Belarus to make schoolchildren learn drone piloting starting in September

Starting in September, tenth-graders in Belarus — around 16 years old — will be required to complete a ten-hour course on operating unmanned aerial vehicles. This was reported by the BelTA news agency, citing Belarusian Deputy Education Minister Alexander Kadlubay.

According to the official, the practical component of the school curriculum has been significantly strengthened: "We've shifted the emphasis toward hands-on training and increased its volume. We've moved away from pure theory toward concrete skills needed in real-world conditions," Kadlubay said.

The medical training module for girls has also been expanded separately, now incorporating elements of tactical medicine. The deputy minister specifically highlighted cooperation with military unit 5448 in Minsk, home to a police brigade of the internal troops. "Our goal is to spread this experience as widely as possible across all of Belarus," he stressed.

Military training seeps into every level of education

The new measure fits into a broader trend of militarization within Belarus's school system. According to the online outlet Radio Svoboda, a mandatory ten-day military field camp with drills has already been introduced this year for tenth-graders.

"Military-patriotic" groups are now being set up as early as kindergarten, while corresponding clubs already operate in schools and universities.

Formally, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko describes his country as neutral and insists it is not participating in Russia's war against Ukraine. In practice, however, Minsk remains one of Moscow's closest allies, notably providing Russian troops with bases to continue the invasion.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz