(December 2000)

 Mikhail Vatslavovich, you have been working as the dean of the department of International Economic Relations for  more than five years. In what way has the department changed over this period of time?

 First, we have changed the interior of the dean's office and the department in general. It is, of course, not the matter of prime importance, but, as you know, clothes do make the man. The dean's office has been cardinally changed. We have renovated the office, have purchased new furniture and computers. Now it is pleasant both for our teachers and students to enter the dean's office. The floor occupied by the department, is more advantageous in comparison with others. In a modern conference-hall, packed with the latest equipment, different international and republican conferences, classes in foreign languages are regularly held.

 The transition to five years' education has been carried out. It has allowed us to enlarge the curriculum, to increase the number of hours (especially in foreign languages), to add new subjects, to pay more attention to the subjects constituting the very essence of the speciality in the fourth and fifth years.

In recent years the number of the students enrolled has been considerably enlarged. Earlier the budgetary form of education was accessible only to 20 university entrants, now - to 60 and as many as that can study paying for their education. Though, on the other hand, the quantity of the students of the department has been reduced because of the transfer of the specialities of Municipal Management and Marketing to other departments. Now we have only one speciality: International Economics and International Economic Relations. It allows to improve the educational process considerably, to pull all the efforts together to achieve good results.

The system of the differentiated assessment of student's knowledge has been adopted at the department. It takes into account not only a student's answer at an exam but also student's work during a semester. Certainly, we have faced some difficulties, while introducing this system. For example, it was not very easy to change the psychology of both the students and the teachers. By the way, I'd like to say, that today this system is completely elaborated and recommended by the University Council to other departments as an advanced one.

There is one more innovation I'd like to speculate on, it's unique and is used only at our department. It is the rating of the students. Now each student can approach the information stand and find out, what place he occupies in his group, year, at the department according to his academic record. It was rather complicated to select the criterion for comparison. For the time being we have chosen the results of a session to be this criterion. However, the computer program does not take into account the public life of the students. In fact, it is very difficult to assess it. For instance, you create the web site of the department, and someone else plays in KVN. How can it be conveyed in grades?

Till now there is no common attitude to publicising the rating. Some students would prefer the American system, when only a student and his teacher know his grades. I prefer the French system, when the exam results are available for everybody. Thus, for example, after a session at French universities all the walls are covered with the long lists with the exam results. And, to my mind, there is nothing terrible, in it. On the contrary, it can act as a stimulus and increase the competition among the students.

In the beginning I wanted to raise the level of discipline, to achieve more serious attitude towards examinations and tests. I think, that the differentiated system of knowledge assessment promotes this. I'm glad to mark, that the cult of knowledge has been formed at the department. Though, there are certainly some lazybones.

The best teachers of the University work at the department. They are very exacting, with high scientific culture. Many subjects are taught directly by the heads of the sub-faculties.

The results of the work of the francophone division are promising. Several agreements have been signed with the University of Paris. The graduates of the division receive the genuine diploma of Sorbonne. Each year Mr Jean Pierre Elpher, a world known economist, visits us. I've been amazed how extraordinary and interesting his lectures are. He simply knows his trade. I would also like to mark the substantial contribution of Pierre Cabagnols, the chief of the program from the French party. Due to this responsible person various professional teachers come to us annually. This year Mr Michel Kaplan - the rector of Sorbonne - has agreed to arrive at the department, that, undoubtedly, evidences about the recognition and high appreciation of our work.

What are the difficulties you face in your work?

From my point of view, it is most difficult to overcome the inertness of the teachers and the University bodies, which perceive any innovation to be an encroachment upon their status. People are not ready yet or in general don't want to change the established state of affairs. It was rather difficult, for example, to introduce the system of rating, which met the resistance from both the students and the teachers. The University is conservative as a whole. In France, for example, the modification of the medieval educational system began only in 1968, and only after students' turbulent protest actions. And here, in Belarus, not everyone wants drastic changes, considering conservatism to be the guarantee of stability. But, to my mind, if we deem stability to be blessing, we'll hardly have any progress. There should be some element of violation, destruction of the old rules, otherwise there will be no movement forward. In the work of the department conversions are inevitable, that sometimes make the adherents of conservatism feel uncomfortable.

(At this moment the telephone rang and interrupted our conversation. The dean discussed the plans of co-operation for the next year with one of his French colleagues. We were pleasantly surprised how fluently he spoke French.)

 You are well familiar with the educational system abroad. What would you like to inculcate at the department?

