organisation of the education system in lithuania 2009/2010€¦ · the education system in....

European Commission

Organisation of the education system in

Lithuania

2009/2010

LT

E U R Y B A S E L I T H U A N I A

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1. Political, Social and Economic Background and Trends................................................... 8 1.1. Historical Overview ..................................................................................................... 8 1.2. Main Executive and Legislative Bodies .................................................................... 11

1.2.1. The Seimas.......................................................................................................... 11 1.2.2. The President of the Republic............................................................................ 12 1.2.3. The Government ................................................................................................ 12 1.2.4. The Governing of the County ............................................................................ 13 1.2.5. The Local Self-Government ............................................................................... 14

1.3. The Religions ............................................................................................................. 14 1.4. The Official Language and Languages of National Minorities ................................ 15 1.5. Demographic Situation ............................................................................................ 16 1.6. Economic Situation ................................................................................................... 18 1.7. Statistics..................................................................................................................... 21

2. General Organisation of the Education System and Administration of Education....... 22 2.1. Historical Overview ................................................................................................... 22 2.2. Ongoing Debates and Future Developments ......................................................... 26 2.3. Fundamental Principles and Basic Legislation ........................................................ 26 2.4. General Structure of Education and Levels of Education and Training .................. 30 2.5. Compulsory Education ............................................................................................. 32 2.6. Administration of Education .................................................................................... 32

2.6.1. Administration of Education at National Level ................................................. 34 2.6.2. General Administration at Regional Level ........................................................ 35 2.6.3. General Administration at Local Level .............................................................. 36 2.6.4. Educational Institutions, Administration and Management ............................ 36

2.7. Internal and External Consultation .......................................................................... 44 2.7.1. Internal Consultation/Cooperation ................................................................... 44 2.7.2. Consultation Involving Players in Society at Large........................................... 45 2.8. Methods of Financing Education ......................................................................... 48 2.8.1. Financing of Education at Pre-School Level...................................................... 49 2.8.2. Financing of General Education ........................................................................ 50 2.8.3. Financing education at higher education level ................................................ 51

2.9. Statistics..................................................................................................................... 54 3. Pre-School Education ...................................................................................................... 56

3.1. Historical Overview ................................................................................................... 57 3.2. Ongoing Debates ...................................................................................................... 59 3.3. Specific Legislative Framework ................................................................................ 60 3.4. General Objectives .................................................................................................... 62

3.4.1. Pre-School Education......................................................................................... 62 3.4.2. Pre-Primary Preparatory Education ................................................................... 63

3.5. Geographical Accessibility........................................................................................ 64 3.6. Admission Requirements and Choice of Pre-School Education Institutions.......... 64

3.6.1. Admission to Groups Providing Pre-School Education Curriculum................. 65 3.6.2. Admission to Groups Providing Pre-Primary Preparatory Education Curriculum...................................................................................................................................... 65

3.7. Financial Support for Children’s Families................................................................. 66 3.8. Age Levels and Grouping of Children ...................................................................... 67

3.8.1. Groups Providing Pre-School Education Curriculum ....................................... 67 3.8.2. Groups Providing Pre-Primary Preparatory Education Curriculum ................. 68


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3.9. Organisation of Time ................................................................................................ 68 3.9.1. Organisation of the Year .................................................................................... 68 3.9.2. Weekly and Daily Timetable .............................................................................. 68

3.10. Curriculum, Types of Activity, Number of Hours ................................................... 69 3.10.1. Pre-School Education Programmes and Curriculum Content ....................... 70 3.10.2. Pre-Primary Preparatory Education Programmes and Curriculum Content . 70

3.11. Education Methods and Forms .............................................................................. 72 3.11.1. Pre-School Education....................................................................................... 72 3.11.2. Pre-Primary Preparatory Education................................................................. 72

3.12. Evaluation of Children ............................................................................................ 73 3.12.1. Pre-School Education....................................................................................... 73 3.12.2. Pre-Primary Preparatory Education................................................................. 73

3.13. Support Facilities .................................................................................................... 73 3.14. Private Sector Provision .......................................................................................... 74 3.15. Organisational Variations and Alternative Structures ........................................... 74 3.16. Statistics................................................................................................................... 75

4. Primary Education............................................................................................................ 79 4.1. Historical Overview ................................................................................................... 80 4.2. Ongoing Debates and Future Developments ......................................................... 81 4.3. Specific Legislative Framework ................................................................................ 82 4.4. General Objectives .................................................................................................... 84 4.5. Geographical Accessibility........................................................................................ 85 4.6. Admission Requirements and Choice of School...................................................... 86 4.7. Financial Support for Pupils’ Families ...................................................................... 87 4.8. Age Levels and Grouping of Pupils .......................................................................... 88 4.9. Organisation of School Time .................................................................................... 89

4.9.1. Organisation of the School Year ........................................................................ 89 4.9.2. Weekly and Daily Timetable .............................................................................. 89

4.10. Curriculum, Subjects, Number of Hours ................................................................ 90 4.11. Teaching Methods and Materials ........................................................................... 93 4.12. Pupil Assessment .................................................................................................... 95 4.13. Progression of Pupils .............................................................................................. 97 4.14. Certification ............................................................................................................. 97 4.15. Educational Guidance............................................................................................. 98 4.16. Private Education .................................................................................................... 98 4.17. Organisational Variations and Alternative Structures ........................................... 99 4.18. Statistics................................................................................................................. 101

5. Secondary and Post-Secondary Non-Tertiary Education ............................................. 103 5.1. Historical Overview ................................................................................................. 104 5.2. Ongoing Debates and Future Developments ....................................................... 108 5.3. Specific Legislative Framework .............................................................................. 110 5.4. General Objectives .................................................................................................. 112

5.4.1. General Objectives of Basic Education ............................................................ 113 5.4.2. General Objectives of Secondary Education................................................... 114 5.4.3. General Objectives of Vocational Training...................................................... 114

5.5. Types of Institutions................................................................................................ 116 5.5.1. Types of Institutions Implementing the Basic Education Curriculum ........... 116 5.5.2. Types of Institutions Implementing the Secondary Education Curriculum .. 116


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5.5.3. Post-Secondary Education............................................................................... 117 5.6. Geographical Accessibility ..................................................................................... 117

5.6.1. Basic School Network....................................................................................... 119 5.6.2. Secondary School Network.............................................................................. 119 5.6.3. Vocational School Network ............................................................................. 119

5.7. Admission Requirements and Choice of School.................................................... 120 5.7.1. Basic Education ................................................................................................ 121 5.7.2. Secondary Education ....................................................................................... 121 5.7.3. Post-secondary Education ............................................................................... 122

5.8. Registration and/or Tuition Fees ............................................................................ 122 5.9. Financial Support for Pupils.................................................................................... 123 5.10. Age Levels and Grouping of Pupils ...................................................................... 124

5.10.1. Basic Education .............................................................................................. 124 5.10.2. Secondary Education ..................................................................................... 125 5.10.3. Vocational Education ..................................................................................... 125

5.11. Specialisation of Studies ....................................................................................... 126 5.11.1. Basic Education .............................................................................................. 127 5.11.2. Secondary Education ..................................................................................... 128 5.11.3. Post-secondary Education ............................................................................. 129

5.12. Organisation of School Time ................................................................................ 129 5.12.1. Organisation of the School Year .................................................................... 129 5.12.2. Weekly and Daily Timetable .......................................................................... 130

5.13. Curriculum, Subjects, Number of Hours .............................................................. 131 5.13.1. Basic Education .............................................................................................. 131 5.13.2. Secondary Education ..................................................................................... 135 5.13.3. Post-secondary Education ............................................................................. 139

5.14. Teaching Methods and Materials ......................................................................... 140 5.15. Pupil Assessment .................................................................................................. 142 5.16. Progression of Pupils ............................................................................................ 144

5.16.1. Basic Education .............................................................................................. 144 5.16.2. Secondary Education ..................................................................................... 145 5.16.3. Vocational Education ..................................................................................... 146

5.17. Certification ........................................................................................................... 146 5.17.1. Basic Education .............................................................................................. 146 5.17.2. Secondary Education ..................................................................................... 147 5.17.3. Vocational Education ..................................................................................... 147

5.18. Educational/Vocational Guidance, Education/Employment Links ..................... 148 5.19. Private Education .................................................................................................. 150 5.20. Organisational Variations and Alternative Structures ......................................... 150 5.21. Statistics................................................................................................................. 151

5.21.1. Basic Education.............................................................................................. 153 5.21.2. Secondary Education ..................................................................................... 153 5.21.3. Vocational Education ..................................................................................... 154

6. Tertiary Education .......................................................................................................... 156 6.1. Historical Overview ................................................................................................. 157 6.2. Ongoing Debates and Future Developments ....................................................... 160 6.3. Specific Legislative Framework .............................................................................. 160 6.4. General Objectives .................................................................................................. 162

6.4.1. University.......................................................................................................... 163


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6.4.2. College.............................................................................................................. 163 6.5. Types of Higher Education Institutions .................................................................. 164

6.5.1. University.......................................................................................................... 164 6.5.2. College.............................................................................................................. 165

6.6. Admission Requirements........................................................................................ 166 6.7. Tuition Fees ............................................................................................................. 168

6.7.1. University.......................................................................................................... 169 6.7.2. College.............................................................................................................. 170

6.8. Financial support for Students ............................................................................... 170 6.8.1. Loans................................................................................................................. 170 6.8.2. Scholarship grants............................................................................................ 171 6.8.3. Support for orphaned students....................................................................... 172 6.8.4. Support to disabled students .......................................................................... 173 6.8.5. Income tax privilege......................................................................................... 173

6.9. Organization of the Academic Year ....................................................................... 173 6.9.1. University.......................................................................................................... 174 6.9.2. College.............................................................................................................. 174

6.10. Study Fields, Specialization .................................................................................. 174 6.10.1. University........................................................................................................ 176 6.10.2. College............................................................................................................ 176

6.11. Study Programmes ............................................................................................... 177 6.11.1. University........................................................................................................ 178 6.11.2. College............................................................................................................ 179

6.12. Teaching Methods ................................................................................................ 180 6.13. Student Assessment ............................................................................................. 181 6.14. Progression of Students........................................................................................ 182 6.15. Certification ........................................................................................................... 183

6.15.1. University........................................................................................................ 184 6.15.2. College............................................................................................................ 184

6.16. Educational/Vocational Guidance, Education/Employment Links ..................... 185 6.17. Private Higher Education Institutions .................................................................. 186 6.18. Organisational Variations, Alternative Structures ............................................... 187 6.19. Statistics................................................................................................................. 188

6.19.1. University........................................................................................................ 189 6.19.2. College............................................................................................................ 191

7. Continuing Education and Training for Young School Leavers and Adults ................ 193 7.1. Historical Overview ................................................................................................. 193 7.2. Ongoing Debates and Future Developments ....................................................... 197 7.3. Specific Legislative Framework .............................................................................. 199 7.4. General Objectives .................................................................................................. 202 7.5. Types of Institutions................................................................................................ 204

7.5.1. Formal Adult Education ................................................................................... 204 7.5.2. Non-Formal Adult Education........................................................................... 205

7.6. Geographical Accessibility...................................................................................... 207 7.7. Admission Requirements........................................................................................ 208 7.8. Registration and/or Tuition Fees ............................................................................ 209 7.9. Financial Support for Learners ............................................................................... 210 7.10. Main Areas of Specialisation................................................................................. 211


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7.10.1. Formal Adult General Education ................................................................... 212 7.10.2. Adult Vocational Education and Training ..................................................... 214 7.10.3. Non-Formal Adult Education......................................................................... 215 7.10.4. Foreign Language Teaching to Adults .......................................................... 217

7.11. Teaching Methods ................................................................................................ 218 7.12. Trainers .................................................................................................................. 219 7.13. Learner Assessment/Progression ......................................................................... 221 7.14. Certification ........................................................................................................... 222 7.15. Education/Employment Links .............................................................................. 223 7.16. Private Education .................................................................................................. 225 7.17. Statistics................................................................................................................. 226

8. Teachers and Education Staff ........................................................................................ 229 8.1. Initial Training of Teachers...................................................................................... 229

8.1.1. Historical Overview .......................................................................................... 229 8.1.2. Ongoing Debates and Future Developments................................................. 231 8.1.3. Specific Legislative Framework ....................................................................... 231 8.1.4. Institutions, Level and Models of Training ...................................................... 232 8.1.5. Admission Requirements................................................................................. 234 8.1.6. Curriculum, Special Skills, Specialisation......................................................... 235 8.1.7. Evaluation, Certificates..................................................................................... 239 8.1.8. Alternative Training Pathways......................................................................... 240

8.2. Conditions of Service of Teachers .......................................................................... 240 8.2.1. Historical Overview .......................................................................................... 241 8.2.2. Ongoing Debates and Future Developments................................................. 242 8.2.3. Specific Legislative Framework ....................................................................... 243 8.2.4. Planning Policy ................................................................................................. 244 8.2.5. Entry to the Profession..................................................................................... 245 8.2.6. Professional Status ........................................................................................... 249 8.2.7. Replacement Measures.................................................................................... 249 8.2.8. Supporting Measures for Teachers.................................................................. 249 8.2.9. Evaluation of Teachers ..................................................................................... 249 8.2.10. In-service Training.......................................................................................... 253 8.2.11. Salaries............................................................................................................ 257 8.2.12. Working time and Holidays ........................................................................... 260 8.2.13. Promotion, Advancement ............................................................................. 262 8.2.14. Transfers ......................................................................................................... 262 8.2.15. Dismissal ......................................................................................................... 263 8.2.16. Retirement and Pensions............................................................................... 263

8.3. School Administrative and/or Management Staff ................................................. 264 8.3.1. Requirements for Appointment as a School Head ......................................... 264 8.3.2. Conditions of Service ....................................................................................... 265

8.4. Staff involved in Monitoring Educational Quality ................................................. 266 8.4.1. Requirements for Appointment as an Inspector ............................................ 267 8.4.2. Conditions of Service ....................................................................................... 267

8.5. Educational Staff Responsible for Support and Guidance .................................... 268 8.6. Other Educational Staff or Staff Working with Schools ......................................... 268 8.7. Statistics................................................................................................................... 269

9. Evaluation of Educational Institutions and the Education System .............................. 272


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9.1. Historical Overview ................................................................................................. 272 9.2. Ongoing Debates and Future Developments ....................................................... 275 9.3. Administrative and Legislative Framework ........................................................... 275

9.3.1. Administrative and Legislative Framework of the Supervision of Schools/Institutions................................................................................................... 275 9.3.2. Administrative and Legislative Framework of the Education System ........... 276

9.4. Evaluation of Schools/Institutions.......................................................................... 277 9.4.1. Internal Evaluation ........................................................................................... 279 9.4.2. External Evaluation .......................................................................................... 282

9.5. Evaluation of the Education System ...................................................................... 287 9.6. Research into Education Linked to Evaluation of the Education System ............. 289 9.7. Statistics................................................................................................................... 291

10. Special Educational Support ....................................................................................... 293 10.1. Historical Overview ............................................................................................... 293 10.2. Ongoing Debates and Future Developments ..................................................... 297 10.3. Definition and Diagnosis of the Target Group(s)................................................. 298 10.4. Financial support for Pupils’ Families................................................................... 299 10.5. Special Provision within Mainstream Education ................................................. 300

10.5.1. Specific legislative Framework ...................................................................... 301 10.5.2. General objectives ......................................................................................... 302 10.5.3. Specific Support Measures ............................................................................ 302

10.6. Special Provision in Special Education Institutions ............................................. 304 10.6.1. Specific Legislative Framework ..................................................................... 304 10.6.2. General Objectives ......................................................................................... 306 10.6.3. Geographical Accessibility............................................................................. 306 10.6.4. Admission Requirements and Choice of School........................................... 307 10.6.5. Age Levels and Grouping of Pupils ............................................................... 308 10.6.6. Organisation of the School Year .................................................................... 309 10.6.7. Curriculum, Subjects ...................................................................................... 309 10.6.8. Teaching Methods and Materials .................................................................. 312 10.6.9. Progression of pupils ..................................................................................... 314 10.6.10. Educational/Vocational Guidance, Education/Employment Links ............ 315 10.6.11. Certification .................................................................................................. 317 10.6.12. Private Education ......................................................................................... 318

10.7. Special measures for the Education of Immigrant Children/Pupils .................... 318 10.8. Statistics................................................................................................................. 319

11. The European and International Dimension of Education......................................... 321 11.1. Historical Overview ............................................................................................... 321 11.2. Ongoing Debates and Future Developments ..................................................... 323 11.3. National Policy Guidelines/Specific Legislative Framework ............................... 323 11.4. National Programmes and Initiatives................................................................... 326

11.4.1. Bilateral Programmes and Initiatives ............................................................ 328 11.4.2. Multilateral Programmes and Initiatives ....................................................... 330 11.4.3. Other National Programmes and Initiatives ................................................. 332

11.5. European/ International Dimension through the National Curriculum ............. 333 11.5.1. Pre-school Education ..................................................................................... 334 11.5.2. Primary Education .......................................................................................... 335 11.5.3. Secondary Education ..................................................................................... 335


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11.5.4. Tertiary Education .......................................................................................... 339 11.5.5. Continuing Education and Training for Young School Leavers and Adults 340

11.6. Mobility and Exchange ......................................................................................... 344 11.6.1. Mobility and Exchange of Pupils/ Students .................................................. 345 11.6.2. Mobility and Exchange of Teaching and Academic Staff ............................. 346

11.7. Statistics................................................................................................................. 347 GLOSSARY .......................................................................................................................... 349 LEGISLATION ...................................................................................................................... 351 INSTITUTIONS..................................................................................................................... 360 BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................... 366


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1. Political, Social and Economic Background and Trends

Since the re-establishment of independence in 1990, Lithuania has achieved a rapid socioeconomic and political transformation. The period has been marked by a number of significant economic, social and political structural changes in the life of the country. In 2004, Lithuania reached two of its major foreign policy goals related to the membership in the European Union and NATO. As the ultimate step in getting reunited with Europe after the period of Soviet occupation and transition to democracy immediately after the country regained its independence, accession to the EU and NATO was an act of immense political, economic and symbolic significance. As a result, Lithuania has become a truly democratic state engaged in the development of the market economy and implementation of reforms in various sectors of its economic activities.

The Lithuanian Strategy for the Use of the European Union Structural Assistance for 2007–2013 specifies its key goal as rapid improvement of conditions for investment, work and life in Lithuania to enable every resident of the country to benefit from its economic growth. People with higher education belong to the most rapidly growing category of economically active residents. Thanks to the radical economic reforms and the high level of education of the country’s population, its entrepreneurial potential is rapidly gaining strength. The Operational Programme for the Development of Human Resources is aimed at mobilising the potential of all Lithuanian working age people as investment in people’s knowledge, competences, their active involvement and entrepreneurship is a safe guarantee for the long-term development of the country’s economy.

1.1. Historical Overview

Lithuania was first mentioned in the Annals of Quedlinburg in 1009. In 2009, Lithuania celebrated its millennium.

Lithuanians belong to the Baltic group of Indo-European nations. The Balts settled at the Baltic Sea as far back as the 3rd and 2nd millennium B. C. They lived on the territory between the lower Vistula (Wisla), the basins of the Nemunas (Neman) and the Daugava (Dvina) up to the riverheads of the Volga, Oka and Dnepr.

In the thirteenth century, the Lithuanians founded their state which was the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL). In the fourteenth century, the GDL as a centralised monarchy was the last pre-Christian state in Europe. In 1569, Lithuania and Poland united in a confederate state – a Republic of both nations – but each of the two countries retained independence: their territories, armies, government institutions, treasuries and laws remained separate. The two states were united only by the head of state and common Parliament, or the Seimas. On the 3 May 1791, it adopted a Constitution, the then second constitution in the world. The principal goal was to strengthen the country and get rid of the Russian protectorate.

