Representatives of the Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD), who prepared these amendments to the Education Act, state that the changes aim to strengthen the linguistic and cultural integration of students belonging to national minorities.
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“As is known, a similar project was already submitted a year and a half ago, it is slightly modified today and the project will again be dedicated in the autumn session (Seimas – BNS) to fundamentally make decisions that we should have made much, much earlier,” said the conservative leader Laurynas Kasčiūnas at a press conference on Wednesday.
“The goal is one and simple – that our children, who also belong to national minorities, receive the best quality education, and the key, the bridge to this is primarily the knowledge of the state language – Lithuanian. This is the path to the future, the path to the future in Lithuania, so that no groups form that are divided in society, so that national minorities are integrated into the life of our state,” he explained.
According to L. Kasčiūnas, two years ago the results of the Lithuanian language and literature maturity exam were such that more than 20 percent of children belonging to national minorities failed it, while among Lithuanians it was 5–6 percent.
“This programs problems that affect children in later stages of life,” said the TS-LKD leader.
According to the project, from September 2028, social education subjects – history, geography, citizenship, economics and entrepreneurship, philosophy – would be taught in Lithuanian in schools of national minorities.
Two years later – from September 2030 – all subjects except the native language would be taught in Lithuanian.
These provisions would not apply in cases where education is conducted in the language of a national minority whose support is provided for in Lithuania’s bilateral or multilateral international agreements with European Union countries. According to the project developers, due to this exception, the changes would not affect Polish schools.
The conservatives also propose that education in kindergartens and pre-school groups of national minorities be conducted in Lithuanian, while providing opportunities to learn the language of the national minority. An exception would also apply to national minorities protected by international agreements.
According to the authors of the amendments, this would mean that, for example, education in Russian kindergartens would be conducted in Lithuanian, while changes would not affect Polish kindergartens.
Foreigners proposed to be directed to Lithuanian schools
The amendments to the Education Act also propose that children of foreign state citizens be educated in Lithuanian and attend schools and kindergartens operating in the Lithuanian language.
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This would prevent foreigners from having the option to choose, for example, national minority schools operating in the Russian language.
Before starting to study according to general education programs, foreigners would be given the opportunity to intensively learn Lithuanian, and preparatory years or additional Lithuanian language lessons could also be assigned.
The project developers argue that Lithuanian citizens who identify themselves as belonging to national minorities should study in educational institutions intended for national minorities, and foreigners who have arrived in Lithuania in recent years should not be equated with them.
According to the conservatives, educating immigrants in Lithuanian would help avoid societal division in the long term.
Would allow establishing Lithuanian classes
The amendments would also make it possible to establish Lithuanian classes in national minority schools if the school owner decides so or if such a request is expressed by the students’ parents.
According to the project developers, this provision would be relevant for municipalities facing a shortage of Lithuanian schools and kindergartens.
Similarly, national minority classes could be established in Lithuanian schools.
The conservatives also propose that the introduction of teaching in Lithuanian or the refusal to teach in the language of the national minority not be considered a restructuring of the school. In such a case, the school founder would no longer need the approval of the school community when making a decision.
The explanatory material of the amendments states that no additional state budget funds would be needed for their implementation, as the overall workload of students and teachers would not be increased.
The conservatives justify the need to change the procedure, among other things, by insufficient Lithuanian language skills of some national minority students and the geopolitical situation. According to them, education in Lithuanian should be considered part of strengthening state security and civil society.
Last academic year, there were 57 gymnasiums in Lithuania where teaching was conducted in the language of national minorities. Of these, 33 were in the municipalities of Vilnius, Šalčininkai, Trakai, and Švenčionys districts.