 - As I've said, the system of differentiated assessment which takes into account the work during a semester functions at the department already. It would also be great to reduce the quantity of the compulsory academic hours twice. Our students are to have about 500-600 hours a semester, in comparison with 250-300 abroad. But it does not actually mean the students will spend this time drinking beer in a bar. The reduction of academic hours provides for the amplification of the role of student's independent work. From my point of view, the knowledge received independently is the strongest one.

 I would prefer the students to realise, that examinations and tests are very serious activities, which can't be ignored. Sessions must be as serious as entrance exams. In France, Switzerland and other countries, for instance, it is possible to take one exam only two times, and only at the strictly assigned time. Everyone has the right to study but to receive the diploma one should pass a number of serious tests. But it is absolutely on the contrary with us: the most sophisticated task is to enter the University.

It would definitely be desirable to consolidate the spirit of academic freedom, the spirit of free discussion, which have been established at the department.

 At large western universities the students have also a possibility to use the e-mail provided with the personal address on the university server. I like this idea very much, and I'd like to see its realisation at our university.

 Foreign professors regularly come to the department. What direction would you like to develop such co-operation in?

 - Yes, our experience in the sphere of such co-operation has become rich. Earlier we were happy to any foreigner coming to us. Today we can choose, and we try to invite really the best. We annually invite the Americans, the Germans and the French. Undoubtedly, it brings multilateral benefit. First, attending the lectures of the foreign teachers, the students get an opportunity to improve their command of a foreign language. Second, they have an opportunity to receive additional economic knowledge from the professional teachers. And third, the students and the teachers of the university get acquainted with new methods of teaching.

 Undoubtedly, we plan to explicate this co-operation further, especially as our university is the member of the European Association of Universities.

 Is the diploma of our department recognised abroad?

 - There are two levels of diploma recognition: formal and informal. The formal level of recognition is based on the agreements between governments. Unfortunately, there are still no official agreements concerning the recognition of our diploma. <The interview was given in December 2000. Since that time the situation has changed.> The second level implies the recognition of the diploma in every definite case. Everything depends on the situation. Every higher educational establishment or every enterprise solves this problem independently. For instance, in some US universities our diploma is recognised being conferred the same status as 4-5 years of the US university education. Many German and French universities recognise the subjects studied at our university as passed. Though  some universities don't recognise our diploma at all. I'll repeat once again: everything depends on a definite university. As far as the system of applying for a job is concerned, everything depends on a definite employer and a graduate, on the individual and professional qualities of the latter.

 Nowadays there are dozens of state and commercial higher educational establishments in Belarus preparing the economists for the sphere of international economic relations. The BSEU itself prepares more than a hundred specialists for this sphere annually. What knowledge and experience should the graduate possess in order to sustain the competition in the labour market?

 - The task of any university is supposed to give specific theoretical and practical knowledge. I don't quite agree to this statement. A specialist will always face unusual situations in his future work. We can not anticipate, what problems will arise. The task of the higher education is wider - to prepare not only executives, but to give a graduate wide fundamental and special training. The fundamental knowledge includes such disciplines, as logic, higher mathematics, foreign languages, economic theory, philosophy, ethics, culture etc. It is also necessary to pay attention to the subjects immediately related to the speciality: international economics, international economic relations, management of foreign trade activities, accounting in foreign countries, foreign investments, etc. Students should be so profoundly educated that they could apply their theoretical and practical knowledge for the benefit of their work. Our task is to teach students to think, to analyse and to study. The world is developing so rapidly, that the conditions we face are constantly changing. And I suppose that your generation will study the whole life. Therefore a today’s specialist-professional should have certain skills of self-education.

 In 1994 the first students graduated from our department. Where do our graduates work?

 - The graduates of our department work as economic counsellors in Belarus embassies, in the National Bank, almost in all the ministries (the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Finance  and state bodies), in the largest banks and financial corporations, in the foreign trade departments of the leading Belarus enterprises - exporters, in joint ventures and subsidiaries of foreign companies and international organisations. Many of them start their own business. Some get further education. The knowledge of foreign languages is an essential trump of our graduates.

 Mikhail Vatslavovich, what demands will, to your mind, be put forward by the labour market to those who are the first-year students today?

 - Such demands, as high professionalism, the knowledge of foreign languages and the knowledge of the computer will remain. More attention will be paid to their background knowledge. It is not enough to be a professional. It is necessary to be open, flexible, sociable. One should be able to sell oneself and to adapt to any situation. These very qualities always differentiate us from foreign specialists and make our specialists competitive in the western labour market.

 And the last question. What will the department be like in five years in your opinion?

- I'm not planning to leave the department (laughing...). I'm going to improve it as there is no limit to perfection. Who knows, may be new specialities will appear. If the teachers and the students continue thinking of the honour of the department, it will be considered to be the most prestigious in the country in five years and afterwards.

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