Ivan Shilo, a Byelorussian school-leaver, was expelled from school on 3 June, right on the eve of the last examination, that’s the English language. This under-aged activist of an oppositionist youth organization had been detained repeatedly for taking part in the protest meetings and once he was even criminally persecuted under the Article on “activities on behalf of unregistered organization”. The city executive committee decided that such a student does not deserve taking an English exam and they expelled him from school.    

Ivan Shilo had been attempted to be excluded before. Not long ago, a special panel came to his city of Soligorsk and tried to make the teaching staff of the School #4 to cancel the results of the passed by the boy exams and to draw up a protocol alleging he had been cheating. In that case he could have been easily expelled not for politics but for failed exam. However, the provincial teachers refused to execute requirements by the capital officials. The principle Olga Senkova had to send her resignation. The head teacher Elena Semchenkova was also strongly recommended to quit by the visitors from Minsk. They also made up the list of all the teachers of Ivan Shilo where they put the names of the teachers’ relatives. Just in case.   

Now the expelled for politics Ivan is likely to receive a grant by some European university and may be able to study in Prague or Warsaw. And those educational officials, who prompted the expulsion on the level of the city executive committee, will be barred from entry to the EU countries – there are many of such people in the black list of Byelorussian officials. Probably, they will be perplexed with the fact of not being able to go to Prague, for example, as they just have been executing the order.