The Belarusian Council of Ministers has defined four cases in which teachers can be sent for a psychological interview. What happens if they fail?

The Council of Ministers Decree No. 706, published on 9 December on the National Legal Internet Portal, will officially come into force on 17 January 2026. This gives teaching staff and other education sector workers time to familiarise themselves in detail with the innovations awaiting them next year.

According to the text of the document, the Ministry of Education, together with the Ministry of Health, will be responsible for the methodological oversight of the psychological interviews. In the near future, local authorities must designate the state organisations whose in-house psychologists or educational psychologists will conduct these interviews.

The interview will be ordered directly by the employer (legal entities or individual entrepreneurs), who will be able to refer both existing employees and candidates applying for a specific position. This applies not only to school teachers, nursery staff, or sports coaches. The decree defines the individuals who can be sent for such an interview more broadly — any employee whose position involves constant work with children.

However, the cases in which an employer has the right to refer such an employee for a psychological interview are limited to a strict list. It contains only four points:

• if the reference from a previous place of work (or study) for a candidate applying for a job contains information about «negative moral qualities»;
• if information «negatively characterising their professional, business, or moral qualities» is received from citizens, state bodies, or other organisations regarding an employee (for example, a complaint from parents or information from law enforcement agencies about an administrative offence);
• if a social investigation is initiated regarding the employee’s family (if the employer has such information);
• if the conclusion from the results of a previous interview contains a recommendation to conduct a repeat interview with the employee.

Although broad, this list is exhaustive. Moreover, the text of the document contains no indication that such a psychological interview is mandatory — it only stipulates the manager’s right to refer an employee for a conversation with a psychologist. The manager has the right to make the decision to refer for an interview within one working day of receiving the relevant information, and a further three days are allotted for setting a specific date for the interview.

A candidate or employee has the right to reschedule the interview if the appointed time is unsuitable for a valid reason. They also have the right to refuse to undergo the psychological interview altogether — the document does not specify any unambiguous legal consequences for the employee for such a refusal. The document only states that a refusal must be formalised in writing — by an act signed by the employer.

Furthermore, the decree clearly states that the interview must be conducted in accordance with the requirements of legislation on personal data protection, and the psychologist’s conclusion based on the interview results is solely advisory in nature. That is, the psychologist’s conclusion itself cannot serve as grounds for dismissal or other legal consequences for the employee.

Previously, Telegraf.news reported that a special psychological interview for teachers in Belarus was discussed at the legislative level at the beginning of this year. At that time, the Minister of Education, Andrey Ivanets, proposed sending certain teaching staff for an additional medical examination by specialist doctors.

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