Can universities take away diplomas from “runaway” graduates?

The rumor is that the university graduates who have not worked for two years on their mandatory assignments can be deprived of their diplomas. The Ministry of Education and several Minsk-based universities refuted this information to the European Radio for Belarus. However, the pedagogical university has confirmed this allegation.

Beginning from 2007, every higher education institution keeps their graduates’ personal registers. It means that universities monitor their graduates whether they have reached their assignment destinations and where they currently work. The human resources department at the Belarusian National Technical University told the European Radio for Belarus that if a young professional worked for several months and then decided to stay at home, the university would contact him or her to warn that if he or she doesn’t come back to work, the state should be refunded for the education.

“When they don’t start working or has not completed two years of a mandatory assignment, we simply search them and make them refund for their education”.

Another option is that universities can change their assignment. The main thing is to have their graduates work for two years.

The Belarusian State Pedagogical University told the European Radio for Belarus that effective from 2007 they are empowered to revoke diplomas if graduates do not work on their assignments or are employed on a different job.

ERB: Can a “runaway” graduate be deprived of the diploma?
University: We have such a thing now. We keep registers. Previously, we didn’t anything like that.
ERB: Who is covered by this measure?
University: The graduates of 2008 and 2007.

Only those who have a free diploma can be lucky.

While the pedagogical university is very resolute, other universities will seek to be refunded for training their graduates. They have refuted the rumors that diplomas could be revoked.

Belarus State University: I don’t read newspapers. I have not heard about it.
Belarus State University of Economics: A university cannot deprive anyone of the diploma. If someone has not completed two years of a mandatory assignment, the state will seek to retrieve the funds spent for his or her education.
Belarus Agriculture and Technical University: In this case, we contact a graduate and warn that he or she would be subjected to sanctions.

Officials at the human resources policy department at the Ministry of Education told the European Radio for Belarus that nobody had the right to deprive a graduate of the diploma. According to the latest resolution of the Council of Ministers, a university can only sue a young professional in court in order to get financial compensation. Depriving a graduate of the diploma is definitely ruled out.