The GDL existed up to 1795 when Prussia, Russia and Austria divided it for the third time. In 1832, the University of Vilnius was closed down, while in 1864 the Lithuanian press and school were banned and social life and activity were suppressed. The Tsarist Government took pains to embody its power by the rigid control of the economic, social and cultural life in the country. Despite the intensive process of Russification, however, the national cultural resistance continued all the time. Lithuanian schools functioned in underground conditions. The idea of the independent Lithuanian state was alive among patriotic intellectuals, and national renaissance was gathering momentum among Lithuanians. In 1904, the ban on the press was removed.


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After the First World War, in 1918, Lithuania regained its independence, and a democratic state was established. In 1920, its capital Vilnius and the Vilnius region were annexed by Poland. In 1939, this region was returned to Lithuania, and Vilnius became the capital of the country.

During the period of its independence, the state recovered and became stronger. It established and developed economic and cultural relations with numerous countries of the world. The foundations of an independent economy were created. Industries which were oriented to the Lithuanian economy, resources and consumption received most favourable development. The Lithuanian monetary unit – the Litas – was one of the most stable currencies in Europe before the Second World War.

As a consequence of the secret protocols of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union in 1940, which was followed by mass deportations of its residents as well as cultural and ideological genocide against the nation. During the Second World War, the territory of the country was occupied by the Nazi Germany.

After the country was reoccupied by the Soviet Union at the end of the war, the Lithuanian people resisted to the occupation by fighting a partisan war (in 1945–1956) which later developed into cultural resistance.

The year of 1988 marked the time of the revival of the national movement in Lithuania and on 11 March 1990 Lithuania restored its independence again. In 1992, the last soldier of the occupation army left the country. Consistently carrying out reforms, Lithuania sought a speedy integration into the political and economic structures of Europe (the European Union) and defensive structures of the world (NATO). In 1994, Lithuania formally applied for NATO membership and in 2004 the country became a member of NATO. On 10–11 May 2003, a referendum on Lithuania’s membership in the EU was held in the country. As a result, 91.07% of all votes were given in favour of the membership. On 1 May 2004, Lithuania gained access to the EU. On 11 November 2004, the Seimas (the Parliament) of the Republic of Lithuania ratified the Treaty to establish a Constitution for Europe.

Education is a priority supported by the state, the field in which the Lithuanian Republic manifests its activity. On 25 June 1991, the Seimas of the Lithuanian Republic passed the Law on Education, which established the structure of the Lithuanian educational system and the basis for the activities and governance/management of the educational institutions (with the exception of higher schools). The adoption of the law had a decisive influence on the process of the educational reform. The ideas behind the educational reform and the process of their implementation triggered off radical qualitative changes in the functioning of the whole educational system.

The year of 2001 saw the completion of the second stage of the educational reform during which a special attention was focused on modernisation of education, upgrading of its quality, creation of the necessary conditions for social-pedagogical self-development and strengthening of relations between educational institutions of different levels.

In 2002, the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania adopted a resolution on the approval of the Long-term Development Strategy of the State and proposed establishing the system of strategic analysis and monitoring with the involvement of state and scientific institutions in it. Projecting the development of Lithuania as a future member of the European Union, the strategy sets out three priorities: development of information society, provision of its security and creation of competitive economy. In particular, the strategy places a special emphasis on education.


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In 2003, the Seimas adopted a new wording of the Law on Education that specifies the goals of education in the Republic of Lithuania, the basic principles of its educational system, the general foundations of the structure, activities and governing of the educational system of the Republic of Lithuania and the obligations of the state in the sphere of education.

In 2003, the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania adopted a resolution approving the key provisions of the State Educational Strategy for the period 2003–2012 (Provisions of the National Education Strategy 2003–2012). The provisions of that Strategy compliment the Long-term Development Strategy of the State and describe the goals of developing the Lithuanian educational system and the means of achieving them. The State Education Strategy started a new stage in the educational reform of Lithuania. The current educational strategy defines three major objectives:

● to establish an effective and sound educational system based on responsible management, accurate financing and expedient use of resources; ● to develop a continuous socially well-balanced system of education providing life-long learning available to every member of society; ● to ensure the quality of education catering for the needs of a civic-minded individual living in conditions of an open society and market economy.

Within the process of the national implementation of the Lisbon Strategy, the guidelines for the Bologna and Copenhagen Processes, the Lithuanian National Long-term Development Strategy and the Implementation Programme of the Provisions of the National Education Strategy 2003–2012 in order to create a European area of higher education and scientific research, the key short-term priorities for developing education and scientific research remain attempts to increase employment and improve the competitiveness of Lithuanian industry and also to strengthen the country’s intellectual potential.

In 2004, the Single Programming Document of Lithuania for the period of 2004–2006 (SPD) was adopted. One of the key objectives of this document is to create conditions for developing a modern, knowledge-driven economy.

In 2009, the Ministry of Education and Science successfully mobilised its resources for the implementation of provisions contained in the Long-term Development Strategy of the State. A considerable number of important decisions that led to changes in education and science were adopted. A particular emphasis was focused on the reform of the system of studies and improvement of its efficiency, approval and implementation of documents related to the higher education reform, improvement of the education management system, increased access to education, provision of support and strengthening of international cooperation.

In 2009, the Ministry of Education and Science set for itself two strategic objectives:

- to ensure the efficiency of education, and

- to optimise research and studies.

To achieve these objectives, the following programmes were launched: Implementation of the Provisions of the National Education Strategy, Efficiency of Education and Science Management, Special Programme for Education Development, Development of Higher Education, and Development of Research and Technologies.


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Action Programme of the 15th Government of the Republic of Lithuania

Law on Amendment of the Law on Education of the Republic of Lithuania

Long-term Development Strategy of the State

Programme for Implementation of the Provisions of National Education Strategy 2003-2012

Provisions of National Education Strategy 2003-2012

Single Programming Document (SPD) of Lithuania for the period of 2004-2006

1.2. Main Executive and Legislative Bodies

The state of Lithuania is an independent democratic republic. In accordance with the Constitution adopted on 25 October 1993, the Lithuanian state is composed of its people. The sovereignty belongs to the nation. The nation maintains its supreme sovereign power directly or through its democratically elected representatives.

The powers of the State are exercised by the Seimas, the President of the Republic, the Government and the Judiciary. The scope of powers is defined by the Constitution. Any law or other statute which contradicts the Constitution is deemed invalid. The most significant issues concerning the life of the state and the people are adopted by referendum declared by the Seimas in cases established by law.

Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania

1.2.1. The Seimas

The supreme body of power is the Seimas of the Republic of Lituania . Members of the Seimas are elected for a term of four years. Abiding by the mixed system of election, the citizens elect 141 members of the Seimas, with 70 members elected in multi-candidate constituencies according to nominee lists provided by the parties and 71 members elected in single-candidate constituencies.

The Speaker or Deputy Speaker presides over the sittings of the Seimas. The functions of the Seimas are determined by the Constitution. The structure and the procedures are determined by the Statute of the Seimas, which has the power of law.

The Seimas discusses and passes Constitutional amendments; enacts laws; adopts resolutions on referendums; sets the date of presidential election; establishes state institutions provided by the law and both appoints and dismisses their chief officers; approves or rejects the candidature of the Prime Minister proposed by the President of the Republic; debates the Government policy programme submitted by the Prime Minister and makes decisions concerning its approval; upon the recommendation of the Government, the Seimas establishes or abolishes Ministries of the Republic of Lithuania; supervises the activities of the Government and may express non-confidence in the Prime Minister or individual Ministers. The Seimas appoints judges and Chairpersons of the Constitutional Court, and the Supreme Court; appoints and dismisses the State Controller and the Chairperson of the Board of the Bank of Lithuania; announces local government council election; forms the Central Electoral Committee and changes its composition, approves and monitors the state budget; establishes state taxes and other obligatory payments; ratifies or denounces international treaties of the Republic of Lithuania and debates other issues of foreign policy; establishes the


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administrative division of the Republic; establishes the state awards of the Republic of Lithuania; issues acts of amnesty; imposes direct administrational law; declares war and states of emergency; announces mobilization and passes decisions on the employment of the armed forces.

The Seimas is responsible for the development of the principles of the educational system and establishment of the strategic directions in the development of education as well as for the financing of different fields of education.

The Seimas committees and commissions related to education include the Committee of Education, Science and Culture and the Commission for Youth Matters and Sports.

Committee on Education, Science and Culture of Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania


1.2.2. The President of the Republic

The President of the Republic is the head of state. The President represents the state of Lithuania and performs all the duties he or she is charged with by the Constitution and laws. The President of the Republic is elected by the citizens of the Republic of Lithuania on the basis of universal, equal and direct suffrage by secret ballot for a term of five years. The duties of the President are determined by the Constitution.

The President’s advisor on social policy attends to the issues of education.

On 17 May 2009, Dalia Grybauskaitė was elected President of the Republic of Lithuania.

On 16 February 1918, the Vilnius Council declared the independence of Lithuania. Later it named itself the State Council, and at the end of 1918 it began to govern the independent Lithuania. On 4 April 1919, the State Council founded the Presidency. On 15 May 1920, the Constituent Seimas declared Lithuania a democratic republic. On 10 June 1920, a provisional Constitution was promulgated, which stipulated that the President of the Republic should be elected by the Seimas. On 1 August 1922, the Constitution was adopted and elections to the First Seimas were announced. In 1940, when Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union, the Presidency was abolished.

After the restoration of Lithuania’s independence, a constitutional referendum was held on 25 October 1992, simultaneously with the first round of the election to the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania. The new Constitution restored and legalised the Presidency, the institution of the head of state.


1.2.3. The Government

The Government of the Republic of Lithuania is the Cabinet of Ministers. It consists of the Prime Minister and ministers. The Prime Minister is appointed and removed from office by the President of the Republic upon the approval of the Seimas. Ministers are appointed and removed from office by the President of the Republic upon the approval of the Prime Minister. In order of authority, the Prime Minister is the key figure in the structure of the Lithuanian State.

The Government works out and implements the Government programme (In 2004, the Programme of the Lithuanian Government for the years 2004−2008 was adopted by the resolution of the Seimas. Following the


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change of the Government, in 2008, the Seimas adopted the Programme of the 15th Lithuanian Government) The Prime Minister and the ministers work together carrying out the joint political programme. The Government resolves the affairs of state administration at its meetings by issuing decisions, which must be passed by a majority vote of all members of the Government. The State Controller may also participate in the meetings of the Government. Decisions of the Government are signed by the Prime Minister and the appropriate minister.

The Government of the Lithuanian Republic is jointly responsible for its activities to the Seimas.

Ministries are headed by ministers who resolve issues within the competence of the Ministry. They also perform other functions provided by the law. The ministers are responsible to the Seimas, the President of the Republic and are directly subordinate to the Prime Minister.

On the governmental level, the Ministry of Education and Science is responsible for education. It is responsible for the implementation of the state policy on education, establishment of educational standards, definition of the criteria and ways of financing education, initiating research in the field of education and also training and retraining of teachers. In addition, it is responsible for the primary vocational training. Other ministries such as the Ministry of Social Security and Labour, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of the Interior are also related to education.

Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania

Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Lithuania

Ministry of Health of the Republic of Lithuania

Ministry of Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania

1.2.4. The Governing of the County

In Lithuania, there are ten big administrative territorial units called counties.

According to the Republic of Lithuania Law on the Governing of the County (1994, official text as ammended and in force since 2006), the county is a higher territorial administrative unit of the Republic of Lithuania the governing of which is organised by the (central) Government through the governor of the county, the Ministries and other Government institutions. The governance of the county is a constituent part of the governance of the State.

Upon the recommendation of the Government, the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania sets or alters the boundaries and the centre of the county and also gives or changes its name.

The county governor is appointed and dismissed from office by the Government upon the recommendation of the Prime Minister. The county governor is accountable to the Government and its authorised institutions in the manner established by the Government.

The powers of the county governor cover the spheres of education, culture and social welfare. Alongside other functions, the county governor:

● in the manner prescribed by law, establishes, reorganises, and liquidates state institutions of education (except for higher schools), libraries, museums, theatres, concert institutions, cultural centres and


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other cultural institutions, as well as institutions of physical training and sports and regional social support and care located within the territory of the county; ● is responsible for the functioning and maintenance of those state institutions; ● organises supervision of enforcement related to the general state educational, cultural and social policy; ● administers provision of free meals to pupils of schools established by the county governor and of day summer camps organised by those schools for their pupils to rest at.

Under the county governor, the County Council is formed.

1.2.5. The Local Self-Government

Under the Republic of Lithuania Law on Local Self-Government (adopted in 1994, official text as ammended and in force since 2004), the local self-government denotes the right and actual power of the state territorial administrative unit – municipality – to freely and independently manage local affairs in accordance with the Constitution and laws of the Republic of Lithuania through the representative institution – the Municipal Council – directly elected by residents of the administrative unit concerned and the executive Municipal Board formed by the Council and other institutions.

The municipality is an administrative unit of the State territory with the status of a legal entity and the right to local (municipal) self-government guaranteed by the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania and exercised through the Municipal Council.

In Lithuania, there are sixty (60) municipalities.

Municipal institutions – the Municipal Council, or a representative body, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Municipal Administration, or an executive body – are charged with the rights and obligations of the local government and public administration. The municipal institutions are responsible for enforcing the right to self-governance and performing their functions in the interests of their communities.

Municipal institutions are not subordinate to the State institutions.

Municipal departments or divisions of education assist mayors or chief executive officers of municipal administrations in formulating the local self-government policy on education and implementing the strategic plan of action; are in charge of the educational public administration in institutions of general education, pre-primary education as well as institutions providing support to pupils, teachers and schools and other educational institutions; implement the state educational policy in the fields of planning and organising, non-formal education, analysis and coordination of management and pedagogical activities, etc.

1.3. The Religions

There is no state religion in Lithuania. The state recognises nine traditional denominations that currently exist in Lithuania as part of the Lithuanian historical, spiritual and social heritage: Roman Catholics, Greek Catholics, Evangelical Lutherans, Evangelical Reformists (Calvinists), Orthodox Christians, Old Rite Believers, Judaists, Sunni Muslims and Karaites.

State and municipal educational institutions are secular. At the request of parents (foster parents or guardians), pupils of state educational institutions may be taught the officially recognised faith of the traditional denominations and other religious communities.


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According to Article 26 of the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, "…Everyone shall have the right to freely choose any religion or faith and, either alone or in community with others, in public or private, to manifest his religion or faith in worship, observance, practice or teaching. No one may coerce another person or be subject to coercion to choose or manifest any religion or faith... Parents and guardians shall, without restrictions, ensure the religious and moral education of their own children and children under their guardianship in conformity with their own convictions".

Since the restoration of independence in Lithuania (1990), the conditions for the functioning of the Church have markedly improved. The real disestablishment of the Church dissociating it from the State is underway, with both the Church and the State being fully aware of the importance of their close co-operation in various fields on the basis of mutual understanding. The Church has a right to found schools. The State supports various social and humanitarian actions initiated by the Church, separate denominations and respective organisations. The Church has a right to establish publishing houses and publish literature.

The State recognises the traditional Lithuanian churches and religious organisations only if they have the backing of society and if their teaching and rituals do not run counter to the law and morality. The churches and other religious organisations recognised by the State enjoy the rights of a legal person.

In a manner prescribed by law and other legal acts, religious denominations, communities and centres have a right to establish and run general education schools and other training, educational and cultural institutions as well as establishments for the training and education of the clergy and religion instructors. Likewise, educational institutions of the traditional or other religious denominations, communities and centres with a right of a legal person that provide the state-established level of education are entitled to financial and other support from the State and municipal budgets.

The Roman Catholic Church remains the dominant and the largest denomination in Lithuania. According to the 2001 population census, about 79% of the religious population of the country profess Catholicism, including the majority of Lithuanians (85%), Poles (93%), part of Belarusians (47%) and Ukrainians (13%). Apart from the Catholics, there are Old Rite Believers (Russians) (about 0.8%) and Orthodox Christians (Russians, Belarusians and Ukrainians) (4.1%) in the country. Evangelical Reformats (0.2%) reside mainly in the northern regions of Lithuania, while Evangelical Lutherans (0.6%) in its south-western part. Jews, Tartars, Muslims and Karaites also have their places of worship. Over twenty eight denominations have been registered in Lithuania. Their activity is delimited by the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on Religious Communities and Associations (1995).


1.4. The Official Language and Languages of National Minorities

The official language of the Republic of Lithuania is Lithuanian.

According to the 2001 population census, there were people of 115 nationalities living in Lithuania. Only 29 of them, however, numbered 100 or more persons. According to the estimates provided by Statistics Lithuania, in early 2009, the breakdown of the population by nationality was as follows: 84% of the total population were Lithuanians, 4.9% Russians, 6.1% Poles, 1.1% Belarusians, 0.6% Ukrainians, 0.1% Jews, Latvians, Tatars, Germans and Roma people each and the rest of other nationalities. The majority of Lithuanians (96.7%) indicated Lithuanian as their mother tongue.


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In Lithuania, national minorities have all conditions to be recognised, teach their children their native language and the history of their nation, foster their culture and profess their religion. In Lithuania, there are monolingual schools of general education with a single non-Lithuanian language of instruction and multilingual, or mixed, schools with several languages of instruction. Studies for vocational training school, college and university students are available not only in the official language.

In 2007, the Lithuanian Government adopted a resolution on supplementing the Law on Education with a provision enabling all pupils of national minorities in Lithuanian institutions of pre-school and general education to learn, in addition, their native tongue if a need for that exists, a specialist of the respective language is available and the education process uses another language of instruction.

In the country, there are schools for pupils of national minorities with other than the official language of instruction (Russian, Polish and Belarusian) and mixed schools. There are schools in which the language of instruction is English (4), German (1), French (1) and Hebrew (1).

Every Lithuanian citizen or expatriate who has been granted a right to reside permanently or temporarily in the Republic of Lithuania is entitled to instruction in Lithuanian and a possibility to learn Lithuanian as the official language.

1.5. Demographic Situation

When independence was restored in Lithuania in 1990, intensive radical changes in its political, social and economic life disrupted the established demographic tendencies and initiated new ones. All demographic processes acquired new aspects; suddenly the birth rate sharply decreased, the death rate increased and the migration flow changed its direction as the increase of population through migration was replaced by reduced migration. As a result of these circumstances, in 1992, the Lithuanian population started decreasing and has been decreasing ever since. This process is mostly caused by emigration and negative natural population growth.

According to the data provided by Statistics Lithuania, at the beginning of 2009, the population of Lithuania amounted to 3.35 million people and decreased by 16.3 thousand, compared to 2008. Since 2001, the population in Lithuania has decreased by 134.1 thousand people. In January 2010, the population of Lithuania totaled 3,329 thousand.

At the beginning of 2009, 2,240.5 thousand people (66.9% of the country’s total population) lived in towns and 1,109.4 thousand (33.1 %) in rural areas. In 2000–2008, the percentage of urban and rural population stayed nearly unchanged.

Losses in population bring about changes in the population age structure. The population is aging, i. e. the percentage of senior people (60-year-olds and older) is increasing, as compared to the total population. At the beginning of 2009, the mean age of the country’s population was 39.2 years (compared to 36.7 years in 2000).

At the beginning of 2009, the number of females exceeded that of males by 231.4 thousand. Females accounted for 53.5% of the total population, with 1,148 females per 1,000 males (as compared to 53,2% and 1,136 females, respectively, at the beginning of 2000).

