Lukashenko’s reaction to proposal to pay professors like miners
The state will spare no money for scientists if their activities produce results, President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko noted during today’s meeting with the working group to analyse the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) activities, BelTA reports
After listening to the keynote speaker [Chairman of the State Control Committee Vasily Gerasimov, who heads the working group to analyse the NAS activities], the Head of State asked for the opinion of the other participants of the meeting. Aleksandr Kosinets, the Deputy Chairman of the Belarusian People’s Congress and a member of the working group, was the first to speak.
First of all, he drew attention to the fact that the country does not actually calculate the science intensity of GDP, i.e., the amounts allocated from the republican budget for scientific activities are different every year and vary significantly. "There should not be such fluctuations. We must have a clearly planned, predictable financial tool to support science,” Mr. Kosinets is convinced.
According to him, special attention should be paid to motivation of scientific personnel. Mr. Kosinets believes that the salaries of teaching staff should not be lower than those of miners. “They should think only about science,” the Deputy Chairman of the Belarusian People’s Congress stressed.
On top of that, he added, new criteria are needed for the election of full members and corresponding members of the National Academy of Sciences. According to Mr. Kosinets, the current criteria are understated and just allow filling vacant places. It is also important to complete the modernisation of scientific enterprises to bring projects to their logical conclusion, and to establish closer work between ministries and the NAS.
“Let’s have no propaganda work. Talking about equal salaries for correspondent members and miners is populism. You haven’t named a single source. Should we take the money from miners and give it to scientists? I would like to see suggestions on where to get this money. This will be important,” Aleksandr Lukashenko pointed out.
Mr. Kosinets believes that scientists will not be able to cover all areas of activity: there simply are not enough personnel and competencies. Therefore, the National Academy of Sciences should focus on expert activities and become a kind of adviser when, e.g., foreign technologies are purchased for certain enterprises. “For instance, this applies to nuclear energy, bioindustry or petrochemical complex. A serious expert approach is required to avoid subsequent mistakes. And we cannot lose significant resources in the future. This money will be enough for a hundred years to pay salaries of teaching staff,” a member of the working group said.
“Which money?” the President clarified.
"Which we will save due to the correct selection of capacities and equipment, avoiding mistakes when purchasing certain installations, which subsequently cannot process the specified amount,” Mr. Kosinets explained.
“I want to hear the views of the members of the working group. Then we will decide how to proceed in order to reach a meeting of those academicians, corresponding members, specialists in industry and university science,” the Head of State noted. “Maybe we really have doctors, academicians and candidates earning the wrong salary, and we need to increase it five times (we just don’t know where to find the money). We proceeded from the fact that there should be a result. In no case should money be spared for the result.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko cited the development of drones as an example. In his opinion, scientists pay little attention to this area, but this armament is more relevant today than ever. “But I refer this not so much to scientists and the NAS, but to the government. The government is not working,” the President said.
“It’s not about salaries. Are we going to have everyone on fixed salaries? Are we going to pay 8-10 thousand to doctors and candidates, and everything will be fine? And what to pay for? Don’t you realise how doctorates and PhDs are defended here, even with the strict control that is now exercised by the President? And then you say that professors should be paid like miners. But miners dig and bring to the surface – you can count it. But here, if we pay according to your calculation, neither doctors nor candidates will do anything halfway,” the Head of State is convinced. “I am not against people getting paid, but the money must be earned.”
“I am being praised for having preserved the Academy of Sciences. But I kept it in order for it to produce results. Therefore, before making salary proposals (unpopularly said before the election, but I’ve never engaged in populism), name the source, where we’ll get it. We will not spare money if there is a result,” the Belarusian leader resumed.
