," - he said. He added that the university seeks to address this situation.

PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland

swi/ jbr/

tr. RL