In 2008, the natural population change (increase/decrease) was negative and amounted to -8,767. The natural decrease was -2.6 per 1,000 population. In 2008, the aggregate birth rate indicator stood at 1.47.


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Since 2002, there has been a significant increase in emigration. In 2006, the extent of emigration started decreasing. Since Lithuania’s accession to the European Union, the trend has remained the same. More than two thirds of all departing residents usually choose one of the European Union member states as their target exit country.

According to the estimates of Statistics Lithuania, in 2008, 23.7 thousand people left Lithuania for permanent residence abroad and 9.3 thousand people immigrated to the country. In 2008, 26% of emigrants left for the United Kingdom, 12% for Ireland and 8% for Germany. Lithuanian people also choose the United States of America (11%), the Russian Federation and Belarus (6% each) as the target exit country. Most emigrants are young people: every other emigrant is 20–34 years old. The main goal of emigration is to find employment in the host country.

In 2008, the difference between the number of people who emigrated from and immigrated into the country per 1,000 population stood at -2.3.

Alongside the ‘traditional‘ emigration/immigration processes, the scene is increasingly dominated by short-term migration (performing, in essence, only an economic function without disruption of social ties), migration of family members (only of parents without children or only one of the spouses), and the so-called irregular migration both to and from Lithuania.

According to the data on the declaration of the place of residence, in 2008, the number of people who changed their permanent place of residence for a period of at least 6 months amounted to 56.7 thousand (1.7% of the country’s total population), which is by 0.2 thousand more than in 2007. In 2008, the prevailing directions of internal migration within the country were from urban to rural and from rural to urban areas.

Since 1990, there has been a decline in the number of births and, consequently, the birth rate. Over the last fifteen years, the birth rate decline has nearly doubled. In 2003–2005, the birth rate became stable and then started growing, which lasted until 2008. The increased birth rate, however, failed to secure the demographic balance and metagenesis. In 2008, the aggregate birth rate was 1.47 (as compared to 1.39 in 2000).

In 2008, the death rate indicators started decreasing. The standardised death rate indicators among males were twice higher than those among females and 1.3 times higher among inhabitants of rural areas than those of urban areas.

In 2008, the average life expectancy among males amounted to 66.3 years and stood at 77.6 among females (as compared to 66.7 and 77.4, respectively, in 2000). Over the recent years, differences between the average life expectancy for males and females have become more pronounced.

In Lithuania, the structure of death causes is similar to that observed in economically developed countries and has remained unchanged for a number of years now. In 2008, most deaths (about 53.9%) were brought about by diseases of the circulatory system, malignant neoplasms (18.9%) and external causes (10.9%).

Over the recent years, the number of marriages has been increasing. Following a speedy decline of marriages that lasted an entire decade (1991–2001), the number of marriages per 1,000 population increased from 4.5 in 2001 to 7.2 in 2008. For 15 years now, the divorce indicator has remained stable, with three divorces per 1,000 population.

Lietuvos ekonominė ir socialinė raida


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1.6. Economic Situation

The territory of Lithuania covers 65.3 thousand square kilometres. The total length of the borderline of the Republic is 1,714 km (which includes 1,624 km by land and 90 km by sea). A considerable part of the territory is woodland (30%). There are many rivers and lakes (2,830 lakes are larger than 0.5 hectare), which cover 880 square kilometres of the area. The longest river is the Nemunas (937 km long). The largest lake is Drukšiai (44.8 square km), 10 square kilometres of which belong to Belarus.

On restoring independence, Lithuania undertook social economic reforms that were started with the goal to create conditions for the development of a market economy. One of the economic reform priorities was privatisation. It was conducted in two stages: the first stage (19911995) through the use of vouchers distributed to the population and the second stage (1996 – up to date) through the use of the commercial mode of privatisation.

Lithuania is attributable to countries with open economies. It is actively engaged in international trade and participates in other forms of economic relations. The economic policy carried out by Lithuania is based on a more effective “catching up” development model currently focused on export.

Important preconditions for the country’s industrial development are already in place: the process of privatisation is over, major structural changes in industry effected, most of the industrial sectors can boast of companies that are successfully competing on international markets, the country has many highly qualified specialists and the cost of its labour force is competitive. Lithuania has potential scientific capabilities that may be used for the development and strenghtening of measures to drive industrial competetiveness. Being a small country, Lithuania has all opportunities to adjust its development to the fast changing circumstances of economic globalisation and a rapid spread of information technology tools in the economy.

Lithuania has the necessary prerequisites for rapid technological growth, in particular, it has the potential of applied sciences and capabilities to synthesise various fields of knowledge; the country markets some high technology products and services, applies many fundamental technologies in industry and has a relatively high concentration of industry and science.

Up to 2008, the country‘s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was growing but decreased in 2009 under the influence of the world crisis. In 2009, GDP, as estimated at the current prices, totaled LTL 92,450.203 m (€ 26,755.429 m) and decreased by 16.9%, compared to 2008. In 2009, GDP per capita at the current prices amounted to LTL 27,684.68 (€ 8,018.04) and was by 16.4% lower than in 2008. The major share of GDP, as calculated by expenditure, is comprised of consumption expenditure for the needs of households and the public sector (final consumption/end user expenditure).

The level of unemployment that was decreasing up to 2008 started rising and reached 13.3% in 2009 (as compared to 5.9% in 2008). According to the data provided by the Lithuanian Labour Exchange, in 2009, the average annual percentage of unemployed working-age population was 9.4%, i. e. nearly three times higher than the average annual unemployment rate in 2008 (3.4%). Unemployment was rising in all territories of the country. Over the year, the percentage of unemployed working-age males grew from 4.6% to 14.4% and that of females from 4.3% to 10.5%. The male unemployment rate is nearly 1.4 times higher than that of female. As at 1 January 2010, young unemployed persons aged up to 25 years comprised 8.1% of the population within the age group of 16–24 years. Over the year, the unemployment rate among young people grew more than three times.


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The number of people looking for employment who participated in various measures undertaken in line with the policy of the active labour market totaled 72.1 thousand people. More than half of them were involved in measures aimed at supporting employment. Projects related to local employment initiatives were carried out in the territories of 31 municipalities.

In 2007, the Lithuanian Government approved the Programme for Promotion of Social Dialogue in Lithuania for 2007–2011. The programme is designed to develop and strengthen regional social dialogue (in counties and municipalities), promote social partnership and both bilateral and trilateral cooperation.

The earnings of the Lithuanian population that kept growing up to 2008, started declining due to the crisis. In 2009, as a consequence of the implementation measures provided for in the Government’s Anti-crisis Programme, the average monthly gross pay in Lithuanian enterprises decreased to LTL 2,052.4 (about € 595), i. e. it was by 4.6% lower than in 2008.

In 2009, the average state social insurance old-age pension for people with the necessary period of insurance for old-age pensions was LTL 811.26 and increased by LTL 76.39 (9.4%), as compared to 2008.

According to the data provided by Statistics Lithuania, in the middle of 2009, foreign direct investment (FDI) amounted to LTL 33.3 bn (€ 9.65 bn) and increased by 5.5%, compared to 1 January 2009. Foreign direct investment per capita comprised LTL 9,981 or € 2,893..

According to the mid-year data of 2009, the biggest amount of total FDI (27.2%) was invested in the manufacturing industry, companies of real estate, renting and other business activities (15.4%), financial intermediary services (15.1%), transportation, storage and communications (14.2%) and also wholesale and retail trade (13.2%).

The biggest amounts of funds came from investors of Sweden (LTL 9.94 bn or 14.8% of total FDI), Poland (LTL 3.67 bn or 11%), Germany (LTL 3.25 bn or 9.8%), Denmark (LTL 3.03 bn or 9.1%), Estonia (LTL 2.37 bn or 7.1%) and the Netherlands (LTL 2.03 bn or 6.1%). Lithuania is most successful in attracting investors from the neighbouring Scandinavian countries and also from Germany and Russia.

In order to improve the investment climate in Lithuania and develop an effective system for promoting domestic and foreign investment, Investment Promotion Programme for 2008–2013 and measures for its implementation were developed and approved. Global companies are directing an ever increasing amount of investment into services rather than production.

2009 saw a further rapid development of the use of information and communication technologies (ICT). According to the data provided by Statistics Lithuania, in 2009, the share of households with personal computers in their homes amounted to 52.2% (as compared to 42% in 2007) and 54.7% of the country’s population had access to the Internet (against 48.7% in 2007).

Over the last few years, the scope of expenditure on Research & Development (R&D) has been growing in Lithuania. In 2008, the amount of LTL 890.1 m was allocated to a number of R&D projects and increased by 10.8%, compared to 2007. According to the preliminary GDP estimate, Lithuania’s total expenditure on the development of research and technologies constituted 0.8% of GDP.

Indicators relating to the scope of expenditure on R&D in the public sector are not significantly different from the average indicators of EU-27 countries. According to the preliminary data provided by European Innovation Scoreboard 2007 (EIS), in 2005, expenditure on R&D as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product in


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EU-27 countries amounted, on average, to 0.75% against 0.60% in Lithuania. Based on the score of the Summary Innovation Index (SII) and its growth rate, Lithuania can be included in the group of catching-up countries that are successfully trying to overtake the EU levels of innovation performance.

From the middle of 2003, Lithuania acquired the status of an active observer and started participating in the activities of various EU institutional teams and committees working on issues relating to the EU common trade policy. Lithuania is involved in the internal processes of developing the EU foreign trade policy. The aim of the Lithuanian institutions is to affect political judgements so that they reflect Lithuania’s economic interests. In May 2003, Lithuania officially joined the activities of the OECD Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED) Programme.

In line with the Single Programming Document of Lithuania 2004–2006 (SPD), over 3,500 projects are being implemented, out of which 2,048 projects, or more than half of the total number of projects underway were closed by 31 December 2007. Over the period ending on 31 December 2007, the total amount of assignments provided from the ES Structural Funds that were absorbed was LTL 1,907 million (62%), out of which LTL 971 million (31%) was used in the course of 2007, i. e. LTL 330 million more than during 2006.

An ever increasing Lithuania’s participation in international research programmes requires the strengthening of the research infrastructure. Lithuania participated in 257 projects of the Fifth Framework Programme (that covered the 1998–2002 period) and in 279 projects of the Sixth Framework Programme (that covered the 2002–2006 period). Lithuania is also participating in the Seventh Framework Programme (that covers the 2007–2013 period). In this Programme, 109 agreements have already been signed with participants from Lithuania.

From the day Lithuania became a Member State of the European Union, ISPA support was replaced by the assistance provided from the Cohesion Fund. Over the period 2000–2006, the total amount of assistance to be provided to Lithuania from the Cohesion Fund was estimated at € 825.95 million.

Total EU structural assistance to Lithuania for the period 2007-2013 amounts to more than LTL 23.39 billion. The EU structural assistance to Lithuania allocated for the goal of achieving economic convergence with other EU countries is used in accordance with the Lithuanian Strategy for the Use of European Union Structural Assistance for 2007–2013 and four operational programmes for implementation of this strategy. Those programmes are as follows: Operational Programme for the Development of Human Resources (with 13.8% of the total EU structural assistance allocated from the European Social Fund), Operational Programme for the Development of Economic Growth for 2007-2013 (with 45.72% allocated from the European Regional Development Fund and Cohesion Fund), Operational Programme for Promotion of Cohesion for 2007-2013 (with 39.08% allocated from the European Regional Development Fund and Cohesion Fund) and Technical Assistance Operational Programme for 2007-2013 (with 1.4% allocated from the European Social Fund). Those documents were coordinated with the European Commission that approved them in 2007.

Lietuvos Respublikos ūkio ekonominės ir socialinės būklės apžvalga

Department of Statistics to the Government of the Republic of Lithuania (Statistics Lithuania)


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1.7. Statistics

Population of Lithuania

2000 2005 2007 2008 2009 2010 Population at the beginning of the year (thous.)

3,512.1 3,425.3 3,384.9 3,366.4 3,349.9 3,329.0

International migration

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Emigrants 15,165 15,571 12,602 13,853 17,015 21,970

Immigrants 5,553 6,789 7,745 8,609 9,297 6,487

Population migration balance -9,612 -8,782 -4,857 -5,241 -7,718 -15,483

Population average employment rate, 2008

Total Females Males

Employment rate among population aged 15–64 (%) 64.3 61.8 67.1

Employment rate among population aged 25–29 (%) 77.3 79.5 75.0

Unemployment rate in the country

2008 2009 Unemployment rate (%) 5.8 13.7

Number of unemployed people registered with the Labour Exchange (thous.) 73.4 203.1

Sources: Statistics Lithuania; Lithuanian Labour Exchange; Ministry of Education and Science

Švietimas 2008


Lithuanian Labour Exchange



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2. General Organisation of the Education System and Administration of Education

In the Republic of Lithuania education is a priority supported by the state. It is based on the humanistic values of the nation and world culture, democratic principles as well as the universally accepted human rights and freedoms.

The education system is based on European cultural values: the absolute value of the individual, neighbourly love, innate equality among people, freedom of conscience, tolerance and affirmation of democratic social relations.

Lithuania’s priorities in the sphere of education, its long-term objectives, direction of changes in the content of education and financing priorities are set out in the Provisions of the National Education Strategy 2003–2012 aligned with the Strategy for Long-term Development of the State and the Long-term Strategy of Lithuania‘s Economic Development up to 2015.

In line with the Action Programme of the 15th Government of the Republic of Lithuania, the Ministry of Education and Science seeks to make education and science a powerful force in the development of creative society of citizens with high moral standards and the creation of a vigorous modern democratic state.





In 1997, Lithuania celebrated the 600th anniversary of the school at the Vilnius Cathedral, which was first mentioned in 1397. This date marks the beginning of a European educational system in Lithuania.

When Christianity was officially introduced into Lithuania, non-formal education, which included all social strata, was prevalent. This type of education existed when schools were established, and it still exists today, covering both major and minor needs. For almost 150 years the institutional educational network was limited to the lower level of the system with many elementary schools known as "parish" schools spreading very slowly in addition to cathedral schools.

In the sixteenth century, in Lithuania as well as in the rest of Europe, there was a growing need for literacy. The importance of the school as a standardized, universal institution was considerably increasing. The complete system of institutional education started developing from the middle of the sixteenth century. One of the typical features was that middle level schools were not centralised but widely spread being, therefore, within easy reach to most learners. The number of young people from Lithuania studying in universities abroad was constantly increasing.

In the last quarter of the eighteenth century, when the old system of education, which operated from the second half of the sixteenth century could no longer satisfy the changing needs of society, a new step was


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taken in Lithuanian education. Educational reform was started at the national level, the Education Commission was established, and education was reorganised. The education was of university type.

The network of secret Lithuanian schools, which operated for 40 years, is a specific phenomenon in terms of educational and cultural evolution. In terms of education, those small schools played a unique role in promoting the patriotism of the common people and expanding their experience.

The constructive, organised reform of education (both institutional and non-institutional) started on a national scale in 1918. The best powers were concentrated on developing the system of education. It was formed on a democratic basis, and it was very important for the country to replace the alien cultural foundations with its very own. General education was almost completely implemented during the twenty years of independence. During the occupation period of 50 years (from 1940 to 1990), the Lithuanian educational system was controlled from the outside. The Lithuanian school partially gave in. On the other hand, it took a position of the defender and maintainer of traditions. Non-institutional cultural and educational structures, such as traditional dance and song groups, ethnological clubs and the theatre facilitated the process.

In 1990, there was an essential turn in the development of national and human consciousness. Society at large which had been educated by the Soviet school needed a different type of mentality.

The Concept of the National School which was announced as far back as in 1988, is considered to have started the educational reform in Lithuania. The history of education in Lithuania during the past fifteen years may be tentatively divided into three stages: the first stage comprises the period from 1990 to 1997, the second stage from 1998 to 2002 and the third stage from 2003 onwards.

In the first stage of the educational reform, the theoretical foundations of the educational reform (concepts of school types and curricula) were developed, and the legal documents of the reform (Law on Education, school regulations, etc.) were prepared. In the later stages institutions which govern education (the Ministry of Education and Science, the educational departments of municipalities) were reorganised, the reform of vocational schools and advanced vocational schools initiated, and the system of universities restructured. The development of a unified uninterrupted (permanent) system of education based on differentiation and integration of schooling, comprising both formal and non-formal education and a network of state and private educational institutions, was started in Lithuania. In reality, the reform of Lithuanian education was being implemented by changing all elements of the educational system: establishing new goals and objectives, structures, developing new curricula, syllabuses, renovating the learning process and teaching methods, improving the administration of the educational system and also initial and in-service teacher training. A distinctive feature of the educational reform in Lithuania is interaction of education with related sciences, including psychology, philosophy, sociology, computer science and cultural studies. The links with the latter are very important in promoting the national identity.

The Law on Education of the Republic of Lithuania adopted in 1991 set out the main goals of the education system.

Over the period of 1998–2002 that corresponds to the second stage of the education reform, the course of the first stage was continued in an attempt to cope with problems brought about by numerous changes in education and society. In 1998–2000, in order to reduce the number of dropouts from school among young people, the compulsory nine-year schooling was replaced by the ten-year schooling, with a year-long pre-primary education introduced from 2000. Continuing the process of individualised education, profiled teaching was introduced into the final two grades of general education schools in 2000. The profiled


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teaching was brought into line with the system of state Matura examinations and the latter with the system of admission to higher educational establishments.

The international evaluation of the national education policy in Lithuania undertaken by OECD in 1999–2000 provided an overview of the entire system of Lithuanian education and the reform already underway. The reform of education in Lithuania received a positive evaluation. The OECD experts, however, offered a number of recommendations, including those on education quality, availability of education, harmonisation of the education system, renewal of its infrastructure, financing and reinforcement of self-governance.

The years 2002–2005 saw implementation of the School Improvement Programme approved by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania. As the largest general education investment project since the restoration of independence (the budget of the Programme amounted to LTL180 million), it was aimed at a radical enhancement of the quality of teaching and learning and improvement of the teaching environment for pupils attending grades 5–10 at schools of general education (basic and secondary). The Programme covered the entire system of general education, including improvement of teaching and learning conditions, creation of the education quality management system, reduction of energy costs and improvement of learning conditions, rationalisation (optimisation) of the school network and coordination of actions set out in the Programme.

In 2002, a new procedure for financing education – the pupil’s basket methodology based on the principle of ’money follows the pupil‘ – was introduced and started to be applied.

The third stage of education development in independent Lithuania is related with the Provisions of the National Education Strategy 2003–2012 approved by the Seimas on 4 July 2003 and the Implementation Programme of the Provisions of the National Education Strategy 2003–2012 approved by the Lithuanian Government in January 2005. The Implementation Programme identified, as priorities, five discrete areas, including the improvement of education management, renovation of education infrastructure, provision of better support and assistance, improvement of education content and new developments in the training and work of the teaching staff. The Programme is based on the State’s financial commitments, comprising a long-term plan for financing education and making investments into it and a project for attracting both private capital and allocations of the European Union Structural Funds to finance education in Lithuania. The Programme is intended to highlight the strategic trends in the further development of the Lithuanian education reform, project the instruments and resources for its implementation and define the expected outcomes of the reform through specific indicators.

In 2004, the Strategy for Ensuring of Lifelong Learning and the Action Plan for its Implementation were launched in order to attract more people to the labour market and extend more efficient investment into human resources and lifelong learning.

In 2006, the Lithuanian Government approved the Lithuanian Higher Education System Development Plan for 2006–2010 that sets out state goals and objectives in the sphere of higher education, defines the main trends in restructuring the system of higher education presenting the key stages and the expected outcomes in the process of the Plan’s implementation.

