After the completion of the admission campaign and settling into dormitories, the most wonderful time came for the Polytechnic students – student life, and its beginning was the solemn line–up "Freshman of BNTU – 2025".
Hundreds of first-year students, dozens of teachers, and distinguished guests gathered at one venue to participate in a ceremony honoring the young engineers who joined the Polytechnic's extended family. By tradition, the very first parting words came from the rector of the Belarusian National Technical University, Sergey Kharytonchyk:
– Good afternoon, dear first-year students, highly respected colleagues and guests! I am sincerely pleased to congratulate you on Knowledge Day, and I also want to congratulate the first-year students on their admission to the Belarusian National Technical University. The presenters have just mentioned that we are among the top 800 universities in the world and one of the largest scientific and technical centers on the planet. And this isn't a coincidence, because all these years our graduates and our staff have contributed to this reputation.
It is noteworthy that this year many events and memorable dates took place, which our university is involved in. The most important date for us was the 80th anniversary of the Soviet people's victory in the Great Patriotic War. Our university is directly involved in this event, in this holiday, and celebrated it with honor, because about 700 of our teachers, students, and graduate students went to the front to fight the enemy. This year is remarkable because it is a Year of Improvement, and we with our students have done a lot. We have made our university more beautiful, more convenient, more comfortable.
At the beginning of this year, we opened a very comfortable dormitory for students, built on the orders of the President of the Republic of Belarus, Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko. This year, we celebrate the 105th anniversary of BNTU. And I am very pleased that you are directly involved in this. You will be part of this important and significant event.
At the beginning of your studies, you first-year students will still be timid, somewhat inept, and hungry for knowledge. But by the time you graduate, you will be completely different. Each of you will be an experienced professional, ready for your profession, ready to give your all and work to the fullest. And all this will be accomplished by your teachers, those who stand beside you. I ask you not to hesitate to learn from them. These are highly qualified people who will share those intimate insights and methods that will enable you to boldly navigate life and shape your future.
The following guests of honor joined the congratulations: Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Belarus Viktor Karankevich, Head of the Sovietsky District Administration of Minsk Alexander Shchekovich, BNTU graduate, General Director of OJSC” MAZ” - the managing company of the BELAVTOMAZ holding Valery Ivankovich, General Director of OJSC Peleng Pavel Pozdnyakov, a delegation of the Tashkent State Transport University headed by the Dean of the joint faculty of BNTU - TSTrU, Honorary Professor of BNTU Alimjon Riskulov, Rector of the Church of the Holy Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky in Minsk, Candidate of Theology, Archpriest Nikolai Korzhich and engineer, head of the MAZ-SPORTavto sports team, silver medalist of the Dakar-2018 rally, bronze medalist of the Dakar-2020 in the truck class, winner of the Silk Way Rally-Raid 2023, racing driver Sergei Vyazovich and etc.
– I wish the students diligence in their studies, faith in their abilities, belief in themselves, and the courage to pursue their goals and dreams, and I am confident they will come true, – said Viktor Karankevich.
It is everyone's sacred duty to remember the price of peace. To the musical number "Leave a Trace" performed by Nikita Adamchuk, a BNTU graduate, scholarship recipient of the Presidential Foundation of the Republic of Belarus, and soloist of the "Vlyublennaya Dusha" vocal and pop studio, cadets, officers, and students from the BNTU Student Union of Primary Trade Unions (PTU) laid flowers at the stele commemorating the students, staff, and faculty of the Belarusian Polytechnic Institute who died during the Great Patriotic War. A moment of silence was observed in memory of the heroic past and as a sign of respect for veterans and soldiers.
Next, the BNTU Department of Cultural Affairs recalled the undying spark of creativity, activists from youth organizations demonstrated vibrant examples of student life, and the audience was truly energized by the invited Belarusian pop artist, international competition laureate, and virtuoso balalaika player Alexander Voronishche.
The annual ceremony is filled with the warm traditions of the university. One of these is the start of the new academic year.
Maia Safiullina, a first-year student who graduated with a gold medal from the BNTU Lyceum, winner of the Technointellect Republican Competition, and a graduate of the National Children's Technopark, and Kirill Poletayev, a first-year student who graduated with a gold medal from the school and a graduate of the engineering class, were invited to the stage to press the coveted button. Valery Ivankovich, General Director of OJSC MAZ, the managing company of the BELAVTOMAZ holding company, BNTU graduate, and race car driver Sergei Vyazovich were also invited to press the coveted button.
The countdown to the new academic year has begun, and on the eve of the 105th anniversary of the Belarusian National Technical University, another vibrant and truly historic event took place on stage: the launch of the BNTU Jubilee Torch Relay. This torch will unite Polytechnic students across the globe. It will travel to leading enterprises in Minsk where BNTU graduates work, to partner organizations in Belarus, to other countries with which we maintain close cooperation, and to the most remote corners of the world. Valery Ivankovich and Sergei Vyazovich were honored to be the first to receive the torch.
The celebration concluded with a flash mob featuring all the festival performers and a procession carrying the faculty flags.
Dear first-year students, you've come a long way and put in a lot of effort to become students at the country's leading technical university. Congratulations on the start of the academic year! May it be full of amazing discoveries, unforgettable experiences, and joyful moments!
