In September-October Belarusian pupils, mainly those living in the countryside, are often forced to harvest potatoes instead of going to school.
The work is voluntary in theory but compulsory in practice. Not far from the Belarusian town of Maladzechna a schoolgirl has fallen victim to this Soviet tradition.
13-year-old Viktoryia was lifting potatoes in a field near the village of Selivonauka. According to witnesses, a MAZ truck loaded with potatoes horned when backing out, but the girl allegedly failed to hear the signal and got run over. Reportedly, her hearing was poor. The Belarusian Investigation Committee has started probing into the accident. The 22-year-old truck driver is the only suspect.
No one asks Belarusian rural youth if they agree to work in fields for free. Students’ willy-nilly participation in lifting vegetables – along with kolkhozes – is a relic of the USSR. Moreover, minor state officials and employees at public-sector organizations are often sent to get the crops in as well.