In December 2006, the Minister of Education and Science approved the School Structure Improvement Programme for 2006–2009 intended for general education schools seeking to create a safe and adequate teaching and learning environment that would meet the needs of both learners and teachers, improve and update the governance and management of the school and enhance its openness to the local community.


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In September 2007, the conference held in Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania to mark the halfway of the National Education Strategy reviewed the results achieved and discussed the current problems, further strategic goals and measures for their implementation. Freedom and democracy, rapid changes, information explosion, social stratification in society and globalisation were identified as the key challenges facing education in this century.

In 2006, in line with the resolution of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe ‘On Implementation and Coordination of the Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development’, the Lithuanian Government approved the National Programme of Education for Sustainable Development for 2007–2015.

In 2009, the activities of the Ministry of Education and Science were aimed at two strategic objectives: to optimise research and studies and to ensure the efficiency of education. To achieve these objectives, five programmes were being carried out: Development of Higher Education, Development of Research and Technologies, Implementation of the National Education Strategy, Efficiency of Education and Science Management and Special Programme for Education Development.

In 2009, the top priority of education was the start of the higher education reform. The adoption of the new Law on Higher Education and Research and important legislation necessary for its implementation provided a legal basis for a systematic reform in this area of activities. The process of restructuring the internal management of higher schools and their legal status was initiated. Financial support from the European Union was channeled to strengthen the reform-related transformations.

Law on Education of the Republic of Lithuania

Law on Higher Education and Research of the Republic of Lithuania

Lithuanian Higher Education and Research System Development Plan for 2006-2010

Methodology for Calculating the Pupil's "Basket" and the Number of Notional Pupils

National Programme of Education for Sustainable Development for 2007-2015


Programme for Improvement of School Structure for 2006-2009


School Improvement Programme

Strategy for Ensuring Lifelong Learning


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2.2. Ongoing Debates and Future Developments

In March 2010, upon completion of a decade-long process of restructuring of the general education school network, the Ministry of Education and Science submitted to the Seimas a Draft Law on Education that is to legitimise the new structure of the school network. Amendments to the Law on Education are to validate progymnasium as a new type of school, introduce a pupil‘s basket for children in pre-school education and those attending classes of non-formal education, etc. Deliberation of the bill on education will start at the Seimas in May 2010. The bill aroused a lively interest on the part of the Trade Union of Educational Workers and general public.

In 2010, the Ministry of Education set up a working group for designing a project of the non-formal education system and a model for its financing. The group consists of specialists from the Ministry of Education and Science, members of the Seimas, representatives of higher schools and various associations and also specialists from municipalities, non-formal education centres, arts and sports schools and other educational institutions.

Due to the liquidation of county governors’ administrations from 1 July 2010, the country’s educational community is actively engaged in the discussion of issues related to the takeover of the county governor’s administration-related functions (including those of the founder of educational institutions). Municipality administrations are particularly concerned about such issues as the takeover of educational institutions, their management and financing.

2.3. Fundamental Principles and Basic Legislation

In 1992, the Lithuanian Government approved the General Concept of Education in Lithuania which has been the main and the most important document of the education reform ever since.

The education reform is based on the democratic educational experience of Lithuania and Europe. The guiding principles of Lithuanian education are as follows:

Humanism: the affirmation of the absolute value of the individual and his freedom and responsibility to choose.

Democracy: seeking to acquire the ability of basing one’s life on democratic values and being able to apply it; the creation and application of democratic relations in education; the universal access to education; and the recognition that morality is fundamental to democracy.

National identity: a commitment to Lithuanian culture and preservation of its identity and historic continuity. Lithuanian education protects and promotes the country’s pluralistic culture enriched by national minorities.

Renewal: openness to change and critical acceptance of novelty, while retaining the universal norms of morality and the core of the national identity.

In 1990, the Seimas of Lithuania assumed responsibility for the legal basis of education. On 25 June 1991, the Law on Education of the Republic of Lithuania was enacted. A modification of this Law (2 July 1998) added


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several essential amendments, including introduction of basic 10-year education, admission of schoolchildren from the age of 14 to vocational schools, new regulations for teachers’ appraisal, etc.

The main law regulating the most important educational issues is the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania adopted by a referendum of Lithuanian citizens on 25 October 1992. The Constitution provides that ’Education is compulsory for people under 16. Learning at state and municipal general education and vocational schools is free of charge. Higher education is available to everyone according to the capabilities of the individual. Students whose academic achievements in higher educational institutions are fairly good are guaranteed education free of charge. Public schools are secular. Upon parents' request, children can take classes in religious instruction’.

In the Republic of Lithuania, education is regulated by other laws of the Republic of Lithuania, resolutions of the Lithuanian Government as well as legislation approved by the Minister of Education and Science.

The activities of institutions of science and higher education are regulated by the Law on Science and Studies (adopted on 12 February 1991).

The Law on Vocational Education and Training (adopted on 14 October 1997) defines the structure and administration of the vocational education and training system and activities of vocational schools and institutions of vocational education and training in the Republic of Lithuania.

The Law on Special Education (adopted on 15 December 1998) determines the structure and administration of special education as well as the procedure for organising education for people with special needs.

The Law on Non-formal Adult Education (adopted on 30 June 1998) regulates the system of non-formal adult education, determines the fundamentals of its structure, activities and management.

The Law on Higher Education (adopted on 21 March 2000) determines the system of higher education, regulates the activities of the institutions of higher education and establishes the binary system of higher education.

The Law on Long-term Financing of Science and Education (adopted on 7 December 2000) determines state budgetary assignments for science and studies.

In 1991–2002, a package of documents and publications regulating school activities was issued. It included Regulations on General Education in Lithuania; Concept of the Youth School; Regulations on Vocational Schools; Regulations on Pre-school Institutions; Concept of the Gymnasia; Regulations on the Kindergarten-school; Regulations on the Youth School; Concept of Pre-primary Education; General Curriculum of Pre-primary Education; General Curricula of the Lithuanian School of General Education; and other legislative and normative documents.

In 2001, the Lithuanian Government approved the Regulations on the Ministry of Education and Science that were amended in 2002 and 2005.

On 11 June 2002, the Seimas adopted the Law on the Amendment of the Law on Science and Studies. The new law defines the structure of Lithuanian science and studies, the legal basis for establishing, restructuring and closing down institutions of science and studies and the principles of their activities.


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On 17 June 2003, the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania adopted a revised version of the Law on Education aimed at defining the goals of education in Lithuania, main principles of the education system, basic structure of its organisation, activities and relationships as well as the major responsibilities of the state in the field of education.

The revised version of the Law on Education (2003) sets out the following principles of education:

● Equal opportunities: The education system is socially fair and guarantees equal opportunities for all individuals irrespective of their gender, race, nationality, language, family background, social status, faith, beliefs or attitudes; it provides access to education for any person, grants acquisition of general education and the first qualification and also creates conditions to improve the qualifications acquired or obtain new qualifications. ● Contextual interrelationship: The education system is closely related to the general context of the country’s economic, social and cultural development and is constantly adjusted to those developments to meet the changing needs of society. ● Effectiveness: The education system seeks to achieve good results through a skilful and economical use of resources available by means of constant assessment, analysis and planning of its activities based on effective management and appropriate and timely decision making. ● Continuity: The education system is flexible, open and based on the interaction of various institutions in a variety of forms. It provides conditions for life-long learning for any individual.

In 2004, the Lithuanian Government approved the following documents:

● Methodology for determining the need of funds from the state budget of Lithuania and their allocation to institutions of science and studies. The methodology was developed to ensure a specially earmarked financing for science and studies, organisation of open tenders to finance research and development and promotion of integration between science and business. In 2006, the Government approved a new version of this Methodology. ● Criteria for founding schools of general education, special education and vocational education and training, for establishing institutions providing municipality assistance to pupils, teachers and schools and also for reorganisation, restructuring and liquidation of institutions providing such assistance. ● Regulations on the education departments of county governors’ and municipal administrations regulating the targets, functions, structure and rights of the respective education departments.

In 2004, the Minister of Education and Science approved the Regulations on the Register of Educational and Scientific Institutions.

In November 2005, the Minister of Education and Science approved the ’Procedure for State Education Monitoring‘ that defines the goal and objectives of education monitoring (a regular check to see how education is changing or progressing over a period of time, its analysis, evaluation and forecasting), determines the object of education monitoring, its organisation and implementation, indicators, procedure for using information related to education monitoring and financing of education monitoring. In December 2005, the Government published ’A List of State Education Monitoring Indicators’.

In 2005, the Government approved a ’Programme for Renovation of General Education and Vocational Education Schools and Supplying them with Teaching Aids for 2006–2008‘ which is aimed at improving the learning conditions for pupils through renovation of school buildings, upgrading of teaching aids and adjusting the premises by making them suitable for installation of information and other technologies.

In 2006, the Minister of Education and Science approved the Regulations on Education Management Information System. The Information System is designed to provide official information about the state of education and make it available to the users.


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In 2006, the Rules for Organisation of Surveys on the State of Education were approved. Those Rules define the way how competitive tenders commissioned by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Lithuania for the purpose of conducting surveys on the state of education are organised, conducted, financed and accounted for as regards the outcomes of the research and the use of the funds allocated.

In 2006, the Programme for the Development of Citizenship and National Identity was approved by the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania. The Programme aims at making the best use of present-day opportunities offered by education, culture, science and mass media for creating favourable conditions for Lithuanian children, young people and adults (including those living abroad) to develop their sense of citizenship and national identity and foster expression of those life positions through active civic involvement; it also aims at strengthening social partnership and social and civic solidarity.

On 3 April 2007, the Seimas adopted the Law on Vocational Education and Training that established the framework of the system of vocational education and training and the system of qualifications, including formation, management and granting of qualifications, organisation and management of vocational training and its financing. In 2009, a law amending some provisions of the Law on Vocational Education and Training was adopted.

In 2008, following the change of the Government, the Seimas adopted the Action Programme of the 15th Lithuanian Government. It provides for a further implementation of the education and science reform.

In 2008, the Minister of Education and Science issued an order to confirm the Conceptual Framework for Quality Assurance in the System of Formal Education. It is based on the Provisions of the National Education Strategy 2003-2012, analysis of problems related to the quality of the country‘s education and the needs for its improvement, analysis of the current education quality assurance trends in European countries and also ideas and knowledge that stand behind the quality evaluation theory, quality management, psychology of management and other related fields of science. The Conceptual Framework aims at providing a basis for agreements between politicians and the general public regarding the understanding of education quality, ways and means to assure it in formal education and creation of preconditions for coordinating the policy on education quality assurance.

In 2009, the Seimas issued a decision to adopt the new Law on Higher Education and Research. It establishes the state regulation of Lithuanian higher education and research; principles of quality assurance in higher education and research; legal basis of establishment, termination and restructuring of higher education and research institutions, awarding and recognition of higher education qualifications, scientific and academic degrees; management of higher education and research institutions, organisation and supervision of their activities, principles of financing of higher education and research, etc.

Bendrosios programos ir išsilavinimo standartai. Priešmokyklinis, pradinis ir pagrindinis ugdymas

Lietuvos švietimo koncepcija






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Law on Amendment of the Law on Education of the Republic of Lithuania (1998)

Law on Amendment of the Law on Vocational Education and Training



Law on Non-formal Adult Education of the Republic of Lithuania

Law on Special Education of the Republic of Lithuania

Procedure for State Education Monitoring


Regulations on Pre-school Institutions

2.4. General Structure of Education and Levels of Education and Training O r g a n i s a t i o n o f t h e e d u c a t i o n s y s t e m i n L i t h u a n i a , 2 0 0 9 / 1 0

41 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 2710

LOPŠELIS-DARŽELIS

DARŽELIS

GIMNAZIJAKOLEGIJA

PRADINĖ MOKYKLAPAGRINDINĖ MOKYKLA VIDURINĖ MOK .

P R O F E S I N Ė M O K Y K L A

UNIVERSITE TAS / AK ADEMIJA

Pre-primary – ISCED 0

(for which the Ministry of Education is not responsible)

Pre-primary – ISCED 0 (for which the Ministry of Education is responsible)

Primary – ISCED 1 Single structure(no institutional distinction between ISCED 1 and 2)

Lower secondary general – ISCED 2 (including pre-vocational)

Lower secondary vocational – ISCED 2

Upper secondary general – ISCED 3 Upper secondary vocational – ISCED 3

Post-secondary non-tertiary – ISCED 4

Tertiary education – ISCED 5A Tertiary education – ISCED 5B

Allocation to the ISCED levels: ISCED 0 ISCED 1 ISCED 2

Compulsory full-time education Compulsory part-time education

Part-time or combined school and workplace courses Additional year

-/n/- Compulsory work experience + its duration Study abroad

Source: Eurydice.

The system of education in Lithuania includes:


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● Formal education (primary, basic and secondary education, vocational education and training and higher education), ● Non-formal education (pre-school education, pre-primary education Priešmokyklinis ugdymas and other non-formal education of children and adults), ● Self-education, ● Assistance to pupils (provision of information, psychological, socio-pedagogical and special pedagogical counsel and assistance for pupils with special needs as well as provision of health care at school), ● Assistance to teachers and schools (provision of information, consultations, in-service training and other assistance).

Pre-school children are educated in families and, at parents’ request, in pre-school educational establishments: nursery-kindergartens, kindergartens and kindergarten-schools Mokykla-darželis . Pre-school education is provided to children from 1 to 5 (or 6) years of age. Orphans and homeless children are educated in child care institutions. See 3.

Pre-primary education Priešmokyklinis ugdymas is provided for children who have turned six in that calendar year. Pre-primary education programmes are carried out in kindergartens, kindergarten-schools and primary schools. See 3.

The programme of primary education is provided for children who have turned seven in tht calendar year. A four-year programme of primary education is provided by kindergarten-schools and other schools. See 4.

The programme of basic education is provided for children who have completed primary education. A six-year programme of basic education is carried out at gymnasiums, secondary, basic, youth, vocational and other schools. The programme of basic education comprises two concentres: the first concentre of four years and the second concentre of two years. See 5.

The state-guaranteed general secondary education is provided to pupils who have completed basic education. A two-year programme of secondary education is carried out at gymnasiums Gimnazija , secondary schools, vocational schools and other schools. See 5.

Vocational training may be initial and continuing. Initial vocational training is formal and universally available and aimed at young people wishing to acquire basic qualifications. It is provided to pupils who acquired basic or secondary education. It may be provided alongside secondary education to students who have completed basic education. Initial vocational training may also be open to pupils who have not yet acquired basic education if they are aged at least 14. See 5. Continuing vocational training is provided to persons who have acquired basic vocational qualifications. It aims at improvement of qualifications already acquired or acquisition of some other professional qualifications. Continuing vocational training embraces formal adult educational training or learning and non-formal adult education. See 7.

Programmes of formal vocational education and training are offered by vocational schools, gymnasiums or other providers of education with a licence to teach students according to such programmes.

Studies of higher education are universally available and provided to individuals who have completed secondary general education. Programmes of higher education studies are provided at two types of higher education institutions: universities and colleges Kolegija . See 6.

Special education (to pupils with special needs) is provided according to all programmes of compulsory and general education. Special education is offered by all schools providing compulsory and general education,


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other licensed providers of education and, in particular cases, by special schools. See 10. Non-formal adult education is provided to any person aged at least 18 who wishes to choose it. Non-formal adult education may be provided by various providers of education. See 7.

Programmes of non-formal education for children are designed to meet their cognitive, developmental and self-expression needs. Such programmes are provided by schools of music, fine arts and sports, freelance teachers and other providers of education.

2.5. Compulsory Education

In Lithuania compulsory education starts at the age of 7 and lasts up to the age of 16. If a child is mature enough, parents can allow him to attend school at the age of 6.

Compulsory education is provided in primary and basic schools and partially in secondary schools, gymnasiums Gimnazija , youth schools Jaunimo mokykla and special schools (up to the age of 16). Compulsory education is provided in day-time schools.

The Ministry of Education and Science in collaboration with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Social Security and Labour as well as other governmental institutions ensure that all children under 16 attend schools of general education or any other school within the system of formal education.

The Governor of the county supervises how municipalities maintain records on school age children and keep accurate records on all school-age children, make their lists and ensure that all children under 16 attend general education or other schools within the framework of the formal educational system. The responsibility for controlling pupils’ attendance is placed with the educational institution.

Parents (or guardians) must provide safe living and learning conditions and ensure that a child attends school.



2.6. Administration of Education

The purpose of education management is to assure the quality of implementation of State education policy through administrative means, including monitoring, planning, delegation and supervision of powers and responsibilities.

The objective of monitoring is to create conditions for all education administration subjects to take reasonable decisions and provide effective management ensuring high quality education. Every year the Ministry of Education and Science releases an official annual report on the state of the education system in the country and its regions.

Education planning is aimed at setting out the long term and current objectives and tasks of education, defining the priorities and measures for their implementation based on the prior assessment of the state of education and taking into account the educational needs of society. The official strategic plans on education are developed by the Ministry of Education and Science and approved by the Lithuanian Government.


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The subjects of education administration include the Seimas, the Government, the Ministry of Education and Science, other ministries; governmental institutions: county governors (up to 1 July 2010); municipal institutions; the founder of the school; and the principal of the school. It is only formal education that is governed by the state. Higher educational institutions have autonomy granted by the state. Activities of non-governmental and non-formal educational institutions are regulated by laws and procedures approved by the Government. Part of responsibilities for education administration may be delegated to self-governing educational institutions.

The Government:

- implements the laws regulating education, the decrees of the President and the resolutions of the Seimas, long-term national education programmes and the education part of the Government programme,

- coordinates the activities of the Ministry of Education and Science with those of other ministries and governmental institutions in the field of education,

- sets up, reorganises, closes and restructures schools of non-university higher education, such bodies under the subjects of education administration as Government institutions and offices established under the aegis of the Ministry of Education and Science and delegates to that ministry all or part of the functions that belong to the founder of those institutions or offices,

- authorises appropriate institutions of executive power under its jurisdiction to draft the National Educational Strategy and bears responsibility for the implementation of that Strategy and the Government Programme on Education.

It is not the process but the result of education that is governed centrally. The state defines the Register of Professions, compulsory requirements for curricula and separate modules by giving a right for the school and the municipality to determine part of the teaching contents, qualification requirements for teachers, learning conditions and control of evaluating the obtained knowledge and skills.

Subject to the Strategy, strategic plans of state, county, municipality or schools are developed and agreed.

The activities of state institutions which regulate educational policy are co-ordinated with the activities of self-governing institutions. Both parties present projects and proposals, encourage other organisations and private people to present their projects and programmes.

Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education

Centre of Information Technologies of Education

Centre of Monitoring and Analysis of Science and Studies

Education Development Centre

Education Supply Centre

Lithuanian Adult Education and Information Centre


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Lithuanian Youth Information and Technical Creativity Centre


National Centre for Special Needs Education and Psychology

National Examination Centre

Qualifications and Vocational Education and Training Development Centre


2.6.1. Administration of Education at National Level

The Ministry of Education and Science is the institution of the Lithuanian executive power that formulates and implements the national policy on education, science and studies. The functions of the Ministry of Education and Science are defined in the Law on Education of the Republic of Lithuania.

The Ministry of Education and Science is headed by the Minister who, in accordance with Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, is appointed to and dismissed from office by the President of the Republic of Lithuania at the Prime Minister’s recommendation. Being in charge of education, research and higher education management, the Minister of Education and Science is accountable to the Seimas and President of the Republic of Lithuania and is directly subordinate to the Prime Minister.

The civil servants of the Minister’s political (personal) confidence – the Vice-ministers, Advisor (Advisors) and Chancellor of the Ministry – help the Minister develop the political approaches and priorities as well as take and implement decisions.

