The scientific and methodological institution “The National Institute of Education” of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus is a state educational establishment of republican subordination, which activity is focused on scientific and methodological support for innovative development of preschool, general secondary education and education of persons with peculiarities of psychophysical development.

The main tasks of the National Institute of Education at this stage are as follows:

• organization, coordination and carrying out fundamental and applied scientific researches in education aimed at the development of the educational content, technologies and methods of teaching and education under conditions of the developing information society;
• working out, scientific and pedagogical expertise, experimental verification and implementation of innovative teaching and methodological complexes into educational practice, including textbooks, model samples of e-learning means for establishments of preschool, general secondary education, education of persons with peculiarities of psychophysical development, out-of-school education and training;
• scientific, organizational and methodological support for monitoring the quality of education and experimental activities in the field of preschool, general secondary education, education of persons with peculiarities of psychophysical development and upbringing of children and students;
• training scientific and pedagogical personnel of the highest qualification, expanding the range of educational and consulting services for participants of the educational process, as well as for establishments of preschool, general secondary education, education of persons with peculiarities of psychophysical development, etc.

The solution of these problems involves the implementation by the National Institute of Education of the following complementary functions: scientific research, scientific and methodological, scientific and educational, editing and publishing.

The main activity directions of the Institute to improve the quality of preschool, general secondary education, education of persons with peculiarities of psychophysical development at this stage are:

• formation of the priority directions and carrying out scientific researches on psychological and pedagogical, social and philosophical problems of education aimed at the development of strategies and mechanisms for the transformation of educational systems and the educational environment in the information society;
• implementation of the technological cycle of preparation of innovative teaching and methodological complexes and textbooks, including current and long-range planning of educational publications, holding a competition for their creation, organization of scientific-pedagogical and technical expertise;
• complex monitoring the quality of general secondary education, organization of experimental activities, introduction of innovative components of educational and methodological complexes, including textbooks, effective technologies and methods of teaching and education into educational practice;
• preparation of scientific and pedagogical personnel of the highest qualification in topical directions of the development of pedagogy and educational practice, introduction of part-time, remote forms of training teacher-experimenters, authors and experts of innovative teaching and methodological complexes, including textbooks, etc.

The scientific and methodological institution “The National Institute of Education” of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus is the founder and publisher of the monthly scientific, practical, informational and methodological journal “Vesnik Adukatsyi”, which is included into the List of Scientific Publications of the Republic of Belarus for the publication of the results of dissertation research in the pedagogical field of science. The publication covers current issues of the education system, textbook publishing, advanced domestic and foreign education experience.

Since October 2012 a quarterly scientific publication “Pedagogical Science and Education” has been published and it is also included into the List of Scientific Publications of the Republic of Belarus for the publication of the results of dissertation research in the pedagogical, psychological and philosophical fields of science. The journal reflects the experience of domestic and foreign studies in the education field.