Primary school teacher on how the decisions of the VNS change life for the better in small cities

April 2024 was a historic milestone for our country: the All-Belarusian People’s Assembly (VNS) for the first time gathered in its new, highest constitutional status. Among those entrusted with determining the strategic course of the state was a representative of the Lyuban region – the chairman of the primary trade union organization, teacher Elena Kryukova. We talked with her about how decisions of the republican scale are refracted into life in the district center, about trade union everyday life, work with young people and responsibility to future generations.

Elena Kryukova. A look from the school class by Elena Sergeevna, in April 2024 you became a delegate of the VNS in its new, highest constitutional status. How has your personal responsibility changed for you, a person whose day-to-day work is related to the education and upbringing of children, when the decisions of the meeting became binding on the whole country?

- I've always been a responsible person. But when you realize that behind your decision is the future of the country, the level of responsibility increases multiple times.

Teachers are always seen as role models. When I returned to school after the WNC meeting, my colleagues and students looked at me differently – my status in their eyes grew noticeably. There is a clear understanding that everything you say must be balanced. You broadcast the position of the state, because I heard the key messages from the President’s speech at the meeting in person. This gives a powerful professional charge. Responsibility doubled if not tripled.

At the WNC, we were given the task: our work is not over, it is only beginning on the ground. The main thing is to convey the meaning of decisions to people. And if it was easy to talk to your colleagues at school, it was not easy to speak to new teams. I had to go to other educational institutions, kindergartens, a garment factory, a fish farm, a sanitary station.

Before that, my only audience was the classroom. At the first meeting in the workforce, I went with a cheat sheet, worried. By the third I caught the right wave and understood how to communicate with the audience.

People listened with great attention. They asked whether it was possible to transfer the disturbing problems “up” through delegates. I confirmed that we are recording all appeals and transferring them to the Secretariat of the WPC. Many people were interested in my personal impressions of the speech of the Head of State, as well as security issues against the background of the difficult geopolitical situation in neighboring countries. From these meetings, it is clear that citizens closely followed the broadcast of the ANC. They understand perfectly well that the further development of our country depends on the decisions taken. Stability for future generations – Today, the Supreme National Assembly is called the main political stabilizer of Belarus under external pressure. You see the future citizens of our country, your students, every day. What do you think is the power of this institution to guarantee a peaceful and stable future for these children despite any geopolitical storms?

- It is no coincidence that the issue of granting the Supreme Constitutional Status is ripe now. This expanded the institution’s powers, which is essential in the face of today’s global challenges, which are only multiplying. The updated status of the SNC is a reliable guarantor of peace in our country. In case of crisis situations, the state needs a clear control mechanism prescribed at the legislative level that can effectively withstand external pressure and internal shocks.

The strength of this institution lies in its collective character. The Supreme Council is not one person, but a powerful collegial body representing the interests of the whole society. Strength and truth always remain with the people, and the SNS can rightly be called the true voice of the people.

In fact, we have returned to the historical origins of democracy – to the Slavic traditions. Of course, over the past decades, this idea has transformed into a modern, highly organized political form. Today, the constitutional status of the Supreme National Assembly allows us to confidently defend the sovereignty of Belarus for the sake of the future of our children. From day-to-day trade union to the rostrum of the VNS, you have joined the VNS according to the quota of the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus and are in charge of the primary school. They call you the delegate of the people. What is the advantage of having ordinary teachers and workers rather than professional politicians in the highest authority, and how do you manage to translate the concerns and needs of ordinary residents of Luban region to the very top?

- Luban is a small city, everything is visible here, so direct dialogue with countrymen is built naturally. In addition to colleagues and students, parents of schoolchildren became an important audience for me. At the first parental meeting after my trip to Minsk, they asked to share their personal impressions of participating in the historic event. People are sincerely concerned about pressing issues: infrastructure development, living standards and improvement of our region.

There have been notable positive developments in Luban in recent years. This is a direct result of the implementation of the Program of Socio-Economic Development approved at the WNC, where the development of small towns is identified as one of the key priorities. We delegates have been provided with detailed plans to build new social facilities across the country, and I am actively sharing them with residents. It is easier for our fellow countrymen to contact me directly, because we live and work together, face the same everyday tasks.

The advantage of popular representation is that delegates act as a link between the regions and the top leadership of the country. So, after the first meeting of the WPC, the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus received a request to collect proposals for the development of districts. I contacted the Luban District Executive Committee to determine the most pressing problems of the city. As a result, our proposal to modernize local treatment facilities was submitted to the republican level. This issue has been pushed. This problem may seem local across the country, but it is of strategic importance for our district.

People come to me with a variety of questions. If the situation requires a deep study, I take the time to make an official request. People see that their voices can be heard at the highest level. Critics of our model of power often try to measure the Belarusian system with Western patterns. At the same time, you regularly hold dialogue platforms and meetings with young people in Luban. What do you say to those who do not understand the essence of our Slavic veche principle, which is aimed at uniting society and not at splitting it?

- The main answer to critics is the rising generation we see in our classrooms today. Today’s children are very different than they were a couple of decades ago. Now in kindergartens and schools, effective educational programs aimed at creating and preserving traditional values are successfully working. Projects such as “I, my family, my homeland” or regular single days of informing “Step” (Active Citizen School) lay the right foundation. We see how foreign holidays like Halloween are gradually losing popularity among young people, giving way to our culture.

Belarusian students are very active in a creative way. The children are massively involved in the volunteer movement, we are actively developing the status of the School of Peace. As children enter adolescence — beginning in fifth grade and older — their minds become vulnerable to external influences. At this point, it is critical to offer them a worthy, positive alternative to destructive forces. When teenagers are busy with useful, interesting things, they simply do not have time for negativity. And they hear what we tell them.

The foundations of this unity are laid from an early age. Even first-graders, learning the letter “B”, instantly call the word “Belarus”. When asked who we are, they proudly respond with a quote from the anthem: “We Belarusians.” Children absorb this in kindergarten, and at home patriotic education is supported by parents. It is in this continuous, creative approach that the essence of our GNF lies: we do not divide society into opposing camps, but unite it around common values for the sake of the future of the country.

The dialogue with Elena Sergeevna leaves a firm feeling: our highest representation is in reliable hands. When state programs and global geopolitical decisions are evaluated through the prism of the school class, the well-being of young specialists in the regions and the comfort of residents of small district centers, the main truth of the Belarusian political model becomes obvious. Its strength lies in people who know how to listen, empathize, create and daily assume the triple responsibility for the peaceful future of their homeland.

slav@sb.by