In 2009, in order to simplify the structure of the Ministry of Education and Science and the network of its related institutions, a functional audit of the Ministry and institutions under its subordination was undertaken. The findings of the audit were used to carry out reorganisation of the institutions under the subordination of the Ministry. The reorganisation of the Ministry‘s internal structure based on the redistribution and clear definition of its functions, including elimination of non-specific ones, is aimed at improving the efficiency of its activities.

The Ministry administration is composed of departments, divisions and other structural units.

The structural units directly subordinate to the Minister include the Internal Audit Division, Public Relations Division and Bureau of Strategic Programmes.

The Bureau of Strategic Programmes is a subdivision aimed at ensuring the major trends of the Ministry’s activities. In line with the tasks and functions ascribed to it, the Bureau, which is directly subordinate to the Minister, carries out assignments delegated to it by the Vice-ministers (according to areas of activities attributed to them by the Minister) and the Chancellor of the Ministry.

The mission of the Public Relations Division is to carry out independent and equitable research, evaluation and consultation activities designed for ensuring the efficiency of duties performed by the Ministry and/or public legal entities within the sphere of its governance.


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The Ministry of Education and Science has the following departments and their structural units (divisions):

- Department of General Education and Vocational Training. It is comprised of Pre-school and Primary Education Division, Basic and Secondary Education Division, Vocational Education and Guidance Division, Non-formal Education and Education Support Division and Education Organisation Division.

- Department of Higher Education, Science and Technology. It includes Non-university Studies Division, Division of University Studies, Division of Science, Technology and Innovation and Academic Mobility and Continuing Education Division.

- Department of the European Union Assistance Coordination. It includes the European Union Assistance Management Division and European Union Assistance Programme Implementation Division.

- Finance Department. It includes Division of Financing Education, Division of Financing Research and Higher Education, Investment Division and Property Management and Public Procurement Division.

Other divisions of the Ministry include International Cooperation Division, Law Division, Human Resources Division, Information Systems and Document Management Division, Accounting Division and Maintenance Division.

In order to achieve a more rational functioning and management of institutions within the competence of the Ministry of Education and Science, some of them were reorganised. The Education Development Centre, Teacher Professional Development Centre and Teacher Competence Centre were merged to become a single institution, i. e. the Centre for Education Development.

Educational institutions that are subordinate to the Ministry of Education and Science include the following: the National Examination Centre, Centre of Information Technologies of Education, Education Supply Centre, Qualifications and Vocational Training Development Centre, National Centre for Special Needs Education and Psychology, Lithuanian Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education, Agency for International Science and Technology Development Programmes in Lithuania, Education Exchange Support Foundation, National Assessmęnt Agency for Schools, Lithuanian Youth Tourism Centre, Lithuanian Young Naturalist Centre, Lithuanian Pupil and Student Sports Centre, Lithuanian Adult Education and Information Centre, Lithuanian Children and Youth Centre, Lithuanian Student Information and Technical Creativity Centre, Lithuanian Children Aviation School Named after Bronius Oškinis, Higher Education and Research Monitoring and Analysis Centre and the Centre for Supporting Lithuanians Living Abroad.

Other ministries and governmental institutions participate in the work of task forces preparing documents regulating education policy and school activities; in conjunction with the Minister of Science and Education they develop legal acts related to educational work and perform the function of the founder of schools within their jurisdiction.

2.6.2. General Administration at Regional Level

The county governor’s functions are specified in the Law on Education.

The structure of the county includes the County Educational Authorities at the Departments of Social Affairs and Education.

The Governor of the county carries out the state policy on education in the county, approves the county strategic plan for education development and annual education programmes, analyses the general state of education in the county, supervises the activities of providers of education under the jurisdiction of the


36

county; upon agreement with the Ministry of Education and Science, the Governor appoints heads of Educational Authorities, shapes the network of special educational establishments, sets up institutions providing assistance to pupils, teachers and schools, etc.

In 2009, the county governor’s administration reform was initiated. Under the reform, following adoption of the necessary legislation, the county governor’s institution will be dissolved and the functions of the county governor’s administration will be either delegated to municipalities and ministries or cancelled. Termination of county governors’ and their administrations’ activities is planned as from 1 July 2010.


2.6.3. General Administration at Local Level

Municipal institutions perform the following functions: implement the national education policy in the municipality, grant approval of the municipality strategic plan and annual activity programmes in education, analyse the state of education and ensure the implementation of the national policy at local level, establish, organise and liquidate educational authorities under the municipality administration and employ their staff, form the network of schools providing pre-school and pre-primary, primary, basic and secondary education, create conditions for provision of compulsory education to children, organise and maintain the record of children living within the catchment areas of the municipality, set up schools and institutions providing assistance to pupils, teachers and schools (pedagogical psychological services, centres for teachers’ education), etc.

The municipality is comprised of the Town Council and Committees, including the Committee of Culture, Education, Sports and Youth. The municipality has various departments, including the Department of Culture and Education. The Local Educational Authority is an administrative structural unit of the local government, established and closed down by the municipality council.

The Local Educational Authority deals with all issues related to the activities and work of general education schools, including youth and adult, music, fine arts and sports schools and also other educational institutions for extra-curricular activities, children and youth clubs within the jurisdiction of the municipality, It also deals with all issues related to their establishment, reorganisation and closing down. The Local Educational Authority also supervises non-state educational institutions.

The scope of authority of municipal institutions in the field of education is defined by the Law on Education and the Law on Local Self-Governance.

2.6.4. Educational Institutions, Administration and Management

At the school level, the Law on Education stipulates the scope of authorities delegated to the founder of the school.

The founder of the school:

- ensures that schools implement the state policy in education and also Government resolutions, orders of the Minister of Education and Science and other legal acts regulating school activities,

- takes decisions regarding submission of educational programmes,


37

- establishes the beginning and duration of the school year in institutions of non-formal education and non-public schools,

- sets up, reorganises, liquidates and restructures schools,

- approves the school statute and its adjustments,

- ensures the functioning of the school and its democratic management,

- approves the strategic plan for education development and annual educational programmes of schools (except for higher schools),

- approves the description of functions performed by school principals (except for higher schools) and the list of the school’s pedagogical staff,

- appoints and dismisses the principal of the school,

- performs evaluation of principals in state and municipality maintained schools subject to the procedure established by the Ministry of Education and Science,

- organises provision of information, psychological, socio-pedagogical, specialised pedagogical assistance and health care to pupils and also provision of information, in-service training, consultancy and other assistance to schools and the teaching staff,

- organises in-service training for principals and teaching staff of schools (except for higher schools) and the process of their evaluation,

- supervises the school activities,

- arranges provision of meals and accommodation services for pupils and also transportation services for children with special needs, etc.

The Seimas, the Government, municipality councils or persons that have signed an agreement on setting up a school may delegate part of the school founder’s functions to be performed by some other institution.


2.6.4.1. Educational Institutions, Administration and Management at Pre-School Level

The Head (Director) manages the pre-school institution and is in charge of its activities. The Director‘s job description is approved by the founder (municipal council) that also appoints the Director by way of an open competition and dismisses him/her. The Director‘s duties and responsibilities are defined in the Law on Education, regulations on the activities of the institution and his/her job description. The Director is in charge of the drafting of the institution’s Strategic Plan and annual Action Programme as well as the institution‘s education programmes. He/She confirms them and directs their implementation. The Director appoints and dismisses pre-school educators, other persons involved in the education process and service personnel and also confirms their job descriptions. The Director is responsible for informing the general public about the education programmes implemented and other services provided by the institution, ensures the democratic management of the school, relations based on cooperation and observance of the norms of ethics, transparency in decision-making, professional development of the teaching and non-teaching staff and a


38

sound and safe environment that prevents any manifestation of violence and intimidation and would not allow formation of hazardous habits. He/She analyses the status of resources necessary for the activity and management of the institution, initiates the institution’ internal audit and is responsible for its performance. The Director is responsible for implementation of the pre-school education objectives and integration of children with special educational needs.

Deputy Director for Education is responsible for organisation of education programmes implemented by the pre-school institution, ensures the quality of education and provides methodological support to the institution’s teaching staff. Deputy Director’s duties and responsibilities are defined in the regulations on the activities of the institution and his/her job description.

Deputy Director for School Maintenance and Supervision of Support Staff is responsible for economic activities of the institution and organisation of its support personnel’s work.

The Council of the pre-school institution is the supreme self-governing body which unites parents, (foster parents), staff, representatives of the community and sponsors for solving the most important issues of the institution. The Council of the institution approves the regulations of the institution, initiates co-operation between the family and pre-school institution, puts forward proposals on the improvement of work and assists in developing the material and pedagogical resources of the institution.

The Council of Teachers is a constantly operating self-governing body. It consists of all pedagogues working at the institution and other employees engaged in the educational process, including the medical staff and a psychologist. The Council analyses the course and outcomes of the educational process, provides ways of improving it, analyses the teachers' work, discusses issues relating to pedagogical activities, etc.

Parents have a right to participate in the activities of the pre-school self-governing bodies, be engaged in the educational process of their children and obtain information on the conditions of their education and progress. They are obliged to co-operate with the staff of the pre-school institution in addressing the issues of childcare and education. The pre-school pedagogues have a right to participate in the activities of trade unions, subject-related and methodological groups and NGOs if those activities comply with the laws of the Republic of Lithuania. The Head (Director) of the pre-school institution maintains contacts with the pupils’ parents or foster parents, sponsors and the general public informing them about the institution’s activities and its performance.


2.6.4.2. Educational Institutions, Administration and Management at Primary and Secondary Level

The school Principal is in charge of the general education school (primary, basic, secondary, youth school Jaunimo mokykla or gymnasium Gimnazija . School Principals are appointed by the founders of state and municipality schools for the period of five years according to the qualification requirements for the candidates approved by the Ministry of Education and Science and following an open competition procedure.

The school Principal is responsible for the implementation of educational objectives in the school, concentrates the efforts of the school community on the implementation of the educational policy objectives and school curricula, organises basic and secondary school leaving examinations, represents the school in different institutions, is responsible for the results of school activities, develops an annual estimate


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of the school’s costs and income, prepares an annual account of school activities (Annual Report) and performs functions provided in the Regulations of the Lithuanian School of General Education.

Deputy Principal for Education organises implementation of the teaching plan, general curricula, prepares timetables of regular lessons and extra-curricular education, supervises the observation of documents regulating the school activities, observes the educational process and evaluates its performance, etc.

Deputy Principal for Administration and Economy takes care of the school material resources, organises the work of support and site staff, etc.

The School Council approves the school activity programme, regulations, internal work procedure rules, teaching plan, sets the education organisation procedure and discusses important issues of education and other school activities.

The Council of Teachers discusses the results of organising the education and teachers' work, solves issues concerning the studies, health, and rest of pupils.

The Conference (Meeting) of Pupils is the supreme body of pupils’ self-governance. Delegates elected at the class meetings participate in the work of the Conference. The Conference approves the Pupils' Community Programme, establishes the pupils' self-governing bodies, prepares proposals on the improvement of the educational process and performs other functions provided in the Regulations of the School.

The Council of Pupils is a standing self-governing body of pupils, and the Pupils’ Conference discusses issues related to the studies and other activities of pupils at school.

2.6.4.3. Higher Education Institutions, their Administration and Management

Under the jurisdiction laid down in the Law on Higher Education and Research and other legal acts, the state policy on research and higher education is implemented by the Government, Ministry of Education and Science and other ministries, Research Council of Lithuania, State Studies Foundation, Lithuanian Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education, Supervisor of Academic Ethics and Procedures, institutions authorised by the Government and the Ministry of Education and Science, as well as other institutions.

The Council of Higher Education is an institution advising the Ministry of Education and Science on strategic issues related to the development of higher education. The Council of Higher Education is composed and operates in accordance with the regulations approved by the Government.

A state university must have collegial management bodies – the council and the senate, as well as a sole management body – the rector.

A state college Kolegija must have collegial management bodies – the council and the academic council, as well as a sole management body – the director.

Management of non-state higher education institutions is regulated by the founding documents of the higher education institution concerned.

A management body of a state higher education institution is the council. In addition to other functions delegated to it by law, the council performs the following functions:

- approves the higher education institution's vision and mission, a strategic action plan presented by the rector (director);


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- upon hearing the opinion of the senate (academic council), submits amendments of the university statute to the Seimas (amendments of the college statute to the Government) for approval;

- considers and approves plans for reorganisation of the structure of the higher education institution presented by the rector (director);

- sets the procedure for managing, using and disposing of higher education institution’s funds (as well as funds designated for remuneration of the institution’s leadership and other employees) and assets, considers and approves key decisions related to those issues;

- on the recommendation of the rector (director) sets a tuition fee and the rates of fees which are not directly related to the implementation of a study programme;

- approves an annual report on the activities of the higher education institution presented by the rector (director), evaluates the compliance of the activities with the strategic plan, the results achieved and their impact;

- prepares an annual report and strategic plans of the higher education institution, ensures the accountability of the higher education institution to the public, etc.

The Council consists of 9 or 11 members. The statute of the higher education institution fixes an exact number of the council members. The term of office of a member of the council is five years. The rector (director) of the higher education institution may attend meetings of the council in an advisory capacity.

The senate (academic council) of a state higher education institution is the management body of academic affairs of that higher education institution.

The university senate executes the following functions:

- approves programmes of studies, research and experimental (social, cultural) development, art programmes, and presents proposals to the rector regarding the funding of these programmes and reorganisation of the university structure which is necessary for implementation of those programmes, evaluates the results of research conducted as well as the quality and level of all research and artistic activities of the university;

- approves an internal system of quality assurance in studies and controls its implementation;

- in compliance with the established principles of selection and evaluation of university employees, approves qualification requirements for positions of teaching staff members and research staff members, lays down the procedure of performance evaluation of research staff members and teaching staff members, and organisation of a competition to fill a position, etc.

The academic council of a college Kolegija performs the following functions:

- approves study programmes and presents proposals to the director regarding the funding of these programmes and reorganisation of the college structure which is necessary for implementation of those programmes, evaluates the results of conducted research as well as the quality and level of applied and artistic activities of the college;

- approves an internal system of quality assurance in studies and controls its implementation;


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- approves qualification requirements for positions of teaching staff members and research staff members, etc.

The activities of a higher education institution are regulated by its statute. The statute of a state university, its amendments or supplements are subject to the approval of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania; the statute of a state college, its amendments or supplements must be given approval by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania.

The senate (academic council) is set up in accordance with the procedure laid down in the statute for a period not exceeding five years. The composition of the senate (academic council of a college), its representation and the order of election to it are established by the statute of a higher education institution. Faculties or other independent units elect their representatives to the senate. Every member of the senate or academic council of a college enjoys an equal voting right.

Members of the senate (academic council) may be members of the academic community of a university (college), members of the administration of a university who pass into the senate (academic council) based on their position (ex-officio), as well as scientists, teaching staff members and established artists of other higher education and research institutions.

Representatives appointed by students must comprise not less than 20 per cent of the members of the senate (academic council). Representatives of students are appointed to the senate (academic council) by a student representation. Persons holding the position of professor and chief research staff member must comprise not less than 20 per cent of the members of the senate. Persons holding the position of associate professor and senior research staff member must comprise not less than 20 per cent of the members of the senate. Employees of other higher education and research institutions may also be members of the senate (academic council) based on their position (ex-officio). The university rector (college director) is a member of the senate (academic council) based on his/her position (ex-officio). The rector (director) of a higher education institution may not be chairman of the senate (academic council).

In accordance with the procedure laid down by the statute of a higher education institution, the senate (academic council) informs the community of the higher education institution about its decisions and accounts to it for its activities once a year.

The rector (director) of a higher education institution is a sole management body of the higher education institution, acts in the name of the said institution and represents it.

The rector (director) executes the following functions:

- heads a higher education institution, organises its activities, ensuring the implementation of a strategic action plan;

- recruits and dismisses employees of the higher education institution;

- admits and excludes students in accordance with the procedure laid down by the statute of the higher education institution;

- submits for approval by the council the tuition fee and the rates of payments to be made;


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- is responsible for financial activities of the higher education institution and also proper management, use and disposal of funds and assets;

- presents annual reports on the activities of the higher education institution, draws up strategic plans, etc.

The rector (director) is elected by an open competition, appointed and dismissed by the council. The council announces an open competition to fill a position of the rector (director). The rector (director) is considered to be elected if at least three-fifths of all the council members vote for him/her. The rector may be a person who has a scientific degree or is an established artist, who has the experience in pedagogy and management. The director may be a person who has the experience in pedagogy and management. The term of office of the rector (director) is five years. The same person may be elected rector (director) of the same higher education institution for not more than two terms of office in succession.

Interests of students in the management bodies of a higher education institution are represented by representatives of the students who are appointed by the student representation; if there is no such representation, by a general meeting (conference) of the students.

University rector’s deputies are vice-rectors. Faculties are headed by deans, who are elected by faculty councils. Deans have deputy deans to assist and stand in for them. Departments are headed by department chairs, who are elected by faculty councils with due consideration to the results of the department ballot.

The system of self-governance and management of private higher education institutions is established in their statutes adopted in the order prescribed by their founders. The bodies and principles of self-governance in public and private higher education institutions are practically the same.

Under the Law on Research and Higher Education, a higher education institution enjoys the autonomy which covers academic, administrative, economic and financial management activities, and is based on the principle of self-government and academic freedom. Pursuant to the procedure laid down by the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, the said Law and other laws, the autonomy of a higher education institution is harmonised with the accountability to the public, founders and members of the legal person.

A higher education institution has a right to:

- choose the fields and forms of studies and the development of a personality, research and experimental (social, cultural) activities, professional artistic activity, as well as the spread of cultural and scientific knowledge;

- define a procedure of studies;

- fix a tuition fee in accordance with the procedure laid down by the said Law;

- prepare and approve study programmes which meet the requirements laid down by legal acts;

- provide other educational, qualification improvement and expert services;

- publish academic, scientific and other materials;


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- establish its own structure, internal working arrangements, staff number, their rights, duties and conditions of payment for work, job descriptions, procedure of organisation of competitions to fill positions and of performance evaluation of employees, adhering to laws and other legal acts;

- admit and exclude students in accordance with the procedure laid down by its statute;

- award students scholarships from its own or sponsors’ funds;

- set forms of cooperation with natural and legal persons of the Republic of Lithuania and foreign countries;

- manage, use and dispose of assets in the manner prescribed by the said Law and other legal acts;

- pursue economic and commercial activities which are not prohibited by laws and which are inseparably connected with the objectives of a higher education institution activities.

A higher education institution must:

- ensure academic freedom of members of the academic community;

- inform the founders, members of a legal person and the public about quality assurance measures in studies and research activities, and in the event of a state higher education institution also about their financial, economic and research activities and the use of funds; and the results of external quality evaluation and accreditation of their study programmes;

- provide in due time official information to institutions authorised by the Government (statistical data and subject-specific information) which is necessary for the management and monitoring of the higher education and research system;

- provide career consultations to students;

- perform other obligations established by legal acts.



Research Council of Lithuania

State Studies Foundation




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2.7. Internal and External Consultation

The General Concept of Education in Lithuania states that the consistent system of education is developed according to the educational principle of continuity, which ensures the flexibility and variety of the system.

Education self-government institutions promote involvement of players in society at large in the development of education policy and the decision-making process.


2.7.1. Internal Consultation/Cooperation

The process of self-governance in schools is based on the objectives of education, educational programmes carried out and established traditions.

School self-governing institutions collegially discuss various issues concerning school activities and financing and, within the scope of their competence defined by the school regulations (statute), take decisions influencing the decision making process by the school head and also perform public supervision of the school management. Various types of school self-governing institutions, their competences and principles of formation are provided in the school regulations (statute).

