On some measures to normalize the use of the word “academy,” conferment of scientific degrees and granting of scientific and academic statuses

On June 19, President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko signed into action Decree No 402 “On some measures to normalize the use of the word “academy,” conferment of scientific degrees and granting of scientific and academic statuses.”

The document aims to regulate the activities of the public associations of scholars which at present maintain the status of academy of sciences and which unlawfully perform the functions vested in the government bodies only. For instance, they are involved in a mass-scale conferment of scientific degrees, scientific and academic statuses thus breaking the system of state certification of highly qualified scientific personnel.

Given this situation, the Decree endows the right to use the word “academy” in the names of only those organizations whose property is state-owned. The functions of conferring academic statuses shall be exercised exclusively by the Belarus National Academy of Sciences, while the functions of conferring scientific degrees and scientific titles shall be exercised by the Higher Certifying Commission.

Please see the Russian version of this site for the full text of this Decree.