Stepan Medvedko. Belgorod Adventists are deprived of the right to receive education

We are publishing a message from the head of the staff of the RF State Duma Committee on public organizations and religious associations of Stepan Medvedko about the situation in the Belgorod region, where officials prevented several schoolchildren from from Adventist families to pass the exam on an extra day, as provided legislation. The main day of the exam fell on Saturday, which Adventist is considered a sacred day.

Nine students of the ninth grade of schools in Belgorod were not admitted to the State Final Attestation (GIA) exam due to their religious beliefs.

Students are followers of the Church Seventh Day Adventist Christians. Adventists strictly adhere to the observance the fourth commandment of the Law of God, according to which Saturday is the sacred day of the week when believers must abstain from ordinary affairs. Such cases include passing exams in a secular school.

Rosobrnadzor of the Russian Federation went towards the believers and introduced into the methodological recommendations for passing state exams proposal considering religious beliefs as a valid reason for allowing taking the exam on additional days.

However, Belgorod officials from the regional ministry education did not agree with the position of Rosobrnadzor of the Russian Federation and categorically refused Adventists in the opportunity to pass the GIA exam in mathematics scheduled for Saturday, May 31, on additional exam days - June 16 and 19. So Thus, officials from Belgorod deprived them of the opportunity to receive further education nine children from Seventh-day Adventist families living in Belgorod region. Among this group of children there are children with disabilities. Many have excellent performance in core subjects.

Officials did not provide the opportunity for believers to pass the exam, offering to solve the problem to provide "fake" medical certificates, certifying that believers were allegedly ill on Saturday, May 31. It's an outrageous fact violations of the constitutional right to education and pressure on conscience believers, says the pastor of the Seventh-day Adventist Church Oleg Goncharov, member of the Council for Interaction with Religious Associations under the President of the Russian Federation. He noted that even in Soviet times, the persecution of all religious organizations officials did not deprive children of the opportunity to receive secondary education.

At the same time, it should be noted that in all other regions of the Russian Federation Adventists successfully passed their exams on the first extra day, June 16th.

Later it became known that the head of the RF State Duma Committee on public organizations and religious associations, Yaroslav Nilov appealed to the leadership of the Belgorod region, to the Ministry education, the Public Chamber, the prosecutor's office and several other instances with asking for an order to deal with the situation.

“If the officials of the Belgorod region do not want to provide organization of an examination for these students, then they should be invited (Adventist students - Ed.) to Moscow and here to give them the opportunity to pass the exam. We are ready for it provide a platform for the State Duma Committee on Public Affairs associations and religious organizations ,” the deputy said. He noted that not understands “why today we ourselves exacerbate the religious issue and give the ability to destabilize the situation, use it for political purposes, geopolitical purposes, given the multinational composition of our society” .

Sources

• Yaroslav Nilov: “Let the children pass the GIA!” // Website of the Committee for Public Associations and Religious Organizations. 2014. June 19.