The School Council is the supreme self-governing institution of the school composed of representatives of pupils, teachers, parents and the local community.

The Council of Teachers is a permanent self-governing institution of schools (except for higher schools and schools of non-formal education) that deals with various issues of the teachers’ professional and general development. It is composed of the school authorities, all teachers working at the school, medical staff, psychologists, social and special teachers, librarians and other persons involved in the process of education.

At schools, there may be other institutions of self-governance (representing the pupils or the parents).

Any member of the school community may participate in the management of education by joining any association, organisation or union composed of various groups (pupils, students, teachers, parents, schools or leaders at different education management levels) sharing similar interests to perform different tasks and functions in the field of educational, cultural or scientific development, as defined by their members and stipulated in the regulations (statute) of such associations, organisations or unions.

Teachers’ associations, societies and unions take part in forming the contents of the subjects taught and address matters relating to teachers’ in-service training pursuant to the Law on Non-governmental Organisations and the Law on Associations.

The subjects of education administration provide informational, consultancy and methodological assistance to those organisations and associations and may also request them, if necessary, to provide consultations and expertise.

The activities of school trade unions are regulated by the Law on Trade Unions.


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The supreme self-governing authority in the state university is its Senate (Council) and that of the state college its Academic Council. Responsibility for coordination of activities within the state university rests with its University Council.

2.7.2. Consultation Involving Players in Society at Large

Schools can co-operate with legal and physical persons (educational, health, cultural, sports, juridical, protection of children’ rights, research and study institutions, etc.) which influence their activities. Schools can co-operate with higher educational institutions (conclude co-operation agreements) and representatives of employers.

To coordinate internal relations among institutions of higher education and their relations with governmental institutions, a number of public, non-profit and other organisations and associations, which act according to their own regulations, have been established.

Various councils, associations and unions that participate in the solution of education-related problems include the Lithuanian Primary Education Association (LPUPA), a public organisation uniting teachers in primary education from both urban and rural areas of Lithuania, whose goal is to develop the ideas of the reform in primary education and disseminate non-traditional methods and forms of work; the Lithuanian Language and Literature Teachers’ Union of the Republic of Lithuania, a public, professionally orientated non-political organisation addressing the problems of the Lithuanian language as a subject taught; the Lithuanian Association of Social Pedagogues, the Lithuanian Pupils’ Association, the Lithuanian Pupils’ Union, etc.

To promote the involvement of the county (municipality) communities into the process of developing the county (municipality) policy on education and foster its implementation, county (municipality) councils for education, vocational education, special education and other types of education are set up.

Such county (municipality) councils are composed of representatives of pupils, teachers, parents, social partners, providers of education and/or their associations. The statute of the county education council is approved by the county governor and that of the municipality education council by the municipality council. The county (municipality) council analysis how the general education policy is pursued, approves the strategic education plans, annual programmes for the development of education activities and concentrates the efforts of the community to implement them.

Society can participate in the management of education by forming organisations, societies of common interests and various associations such as associations of pupils, students, teachers, parents, foster parents, schools, heads of schools, etc., which address issues relating to education, culture, research development according to the statutes of those organisations. Educational institutions can cooperate with other institutions in the country and abroad, with various associations, NGOs, international organisations, they can participate in national and international projects.

In developing and implementing national programmes, the Ministry of Education and Science co-ordinates its activities with the Ministries of Health Care and the Ministry of Social Security and Labour.

The activities of national institutions regulating the policy of education as well as self-governing institutions established at the initiative of these institutions and society are mutually co-ordinated. Various co-ordinating and consulting educational institutions or their branches have been working at the Ministry of Education and Science and have been closely co-operating in solving the most important issues of implementing the educational policy.


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- The Collegium of the Ministry of Education and Science is an advisory institution of the Minister of Education and Science. The Collegium discusses the key issues of the activities of the Ministry, drafts of the most important orders issued by the Minister and other legal acts, hears reports presented by heads of the Ministry organisational units, departments, services and other institutions which are subordinate to the Ministry. The Collegium is chaired by the Minister of Education and Science, and its members are the Vice-minister and the Secretary of the Ministry. The Deputy Secretary and other representatives of the Ministry, relevant institutions and organisations can also be included in the Collegium as members. Representatives of other ministries, governmental and other institutions or organisations and individual scientists can be invited to participate in the meetings of the Collegium. The number of the members of the Collegium is established by the Minister. He/she approves its composition and the working procedures. The Minister proposes issues to be discussed at the Collegium meetings.

- The Lithuanian Education Council performs expert evaluation of and provides consultations on the strategic issues of education development in Lithuania. The conclusions and proposals of the Council, which are submitted to the Ministry of Education and Science, educational institutions and their founders and also to research and study institutions have the force of recommendations. The main objectives of the Council are to analyse the education strategy and to monitor its implementation, provide consultations and submit proposals to the Seimas, the Government, the Ministry of Education and Science, the local self-government institutions, educational institutions, institutions of research and studies on the issues of education enhancement as well as to explain the provisions of education policy to the general public. The Council consists of 21 members and its term is three years.

- The General Education Council is an advisory, collegial group of specialists. Members of the Council provide recommendations to the Ministry of Education and Science regarding the design of the public general education strategy and policy, deliberate the content of general education and draft documents regulating the process, etc. The Council initiates the development of draft models and documents, evaluates the work of expert commissions, approves the basic principles for the provision of textbooks for general education and puts forward proposals regarding the procedure for their supplies, etc. The General Education Council is elected for a term of two years.

- The Lithuanian Vocational Training Council is a collegiate autonomous institution of public education encouraging the participation of the general public in designing the policy of vocational training and providing advice to state authorities in addressing the strategic issues of vocational training.

- The Research Council of Lithuania is a scientific and self-governing institution representing the interests of the scientific society and the State. It performs the role of a scientific expert and consultant to the Seimas and the Government of the Republic of Lithuania in addressing strategic issues of developing and financing research and studies. The Council submits proposals on the improvement of the system of research and studies, conducts expert examination of the planned allocations for research and studies from the national budget and submits proposals to the Seimas and the Government on the project of the budget, budget allocations for research and study institutions, national research programmes, research and study funds, research and study infrastructures and other needs of research and studies. The Council presents conclusions and proposals on the activities and the status of research and study institutions, addresses the issues of upgrading scientists’ qualifications, supervises the procedure of conferring scientific degrees and scientific pedagogical titles. The Lithuanian Science Council prepares and evaluates legal acts or their drafts regulating the system of research and studies, proposes the priorities in developing research, studies and technologies. It analyses the results of the assessment of the study programmes and the activities of higher educational institutions, and puts forward proposals for entering study programmes into the state register and higher education funding projects. The Council sets qualification requirements for research and study institutions,


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scientists, scientific degrees, study qualification degrees and pedagogical scientific titles and also investigates other issues important for the system and institutions of Lithuanian research and studies.

- The Lithuanian Conference of Rectors of Higher Educational Institutions is an independent public union uniting the Rectors of the Lithuanian higher educational institutions which provide Master’s and Doctoral studies. The aim of the Conference is to stimulate the development of Lithuanian science, studies, culture, and economy; put forward proposals concerning the national higher education policy, organise preparation of various research and study projects and programmes and co-operate with analogous international organisations.

- The Lithuanian Union of Students (LUS) links and unites the Lithuanian higher educational institutions’ self-governing organisations on the voluntary basis and is a national, democratic, pluralistic, independent and public organisation, which represents and defends the students’ civil and social rights and legal interests. While implementing the principle "Education is a right, not a privilege", the LUS co-operates with national institutions, legal and physical persons in Lithuania and abroad.

- The Lithuanian Conference of Chairpersons of Higher Education and Research Institutions’ Senates (Councils) is an independent public organisation, which includes most of the chairpersons of the Lithuanian state research and study institutions’ senates (councils). The activities of the Conference are regulated by the regulations of the Lithuanian Conference of Chairmen of Research and Study Institutions’ Senates (Councils), which were registered with the Ministry of Justice of the Lithuanian Republic. The Conference follows the Constitution of the Lithuanian Republic, Law on Science and Studies and other laws, facilitates in consolidating democratic self-government and autonomy of the Lithuanian higher education and research institutions and takes care of the integration and development of those institutions.

- Lithuanian Teachers’ Union (LTU) unites all Lithuanian teachers, lecturers and other pedagogical staff of educational institutions to protect their labour, social and economic rights. LTU has a cooperation agreement with the Ministry of Education and Science.

- Lithuanian Education Workers' Trade Union of is the largest and most influential trade union in Lithuania with branches in every Lithuanian town and region and a membership of about 30,000, out of which 40% are general education school teachers. The Lithuanian Union of Educational Workers regularly represents the interests of educational workers in all public institutions and trade union structures of Lithuania and protects the rights of its members at schools.

Lithuanian Education Workers‘ Trade Union

Lithuanian National Union of Students






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2.8. Methods of Financing Education

Education is financed from the state and municipal budgetary appropriations and also from other funds.

At the state level, investment funds necessary for the development of education (construction, renovation, development of human resources, etc.) are allocated in accordance with programmes defined in the Law on Approval of Financial Indicators of the State Budget and Municipal Budgets. One-year or long term investment programmes are developed by the Ministry of Education and Science subject to the National Education Strategy and the Government Programme.

At the municipality level, investment funds necessary for the development of education are allocated in accordance with programmes defined in budgets approved by municipality councils. Municipality investment programmes are developed with regard to state investment programmes pursuant to education strategic plans.

To finance, from state and municipal budgets, formal education programmes in state, municipal and private schools, except higher education institutions, as well as non-formal education programmes for children, the principle of education funds per pupil is applied.

To finance programmes of pre-school, pre-primary, primary, basic, secondary and corresponding special or vocational training in municipality and non-state schools and also complementary modules of those programmes developed to meet the needs for pupils’ self-expression in non-formal schools of children’s education, funds are allocated from specially earmarked subsidies in the annual state (government) or municipal budgets. State schools receive the above mentioned funds from the state budget allocations.

Funds for the maintenance of schools are allocated by the founder of the school in line with the established procedure.

Implementation of programmes designed for non-formal education of children is financed by the founder of the appropriate school, also by pupils (their representatives) and sponsors.

Vocational, and non-formal adult education schools and institutions providing assistance to pupils and schools are financed by their founders.

Higher schools are financed in accordance with the procedure established in the Law on Higher Education.

Financial assistance to schools of music, fine arts and sports for children, non-state schools and non-formal education programmes is provided, in line with the established procedure, from the state and municipal budgets. Non-state schools of traditional religious denominations carrying out formal education programmes are financed in line with the procedure established by the Government or its authorised institution by allocating funds for teaching needs and school maintenance in proportion to those allocated to state or municipal schools of the same type on condition that such financing is provided for in the international agreement concluded by the Republic of Lithuania.

In 2008, The Minister of Education and Science approved the Regulations on Financing Events for Promoting Public, Scientific, Sporting and Artistic Initiatives. The Regulations specify procedures for allocation and use of funds and also ways of accounting for the funds used. Every year the necessary funds are included in the estimate of expenditure of the Programme for the Improvement of the System of Science and Studies. They


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are allocated from the state budget funds designated for the improvement of the system of science and studies.

Subject to the procedure established by the Government, health care in schools is financed from the budget of the compulsory State Health Insurance Fund, state and municipal budgets and other funds.

On 14 December 2001, the Government of Lithuania passed a resolution, which approved the provisions of the general education financing reform. According to the provisions, the funds of the general education school are comprised of funds designated for pupils’ “baskets”, allocations to finance the learning environment, funds earmarked for carrying out specific programmes and projects, money donated by sponsors and other funds. A pupil’s “basket” contains funds per one notional pupil (attending grade 5(8 in an urban school). The number of notional pupils in a school is established by taking into account the real number of pupils attending this school and applying additional multipliers (e.g. for pupils with special educational needs, pupils of different types of schools, of urban and rural schools, etc.).

At the end of 2009, the Lithuanian Government issued a resolution to approve the new Methodology for Estimation and Distribution of the Pupil’s ‘Basket’ funds. This Methodology specifies establishment of the pupil’s ‘basket’ size, estimation and distribution of funds necessary to meet the annual education needs of pupils following pre-school, primary, basic and secondary curriculum. The concept of ‘the pupil’s basket’ used in this Methodology refers to funds allocated for education needs per notional pupil for a period of one year. The Methodology is applied when distributing the pupil’s ‘basket’ funds to state, municipal and private schools providing general and pre-primary preparatory education and also to pedagogical and psychological services and providers of non-formal education.

In 2007, the Minister of Education and Science approved the Methodological Guidelines for the Use of Funds for Pupils’ Professional Consulting that define the principles for the use of funds for the above mentioned purpose in schools providing general education. The Recommendations are designed to ensure a purposeful and rational use of those funds and the principles of their distribution for the purpose of promoting the development of professional consulting in schools providing general education. To finance professional consulting related activities, funds may also be raised from sponsors, parents and other sources.




2.8.1. Financing of Education at Pre-School Level

The implementation of pre-school education programmes is financed by the founder, parents (foster parents) and supporters of the pre-school institution subject to the procedures established by the law.

A pre-school institution is financed from the national or municipal budget according to the estimate approved by the appropriations manager. Pre-school institutions can have non-budgetary funds comprised of the payments for the premises rented, support and charity coming from natural and legal persons and income for provision of extra-curricular education and also courses, events and projects.

Pre-school institutions providing pre-primary preparatory education Priešmokyklinis ugdymas receive specially earmarked state funds in accordance with the principles of financing pupils’ general education. Since 2003, providers of pre-primary preparatory education have also been eligible for the pupil’s ’basket‘


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financing that partially covers the costs necessary for the implementation of the pre-primary preparatory education curriculum. The remaining part of the costs for the implementation of that programme is allocated by the founder of the institution.

2.8.2. Financing of General Education

General education schools are completely or partially financed from the state or the municipality budgets according to the estimates approved by the appropriations manager. Schools can receive non-budgetary means, including money received from the rent of school premises, support or charity extended by physical or legal persons, extra-curricular education, courses, events, manufactured production, etc. Non-budgetary means are used according to the procedure set by the Government.

In 2009, the size of the pupil’s ‘basket’ in general education schools underwent several changes. From the beginning of 2009 up to the middle of the year, it amounted to LTL 3,774 per pupil. Following the adjustment of the budget by the Seimas, the grant specially earmarked for the pupil’s ‘basket’ provided to municipalities was reduced, on average, by 1.46% (LTL 33.6 million).

Funds included in the pupil’s ‘basket’ for children with special needs attending mainstream schools are higher than those for pupils without special needs. In 2009, those funds amounted to 35.6% (instead of 35%, as planned).

Following the second adjustment of the budget by the Seimas (in August), the grant for the pupil’s ‘basket’ was reduced, in total, by 2.7%. From 1 September 2009, it was reduced by another 8% due to the changes in the annual wage fund.

Vocational training in state vocational schools is financed from the state budget of the Lithuanian Republic. Non-budgetary means of the vocational school include: 1) income from Lithuanian and foreign companies, organisations and people for specialist training and also work and services performed in compliance with orders from business; 2) income from the rent of the school premises and equipment; 3) income from the paid courses or other training services; 4) donations or charities provided by Lithuanian and foreign people, organisations, funds or private people.

In 2008, the Lithuanian Government issued a resolution to approve the Methodology for Estimating Funds for Vocational Training per Pupil Following a Formal Vocational Training Curriculum. This Methodology is designed to establish the amount of funds necessary for a contact hour of direct training per pupil following a formal vocational training curriculum.

The amount of funds directly related to vocational education necessary for the training of one pupil include remuneration for the work of teachers of vocational training and general subjects included in the vocational training curriculum (including contact hours, hours spent on preparation for lessons, extra-curricular activities and also acting as group tutor); remuneration for the work of teachers standing in for their colleagues when they are away for in-service training; remuneration for the work of other teaching-related staff; funds for the acquisition of vocational technical literature and textbooks; funds for visual technical aids; funds for the basic materials of practical training; funds for the professional development of vocational training teachers; and funds for social security contributions.

The Methodology is used to estimate education funds that are allocated from the State Budget of the Republic of Lithuania, municipal budgets or the Employment Fund to implement formal vocational education programmes.


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When approving programme estimates, the founder has a right to redistribute, at its own discretion, up to 10% of vocational education funds allocated to various providers. The redistribution is carried out in proportion to the reduction of the average share of funds per pupil, as compared to the current year. In the current year, allocation of funds for vocational education providers may be adjusted in view of the actual number of pupils enrolled.

Youth schools Jaunimo mokykla are financed by the founders. Non-budgetary means can be received from the school production activities, paid services provided, rent of the inventory (following the procedures set by the Government) and voluntary payments of legal and physical persons.

Methodology for Estimating Funds for Vocational Training per Pupil Following a Formal Vocational Training Curriculum

2.8.3. Financing education at higher education level

Under the Law on Higher Education and Research, funds of higher education and research institutions are comprised of the following:

- resources of the basic funding of the state budget for state higher education and research institutions;

- state budgetary funds appropriated for studies in accordance with the procedure laid down by the Law on Higher Education and Research to higher education and research institutions;

- funds of state investment programmes and state investment projects to state higher education and research institutions;

- income received as payment for studies, as well as income received from economic, research activities and services rendered;

- funds received as programme- and competition-based funding of research;

- funds of state funds;

- funds appropriated by international and foreign funds and organisations;

- funds received as charity under the Law on Charity and Sponsorship;

- other funds received in legal ways.

State budget funds for every state university and state research institution are allocated to individual lines. State colleges are financed from the state budget appropriations for state institutions or agencies performing the functions of their founders.

The funds of the basic funding of the state budget are allocated to state higher education and research institutions as follows: for research, experimental (social, cultural) development and the expansion of artistic activities, administration and economic activities and other needs.

State budget funds for research, experimental (social, cultural) development and expansion of artistic activities are allocated to state higher education and research institutions in compliance with the procedure


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laid down by the Government according to the results of evaluation of research (artistic) activities of the state higher education and research institutions.

State budget funds for studies are appropriated for:

- covering a tuition fee in student places which are funded by the state;

- compensating, in the manner prescribed in the Law, a tuition fee paid by the students who achieved the best results of studies in the student places which are not funded by the state;

- target funding of studies;

- state loans or state-supported loans;

- social scholarships and other support.

State budget funds for studies are not appropriated for branches of foreign higher education institutions established in the Republic of Lithuania.

State-funded student places according to study programmes of the first cycle and integrated study programmes are allocated to higher education institutions in accordance with the choice between higher education institutions made by enrolling persons who have completed the secondary education programme with the best results, without exceeding the state funding established for each study area. Distribution of funding for study fields is established by the Government, taking into account the needs of the national economic, social and cultural development and financial possibilities of the State.

In accordance with the procedure laid down by the Ministry of Education and Science, state budget funds may, by way of competition, be appropriated to higher education and research institutions for the implementation of study programmes.

The State allocates funding for the tuition fee of persons studying in state-funded student places in accordance with the procedure laid down in the Law.

State budget funds to cover the tuition fee in state-funded student places are allocated in accordance with the procedure laid down by the Government.

In accordance with the procedure laid down by the Ministry of Education and Science, state budget funds may, by way of competition, be appropriated to higher education and research institutions for the implementation of study programmes, taking into consideration the most urgent needs of the economic, social and cultural development of the State, if the said needs may not be satisfied in other ways laid down in the Law. The number of student places of target funding of studies according to study field or study programmes are announced by the Ministry of Education and Science each year but not later than before 15 April.

Research, experimental (social, cultural) development and artistic activities are financed:

- with funds of the basic financing of the state budget designated for research, experimental (social, cultural) development and artistic activities;


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- according to national research programmes and national complex programmes;

- according to other competition-based programmes.

State budgetary funds allocated to a higher education institution are related to the respective programmes and the results of the performance evaluation of a higher education institution concerned.

The need of state budgetary funds for a higher education institution is determined in accordance with the Methodology of Determining the Need for Funds from the State Budget and their Allocation for Higher Education and Research Institutions. The methodology provides regulations for determining the need for funds in the state budget of the Republic of Lithuania and their allocation for higher education and research institutions when drafting the annual state budget assignments for the following needs: funds allocated to cover the costs of studies; research and development and artistic creative activities; administration of higher education and research institutions, maintenance of their buildings and facilities and meeting all other business management needs; and protection of objects listed as cultural values.

Funds for studies are determined with due regard to various types of study programmes, areas and fields of studies or their groups and mode of studies.

The funds are allocated to a higher education institution as a lump sum and the higher education institution distributes the received funds among its structural units following the procedure prescribed by the statute. A higher education institution receives funds provided for the support of students (study grants) under a separate programme and cannot change the purpose of those funds. Income and expenditure is managed by a higher education institution based on an estimate approved by the university senate (college academic council). Unspent budget funds cannot be rolled over to the next budget year and a higher education institution has to spend them during the current financial year. Within the institution, faculties use the funds they received at their own discretion within their competence and in accordance with the order prescribed by the statute in compliance with the legal acts in force.

Expenditure of the previous year does not influence the funding of that higher education institution during the coming year, the amount of funding being subject to the results of assessment of the research and other activities of a higher education institution, a calculated need for funds to cover the costs of organisation of studies, expenditure for scientific research and development of artistic creative activity, expenses for administration and management of the institution and its facilities and expenditure for protection of immovable cultural property and other listed cultural values. The amount of funding also depends on how much funds the state budget is able to allocate to the whole system of higher education and to what extent it is able to satisfy the calculated need for such funds.

The structure and purpose of private higher education institutions is decided by the founders.

The Ministry of Education and Science may conclude agreements with non-state higher education institutions and allocate the necessary funds to develop specialists in certain areas and fields of study if state higher education institutions do not prepare such specialists or their number does not meet the demand.




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Methodology for Determining the Need of Funds from the Republic of Lithuania State Budget and their Allocation to Institutions of Science and Studies

2.9. Statistics

Public and private educational institutions

2003-2004 2004-2005 2005-2006 2006-2007 2007-2008 2008-2009

Total 2,078 1,766 1,664 1,633 1,602 1,544

General education schools

1,932 1,634 1,534 1,502 1,472 1,415

Vocational schools 83 73 76 80 80 80

Colleges 27 27 28 28 28 27

Universities 21 21 21 22 22 22

Private educational institutions

42 41 42 47

45 47

General education schools

19 19 21 25

24 26

Vocational schools 2 2 2 2 2 2

Collegies 11 11 12 12 12 12

Universities 6 6 6 7 7 7

Number of pupils in public and private educational institutions

2003-2004 2004-2005 2005-2006 2006-2007 2007-2008 2008-2009

Total 810,445 804,994 783,427 759,521 737,754 718,856

Out of which in private institutions

14,481

16,889

19,060

21,864

27,187

30,109

Education coverage

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Total according to levels of education (Levels 1–7)

Gross 90,0 91,0 90,0 88,8 88,1 88,4

Net 81,7 81,9 80,7 79,5 79,2 79,1

State budget expenditure on education as share of GDP (%)

Years 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008Share of GDP (%) 5.65 5.89 5.85 5.55 5.53 5.20 5.15 4.94 5.05

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita (at the then prices)

2006 Q4 2007 Q4 2008 Q4. 2009 Q4 GDP in LTL 6,776.720 8,068.531 8,450.428 7,127.436

GDP in € 1,962.674 2,336.808 2,447.413 2,064.248

GDP in US$ 2,529.759 3,384.025 3,229.052 3,050.084


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Expenditure on education from the State and municipal budgets (million LTL)

2005 2006 2007 2008 The Republic of Lithuania 3, 713.6 4, 218.5 4, 779.1 5, 615.1

Amount of education funds per pupil in pre-school, primary, basic or secondary and initial vocational education (LTL)

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Pre-school education (ISCED 0)

1,097.33 1,222.74 1,652.65 1,956 2,556

Primary education (ISCED 1)

1,680.81 1,949.82 2,298.19 2,913 3,741

Basic and secondary education (ISCED 2+3)

1,581.58 1,825.66 2,244.33 3,910 5,241

Initial vocational education (thous. LTL)

4.5 5.0 5.9 7.1 …

Percentage of school funds by the sources of financing, 2006

State and municipal funds

Funds from private sources

Funds from foreign institutions and

international organisations

Vocational schools 91.6 6.7 1.7

Colleges 59.2 36.4 4.4

Universities 65.1 28.7 6.2

Sources: Statistics Lithuania; Ministry of Education and Science




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3. Pre-School Education O r g a n i s a t i o n o f t h e e d u c a t i o n s y s t e m i n L i t h u a n i a , 2 0 0 9 / 1 0

41 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 2710

LOPŠELIS-DARŽELIS

DARŽELIS

GIMNAZIJAKOLEGIJA

















Source: Eurydice.

Pre-school education belongs to the zero level of education. It comprises pre-school and pre-primary curricula.

Pre-school institutions belong to the non-formal type of educational institutions. Pre-school educational institutions include nurseries-kindergartens, kindergartens. The pre-school and pre-primary preparatory curriculum is also implemented by kindergartens-schools and other schools of general education (most often in rural areas with no pre-school educational institutions available).

The purpose of pre-school education is to help children satisfy their inherent, cultural, including ethnic, social and cognitive needs. Pre-school educational institutions carry out the functions of childcare and upbringing thus helping families and ensuring the flexibility and variance of the system.

The purpose of pre-primary preparatory education Priešmokyklinis ugdymas is to help the child prepare for following the primary education curriculum.

Neither pre-school nor pre-primary preparatory education is compulsory. Up to the age of seven, any child may be educated at home, and both the child and his/her family are entitled to provision of educational assistance, including special pedagogical, psychological or informational counselling, etc.


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As a phenomenon and an educational institution, the kindergarten in Lithuania has already marked its 160th anniversary. Literary sources assume that the first kindergarten was founded in Klaipėda in 1847. The beginning of the establishment of kindergartens in Lithuania did not significantly lag behind their appearance in Europe and other countries of the world. In this respect, Lithuania found itself abreast of the major countries of the world on the territories of which kindergartens were only beginning to be founded at that time (in 1863 in Russia, in 1855 in the USA and in 1837 in Germany).

Most kindergartens in Lithuania were private. State-run pre-school educational institutions virtually did not exist and most of the children of the pre-school age were brought up at home. The founding of pre-school institutions which catered for the upbringing of children was very languid.

The founders of pre-school educational institutions used to visit the neighbouring countries, observe the functioning of kindergartens there and analyse, in the educational press, the experience and results of the application of the Froebel, Montessori and Decroly systems. All the systems were subjected to criticism and the headmasters and pedagogues of the kindergartens were advised to treat the systems individually and in accord with local conditions.

The kindergarten was legitimised by the Law on the Kindergarten and Children’s Playgrounds adopted on 13 February 1936. Among other things, this Law provided that the native language was to be used in children’s outdoor playgrounds and courtyards and that children should be brought up in the spirit of national beliefs, their parents’ religion and strict morality.

When Lithuania was occupied in 1940, there were almost 200 pre-school educational establishments which catered for the upbringing of about 7,000 children.

With the change of the political rule, many changes took place. The Soviet occupation brought about a different attitude towards the upbringing of children and pre-school education. The tendency was to ignore the role of the family and to pass on the primary right of children’s education to society. Ideology became an important part of the work of pre-school educational establishments. The changing attitudes of the authorities and the state of the country’s economy had a direct reflection on the functioning of pre-school establishments. In the post war years, when all the resources were channeled toward the restoration of the economy, social benefits were meager and the family could not lead a full-blooded life without the support of the state. Immediately after giving birth to their children, mothers were forced to return to work, which resulted in a rapid growth of pre-school educational establishments. Kindergartens and day-nurseries started appearing on a mass scale. The number of children in pre-school educational establishments grew considerably. In 1967–1968, pre-school institutions were attended by 64% of all Lithuanian children. In 1990, when the number of pre-school educational institutions reached its peak, there were 1,681 pre-school educational institutions attended by 163,173 children.

Since the restoration of independence in Lithuania, every effort has been made to return to the traditional family values focusing on the main role of the family in educating children. The key documents of the educational reform treat pre-school education as a form of assistance provided to the family and at the same time as the first integrated stage of the unified educational system.

Due to the changing economic and social conditions, pre-school education has undergone significant quantitative and qualitative changes influencing the state of pre-school educational establishments. In 1990–1993, the number of pre-school establishments started rapidly going down. The growing tendency of


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reducing the number of children in kindergartens was promoted by the state policy. The Law on Support for the Family (adopted in 1991) and the Law on State Benefits to Families with Children (adopted in 1994) provided the parents with a possibility to choose freely where to bring up their children.

Restoration of independence in Lithuania marked the beginning of democratisation and decentralisation of pre-school educational establishments that were encouraged to follow various trends of education. In 1989, the Concept of Pre-school Education in Lithuania was adopted and an Experimental Programme for the Education of Children was approved in 1991. In 1993, two alternative state programmes were proposed for pre-school educational institutions: 1) The Guidelines of Pre-School Education: a Curriculum for Teachers and Parents, and 2) The Kindergarten Programme Vėrinėlis (The String). A new type of pre-school educational institution – a kindergaten-school – has emerged for provision of education according to pre-school and primary curriculum for three- to eleven-year-olds.

Since 1997, state-run nurseries-kindergartens have been undergoing a rebirth marked by a rapidly growing demand for such institutions. In response to the demand which becomes particularly great in the children’s immediate pre-school year, pre-primary groups and classes have started to be set up. Some private pre-school educational institutions have also appeared, though they are not yet numerous. The number of children attending pre-school educational institutions, pre-primary groups in particular, increases every year.

In 2000, the Concept of Pre-Primary Preparatory Education was approved. Legitimised as a discrete part of the educational system in the Law on Education in 2003, pre-primary preparatory education created preconditions for its further development and efforts to make it available to all children. As an alternative to pre-school education, the Law sets out provision of educational assistance to five- or six-year-olds who do not attend pre-school institutions.

The restructuring of the educational system in Lithuania, which started from the beginning of restoration of the country’s independence, created conditions to liberalise the formal pre-school education, develop pre-primary preparatory education and encourage the family and the local community to get more actively involved in the process. The reformed content of education offered a choice of various trends and methods and also a variety of forms for organising pre-primary education. Pre-school educational institutions have started applying the Waldorf, Montessori or Suzuki methods, preparing their own customised educational programmes and specialising in certain areas of their own choice, such as fortification of children’s health, their artistic education, development of ethnic culture, sporting activities, etc.

In Lithuania, changes in pre-school education were conditioned by processes of building up the conceptual basis for the Lithuanian education reform. The Action Programme for Implementing the Education Reform that identified the work already performed and long-term objectives for 1993–1997 (The General Concept of Education in Lithuania, 1992), education priorities set out for a period of 1998–2002, the strategic education guidelines specifying the challenges facing the global knowledge society and the relating priorities in the area of education (Education Guidelines, 2002), as well as other relevant documents developed for creating the model of pre-school and pre-primary preparatory education, such as the Conceptual Framework for Pre-school Education of Lithuanian Children (1989), the Conceptual Framework for Pre-school Preparatory Education (2000) and the Concept of the National Policy on the Wellbeing of Children (2003), created pre-conditions for effecting positive changes in early childhood education and care of the country.

In 2003, the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania approved the Provisions of the National Education Strategy 2003–2012. In order to ensure the access, continuity and social equity of education, the Provisions focus on the development of pre-school education provision, especially for disadvantaged and at-risk children through creation of an information and counseling system for parents, provision of equal start opportunities for their children’s compulsory schooling and development of the universally available pre-primary


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preparatory education system by rendering a purposeful educational and cultural assistance for all social risk families with children.

There has been a change in the general public attitude towards the childhood-related quality criteria: earlier, high quality childhood was primarily related to good care and now parents increasingly focus on the overall teaching and learning and an education environment that would meet not only the requirements of statutory hygiene norms but also those specified for the implementation of modern education curriculum.

In 2007, in line with the Action Plan for the Implementation of the Lithuanian Government Programme for 2006–2008, the Government approved the Programme for Development of Pre-school and Pre-primary Preparatory Education for 2007-2012. The purpose of the Programme is to improve access to pre-school and pre-primary preparatory education to all groups of the population by decreasing social disadvantages and municipal differences, to ensure flexible provision of pre-school and pre-primary preparatory education in line with the prospective economic and social development of the country, ensure high quality of pre-school and pre-primary preparatory education, form the principles of lifelong education and reduce the risk of withdrawal from the education process.

Over the recent years, despite the decrease of birthrate and a related reduction of the number of educational institutions, the number of children attending pre-school education institutions has been increasing due to a larger scope of population employment. (See 3.16. )

Ikimokyklinio ugdymo gairės. Programa pedagogams ir tėvams


Vaikų darželių programa: Vėrinėlis


Programme for Development of Pre-school and Pre-primary Education for 2007-2012


3.2. Ongoing Debates

After legitimising pre-primary preparatory education in the Law on Education and switching over to its universal application, now the question is how it will be implemented in rural areas where the number of children is very small and the infrastructure is not sufficiently developed to make pre-primary preparatory education available to everyone willing to get it. A search for various organisational forms is underway. Pre-school institutions and general education schools are being encouraged to establish pre-primary preparatory settings to cater for the needs of society.

The new version of the Law on Education specifies that pre-school education will be provided to children from the moment they are born to the time they start attending pre-primary preparatory education settings or primary schools; the pre-school education curriculum is provided by pre-school education institutions and other schools, freelance teachers or other providers of education; families raising their child/children at home will be provided complex educational and social assistance and health care services, etc.


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The new version of the Law on Education has been submitted for deliberation by the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania. A wide-ranging discussion with politicians, teachers, trade unions and the general public is underway. At present, the issue of financing pre-school education at the municipal level has acquired a particular importance. Municipalities are forced to economise their funds in a number of different ways but the trade unions of the teaching staff in pre-school institutions oppose that and offer to look for other forms of saving and seek agreements with social partners. After assessment of the country’s pre-school funding problem, the Ministry of Education and Science believes that it is necessary to continue discussion regarding the introduction of the ‘pupil’s basket’ for children attending institutions of early childhood education and care; to adjust the long-term programme for increasing the teachers’ salaries by giving priority to increasing the salaries to educators of pre-school educational institutions through allocation of additional funds; and to ensure target financing of pre-school education.

Other issues of ongoing debates include the simplification of the hygiene norms for pre-school educational institutions (which would make for an easier establishment of private institutions), planning of pre-school provision, network optimisation and establishment of universal multifunctional centres in rural areas. Problems related to teachers of special, artistic and non-formal education working in institutions of pre-school education are also of great importance.



3.3. Specific Legislative Framework

The General Concept of Education in Lithuania (1992) defined pre-school education as an integral part of general education.

The Concept of Pre-primary Preparatory Education (2000) defines pre-primary preparatory education Priešmokyklinis ugdymas as a constituent part of the education system linking education in the family or at a pre-school institution (kindergarten) with education at school. The Concept sets out the goals, objectives and principles of pre-primary preparatory education, the age range of children attending pre-primary preparatory settings, requirements for pedagogues and the education environment as well as the necessity of validation of universal pre-primary preparatory education in the Law on Education of the Republic of Lithuania.

The new Law on Education adopted in 2003 defines the purpose of pre-school and pre-primary preparatory education, their providers and other education provisions.

The activities of pre-school institutions are regulated by the Requirements for Statutes of State and Municipal Schools (adopted in 2004) that define the structure of the institution, types of its activities and their organisation as well as management, self-governance and other aspects of the institution. Based on those Requirements, every pre-school institution draws up its own statute.

The content of pre-school education is regulated by the Outline of Criteria for Pre-School Education (adopted in 2004) in accordance with which an institution like this develops its own programme of pre-school education.

The content of pre-primary preparatory education is regulated by the General Programme of Pre-primary Preparatory Education and Self-education (approved in 2002). It defines the main aims and principles in


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educating children aged 5–6/7, the most important competences necessary for the child to continue education at school and also key activities and methods practiced at this stage of education.

In 2003, the Pre-Primary Preparatory Education Standard was approved. It set out the guidelines for maturity (ultimate achievements/outcomes) that a child following the pre-primary preparatory curriculum should attain.

Outline of the Models for Organising Pre-Primary Preparatory Education (2003) is a document containing recommendations aimed at assisting municipality education authorities, founders and principals of schools in effective organisation of pre-primary preparatory education in view of family needs and municipality resources.

Outline of the Procedure for Organising Pre-Primary Preparatory Education (2005) defines the way pre-primary preparatory education should be organised in general education, pre-school education and special schools providing pre-primary preparatory education curriculum.

Outline of the Procedure for Assessing the Child’s Maturity to Follow the Pre-School and Pre-Primary Preparatory Education Curriculum (2005) defines cases and procedures when and how the child should be assessed.

Under the Outline of the Procedure for Providing Education Assistance to Families Raising their Children of Pre-School Age at Home (2004) or the Procedure for Providing Education Assistance to 5-6-Year-Olds not Attending Educational Institutions (2003), educational assistance may be provided to children of pre-school or pre-primary preparatory age that are educated at home.

An Outline of a Model Description of an Educator’s Job (2005) specifies the range of professional activities carried out by educators engaged in the implementation of the pre-school education curriculum.

In 2009, the Lithuanian Government approved the Model for Improvement of the Living and Education Conditions for Children from their Birth to the Beginning of Compulsory Education. The model is designed to improve the living and education conditions for children from their birth to the start of their compulsory schooling and to ensure provision of complex assistance to those children and their parents. The implementation of the Model covers the period of 2009–2012. The Model includes the following objectives:

- to improve access to educational, social and health care services and educational assistance to the child and his/her parents by increasing the number institutions implementing educational curricula and providing the services and also by extending the range of their variety;

- to strengthen cooperation between educational institutions;

- to raise the quality of complex assistance and improve the professional qualifications of the relating specialists;

- to monitor the changing situation of children’s living and education conditions at the state and municipal levels.




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Model for Improvement of the Living and Education Conditions for Children from their Birth to the Beginning of Compulsory Education

Outline of Criteria for Pre-school Education Curricula

Outline of Procedure for Organizing Pre-primary Education

Outline of the Models for Organizing of Pre-primary education

Outline of the Procedure for Assessment of the Child's Maturity to follow the Pre-School and Pre-Primary Education Curriculum

Outline of the Procedure for Providing Education Assistance to Families Raising their Children of Pre-shool Age at Home

Pre-primary Education Standard

Procedure for Provision of Assistance to Children Aged 5-6 who do not Attend School

3.4. General Objectives

The goals of pre-school education are given the following description in the General Concept of Education in Lithuania: "The purpose of general education of children and young people is to assist the family in bringing out the individuality of a person in the context of their native culture and in preparing them for harmonious social life. Pre-school education meets the basic needs of the child, namely security, activity and self-expression. Its goal is to boost the child’s self-reliance, initiative and creativity, as well as look after the child’s health".

The Law on Education specifies that the purpose of pre-school education is to help children satisfy their inherent, cultural, including ethnic, social and cognitive needs. The purpose of pre-primary preparatory education is to help the child prepare for successfully following the primary education curriculum.



3.4.1. Pre-School Education

The goal of pre-school education is to assist the family in fostering all the powers of the child (intellectual, emotional, physical and those relating to willpower) that determine the child’s individual maturity and success of his/her socialisation through provision of the pre-school curriculum and/or the necessary educational assistance to the child or his/her family.

The objectives of pre-school education are the following:


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- to encourage the child’s self-dependence, initiative and creativity, reveal and cultivate his/her various skills and foster individuality;

- to help children understand common human values and cherish their integrity as an indispensable basis for a democratic way of life;

- to develop most favourable conditions for the child to take over the basic principles of the nation’s spiritual culture (moral, aesthetic, communicative, etc.);

- to protect and strengthen children’s physical and mental health, to cherish their natural abilities and satisfy their essential needs for moving, physical and mental security, communication, cognition, self-expression and self-respect;

- to cultivate the mental capacities (intellectual, emotional and relating to willpower) of the children by stimulating the formation of the basic elements of their character;

- to ensure the continuity of pre-school and pre-primary preparatory education.

3.4.2. Pre-Primary Preparatory Education

The aim of pre-primary preparatory Priešmokyklinis ugdymas education is to direct the development of the child’s personality so that the child becomes an active person possessing confidence in himself and his abilities and also create preconditions for the child’s successful further education at school.

The objectives of this stage of education are the following:

- to ensure a safe, purposeful, enjoyable and creative year immediately preceding school, respect and support the child in play and create conditions for the child’s development;

- to encourage the child’s activities and communication with his/her peers and adults by enriching his emotional, social and cultural experience;

- to protect and strengthen the child’s mental and physical health, ensure the child’s safety, help the child adapt to the new educational environment and meet the child’s need for activity and movement;

- to expand the child’s understanding of the surrounding world by creating possibilities for the child to experience the joy of discovery and develop the child’s intellectual powers to discover and master various methods of attaining knowledge;

- to develop the child’s speaking skills as a means of self-expression, communication and learning, create preconditions for the future development of his writing skills and foster the child’s interest in books;

- to foster the child’s creativity, stimulate his/her sensitivity to the beauty of the surrounding world and art and also respect for traditional art and encourage the child’s self-expression through artistic means and in various other ways.


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3.5. Geographical Accessibility

The management of pre-school education institutions is decentralised and its network depends on decisions taken by municipality administrations.

Today, accessibility of pre-school education in Lithuania is not the same for urban and rural population and the forms of its provision are not flexible enough, which makes it difficult for parents with young children to reconcile their family and work responsibilities.

There is a vivid differentiation between municipalities by the number of children attending pre-school education institutions. The percentage of children aged 0–1 participating in pre-school education programmes is not large and amounts to 2.4% of the total number of children in this age group. In different municipalities, this percentage varies from 0% to 13.4%. In the country, the percentage of children aged 0–3 participating in pre-school education programmes is less than one third of the total number of children in this age group. According to this particular indicator, the differences among municipalities are especially great and may vary from 4.1% to 43.3%. According to pre-school attendance figures, the country‘s big cities are in the lead.

Among the factors most strongly affecting the attendance figures of pre-school education institutions is the percentage of the urban population and people in employment within the municipality, or in other words, the larger the urban population of the municipality, the higher the number of children attending kindergartens, and, on the contrary, the larger the rural population or the smaller the municipality, the lower the number of children attending kindergartens.

Opportunities for choosing pre-school education programmes is limited by the lack of flexibility in organising pre-school education provision and an insufficient variety of pre-school educational institutions. In the parents’ opinion, there is a lack of private provision, kindergartens offering services for children throughout the whole week as well as kindergartens working according to non-traditional curricula. There is a lack of extra-curricular and specialised assistance provision and the distribution of the network of institutions providing early childhood education and care services is not even.

Accessibility was slightly improved by the establishment of pre-school and pre-primary preparatory groups in general education schools. In addition, special groups are established to meet the needs of parents who have a longer working day.

3.6. Admission Requirements and Choice of Pre-School Education Institutions

Children are admitted to a pre-school education institution according to the place of residence or some other procedure established by the founder.

Children with special needs are admitted to special pre-school educational institutions, pre-school groups of educational centres, general or special groups of pre-school education establishments upon the presentation of a certificate issued by a Pedagogical-psychological service testifying to the developmental disorders of the child. Children can be admitted to health rehabilitation educational institutions upon the presentation of a referral for admission issued by a health care institution.


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Parents have the right to choose for their children a pre-school educational institution the regulations of which validate provision of education in the language of a discrete ethnic minority and promotion of the ethnic minority’s culture in any language of instruction of their choice. In accordance with the procedure defined by the Law on Education in the Republic of Lithuania, parents can choose sending their children to any State, municipal or private pre-school educational institution.

In 2003, the Minister of Education and Science approved recommendations for municipalities regarding the centralized admission of children to pre-school educational institutions and pre-primary preparatory groups. In agreement with these recommendations, admission of children to pre-school educational institutions may be conducted not directly by the institution itself but by the education authorities of the municipality administration. The main provisions of the recommendations include the following: granting admission subject to the registration date of the application; giving priority to children with special needs, children from single parent families, from low-income families, from families with three or more children, children whose one of the parents is a full-time student or whose father is doing obligatory military service or whose one of the parents is a disabled person of Disability Group 1 or 2; and also take into consideration other significant factors.

Guidelines for Municipalities on Centralized Admission of Children to Groups of Pre-school and Pre-primary Education of Educational Institutions


3.6.1. Admission to Groups Providing Pre-School Education Curriculum

Children are admitted to follow a pre-school curriculum from the age of 0 to 5–6 years of age (at nursery-kindergartens Lopšelis-darželis ) and from 3 to 5–6 years of age (at kindergartens, kindergarten-schools Mokykla-darželis , etc.).

Children are enrolled into pre-school educational institutions on the submission of an application and the child’s health certificate by the parents, foster parents or guardians who conclude an education agreement with the discrete provider of the pre-school education curriculum.

Pre-school education is not compulsory, so the parents may educate their child at home and receive educational assistance.

3.6.2. Admission to Groups Providing Pre-Primary Preparatory Education Curriculum

Provision of pre-primary preparatory education Priešmokyklinis ugdymas to children starts in the calendar year in which the child attains the age of 6.

At the request of the child’s parents, pre-primary education may be provided earlier if this kind of education is recommended by specialists of pedagogical-psychological services or school psychologists after assessing the child’s maturity to follow the pre-primary education curriculum in accordance with the procedure established in the relating legal acts. Pre-primary education is not provided to children who are younger than five years of age and those who have attained the age of seven in that calendar year. In exceptional cases, when the child is in need of a health sparing treatment regimen and regular assistance of qualified specialists, pre-primary education may be provided, at the recommendation of Pedagogical-psychological service specialists or family doctors, to the child who attains the age of 7 in that calendar year.


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The parents (foster parents or guardians) conclude an education agreement with the discrete provider of the pre-school education curriculum. Once the child’s parents (foster parents) have concluded the education agreement, attendance of the pre-primary education group becomes compulsory.

3.7. Financial Support for Children’s Families

In 2009, the Seimas adopted the new Temporary Law on Recalculation and Payment of Social Benefits that will be in force for a period from 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2011. The Temporary Law introduced amendments regarding allowances for children paid according to the Law on Child Allowances. Under the Temporary Law, every child aged 0–2 receives a monthly allowance of 0.75 basic social benefit (LTL 97.5) if maternity (paternity) benefit (according to the Law on Sickness and Maternity Social Insurance) is not paid to the child’s parents or guardians or if the amount of this benefit is less than 1.5 times the amount of the state supported income (LTL 525).

Also, if the family or persons living together are raising three or more children, including those placed under guardianship, every child aged 7–18 receives a monthly allowance of 0.4 basic social benefit (LTL 52) if the monthly income per every member of the family or persons living together is less than 1.5 times the amount of the state supported income ( LTL 525). In addition, the same allowance is paid to every child aged 2–7 if the monthly income per every member of the family is less than 1.5 times the amount of the state supported income.

Families are either exempted from paying fees or granted a reduced rate for covering the cost of pre-school education provision for their children. The size of the pre-school education fee is determined by the founder. According to the Government Resolution of 3 January 2000 on the amount of fees for pre-school provision, the payment is reduced by 50% in the event that:

- the child (children) has (have) only one of the parents;

- the family is raising three and more children;

- the child’s father is conscripted;

- the child grows in a family of students where one of the parents is a full time student of the day department of an educational institution.

Families raising children of pre-school age at home receive free educational assistance in the order established by the municipality, with public health service institutions providing methodological, diagnostic and consultative assistance.

The Ministry of Social Security and Labour has informed about amendments to the Law on Financial Social Assistance. Starting from March 2009, the child benefit is paid to all children aged below 3 years irrespective of the family assets and income and the payment of the child benefit to children aged over 3 years is based on the family assets and income (i. e. is means-tested).

From the beginning of 2009, free meals were provided to pupils (approximately 111 thousand), including children following the pre-primary preparatory curriculum, if the monthly income per family member was lower than the amount of 1.5 state-supported income (currently, the state-supported income amounts to LTL 350).


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3.8. Age Levels and Grouping of Children

Children may be grouped according to the following age levels:

- nursery (early childhood) for children between one and three years;

- pre-school (for children between three and six years;

- pre-primary preparatory Priešmokyklinis ugdymas (for children between six and seven years) (in exceptional cases from five to six years).

Children of the nursery age level are entitled to early years education provision in nursery groups. Nursery groups may be found in nurseries intended for children between one and three years and nursery-kindergartens intended for children between one and seven years. The maximum size of a nursery group is 15 children.

Children of the pre-school age level are entitled to early years education provision in pre-school groups which may be found in nurseries-kindergartens Lopšelis-darželis and kindergartens (for children between three and seven years), kindergartens-schools Mokykla-darželis (for children between three and eleven years) or general education schools. The maximum size of such groups is 20 children.

Children of the pre-primary age level are provided education in pre-primary groups which may be found in nursery-kindergartens, kindergartens, kindergarten-schools or general education schools. The maximum size of such groups is 20 children.

The maximum number of children in groups of any age level is regulated by the health norms and rules approved by the Minister of Health.

Groups in pre-school institutions are formed from children of the same or different age levels. The guiding principles for the formation of groups are set out by the founder who takes into account requests from families and the possibilities of the educational institution.


3.8.1. Groups Providing Pre-School Education Curriculum

Groups in pre-school institutions are formed every year before September 1st. In kindergartens, when groups comprise children of the same age, they are usually of three education levels: Level 1 for children aged 3–4, Level 2 for 4–5 year-olds and Level 3 for 5–6 year-olds (children over 6 attend the third group). There can be children of different ages in a mixed group (if parents request that siblings attend the same group). Children of nursery age (1.5–3 year-olds) are brought up together in one group.

The minimum number of children per group is determined by the founder.

Every group has its own premises and the support staff. The teacher/educator does not change when the children move from one level to another. They usually stay on in the same premises (except for cases when


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they are moved from a nursery group to a kindergarten group as the latter may need a different type of furniture and facilities). The toys and teaching aids are adapted to meet the needs of respective age groups.

When admitting children to special groups providing education for children with various developmental disorders, multiplier 2 is applied to children with slight mental disorders, average or serious speaking handicaps or those children who are slightly deaf of hearing (one said child being equated to two children without any impairment), and multiplier 3 is applied to blind and deaf children and also to those suffering from complex multi-sensory impairment.

3.8.2. Groups Providing Pre-Primary Preparatory Education Curriculum

The number of children in a pre-primary preparatory education group may not exceed 20.

Pre-primary education Priešmokyklinis ugdymas groups may not be coupled with primary classes. A pre-primary education group may be joined up with a pre-school education group. In this case, both pre-primary education and pre-school education curricula are provided.

In groups of pre-primary education for children of ethnic minorities who are educated in their mother tongues, the maximum number of children is 20.

In groups of pre-primary education for children from families of ethnic minorities where part or all children do not know Lithuanian but are going to attend schools with Lithuanian as the language of instruction, the maximum number of children is 15.

3.9. Organisation of Time

An institution of pre-school education or any other provider of the pre-primary education curriculum organises the process of education subject to the programme approved by the institution and the procedure established by the founder.

Pre-primary education is organised in schools of general education, pre-school education and special schools providing pre-primary education curriculum in accordance with the Outline of the Procedure for Organising Pre-Primary Education developed by the Ministry of Education and Science.


3.9.1. Organisation of the Year

An institution of pre-school education is usually run all the year round (if the founder does not establish otherwise in his Procedure). Pre-school education is provided in cycles starting from September 1st and finishing on September 1st the following year.

Pre-primary education curriculum takes one year (in exceptional cases two years). According to recommendations, pre-primary curriculum should cover a period of education activities lasting for at least 640 hours.

3.9.2. Weekly and Daily Timetable

In an institution of pre-school education and its pre-school and pre-primary groups, the duration of the working hours is established by the founder of the institution subject to the parents’ requests.


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The duration of the working day may vary to a great extent depending on the founder. There are pre-school institutions working for 3–4, 5–6, 9–10.5 or 12 hours on weekdays and also others working for 24 hours a day (weekly kindergartens).

The developmental activities in pre-school groups are organised in the following way:

- 1015 minutes of group activity (greeting, discussions, reading on a chosen topic and the planning of further activity) at the beginning of the day starting at 8 or 9 a.m.;

- 4590 minutes of freely chosen activity of the children;

- 510 minutes of group activity (presentation of work performed by the children);

- 1.52 hours of outdoor activity (games, sports, excursions, cognitive activity, etc.);

- about 1.5 hours of midday nap.

The second half of the day is given over to some freely chosen activity of the children in special activity lots arranged by the teachers and also in activity centres. The day ends with a leave-taking ritual.

In all groups where educational activities last for more than four hours per day, children are provided with facilities for having meals and rest.

In pre-primary education groups, schooling activities usually begin not earlier than at 8:00 a.m. In pre-primary groups where educational activities last for more than four hours per day, children are provided with facilities for having meals and rest.

3.10. Curriculum, Types of Activity, Number of Hours

Designing, testing and improvement of the curriculum and the most general directions of its implementation found reflection in the two state programmes: the Kindergarten Programme Vėrinėlis (The String) (1993) and the Guidelines of Pre-School Education: a Curriculum for Teachers and Parents (1991).

In 1993–1995, adequate methodological systems were being developed for the implementation of the curriculum. Over the said period, the theoretical and methodological basis for the creative complex education system, a set of teaching materials for Vėrinėlis and supplementary materials for the Guidelines of Pre-School Education were created.

In 2005, the Outline of Criteria for Pre-School Education Curriculum approved by an order of the Ministry of Education and Science initiated changes in pre-school education. It essentially changed the approach to designing the curriculum of pre-school education as the national curriculum was replaced by a process of designing decentralised curricula at the level of pre-school institutions. A dynamic understanding of the content of teaching and learning was put forward, which meant that the educational content was not considered to be finite and that the teacher was free to alter it in response to children’s experience, needs, interests and capabilities. Teachers were offered a creative and interpretative way of implementing the curriculum and a pathway for an evolutionary improvement of the curriculum content and methods through making the curriculum more individualised.


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In view of the needs, traditions and also material and pedagogic potential, every pre-school institution develops its own programme based on the Outline of Criteria for Pre-School Education Curriculum to produce an original model reflecting the needs of children and their families and characteristics of the region, thus alienating pre-school education from unification and standardisation. Since 1 September 2007, all pre-school education providers have been working according to their own programmes.

Prior to the actual decentralisation of the curriculum content, a significant amount of preparatory work was accomplished, including testing of the criteria and curriculum development in institutions of pre-primary education and participation of all pre-school education providers in the training on modeling and development of the curriculum. Evaluation of the education curriculum content was carried out in 2008.

Ikimokyklinio ugdymo gairės. Programa pedagogams ir tėvams

Vaikų darželių programa: Vėrinėlis


3.10.1. Pre-School Education Programmes and Curriculum Content

Programmes of pre-school education institutions must comply with the following general requirements: education provisions must adhere to the principles of humanistic and constructive pedagogy, define the status of the family and the pre-school institution and outline possibilities for their interaction, set out the key benchmarks of the education content and also methods and measures for its implementation, outline the main achievements/outcomes and ways to assess them and also provide reference literature and other sources.

Programmes of pre-school education are not broken down into separate subjects. They set forth the goals and modes of activities for each age group, including physical exercises, games (traditional, creative, agile and didactic), communicative activities, development of speech, artistic activities (art, drama and music), cognitive-exploration activities and work related activities.

The various kinds of activities are integrated with a view to the child’s developmental peculiarities and the rhythm of his/her life. Every group in the kindergarten creates its own rhythm of life and sticks to it. The group’s rhythm of life is shaped by several factors, including: 1) interchange between spells of children’s activity and leisure, 2) an adequate proportion between the organised and freely chosen activity, 3) provision of sufficient time for a particular activity, 4) harmonious interchange of activities stimulating the child’s physical, psychic and social development, 5) coordination of cognitive activity and 6) appropriate rhythm between routine and holidays. The rhythm of the child’s individual life is also taken into consideration by interspersing his/her activity with rest and agility with relaxation, also by letting children engage in activities of their own choice, communicate with others or refrain from it and so on.

3.10.2. Pre-Primary Preparatory Education Programmes and Curriculum Content

Pre-primary education is provided according to the General Programme of Pre-Primary Education and Self-Education.

The curriculum content of pre-primary education Priešmokyklinis ugdymas is based on the following principles: development of attitudes based on values, social and cultural orientation, awareness of purpose, accessibility, integrity and continuity. The content of the pre-primary education curriculum is focused on the


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development of the child’s general competences covering the following areas of development: social and physical competences, knowledge and understanding of the world, communication and creative development. The content of education is implemented throughout the entire time spent by the child in the pre-primary group: while doing the daily chores, preparing to have an afternoon nap or go and play outside, in informal communication with the teacher and the visitors of the group and also participation in spontaneous games or activities organised by the teacher.

The minimum duration of the curriculum implementation amounts to 640 hours. It involves the following types of activities:

- Communicative activities (mother tongue − the language of instruction to be used by the child, communication);

- Artistic activities (art, music, dancing and theatre);

- Cognitive activities (social, cultural, environmental, including development of elementary mathematical images);

- Physical training and health care;

- Working activities (games and basic working skills).

These activities are integrated, i.e. they are not broken down into discrete units, and last 700 minutes (20 regular tariff hours) per week. It is also possible to choose a module of a different duration, for example, that of 1,260 minutes (36 regular tariff hours) per week. In the event of choosing the 36 hour modules, children are provided with facilities for having meals and rest.

Education is a seamless process. It is not broken down into separate activities (subjects) and is provided as an integrated whole.

The curriculum is adapted to each child and the level of the group. Adaptation of the curriculum to the child’s needs is based on the child’s competences and experience thus trying to offset and neutralise the identified gaps in his/her education. The child’s educational needs are identified during the child’s first month in a pre-primary group through the observation of his/her everyday activities and analysis of the tasks performed.

The curriculum is adapted to the level of the group by taking into consideration the needs and characteristics of all the children in the group.

Children who are native speakers of other languages or come from mixed families are taught Lithuanian according to special programmes that meet the level of the children’s command of the state language. Special attention is paid to the development of social skills in children coming from families that belong to the social risk group; such children receive special emotional support and undergo a therapy of play and arts. Stimulating, corrective or rehabilitative methods are applied in the education of children with special needs.

Any child who has failed to attend the pre-primary education group for more than two thirds of the time indicated above (out of 640 hours) is considered not to have covered the pre-primary education curriculum.



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3.11. Education Methods and Forms

Teachers have a right to freely choose educational activities and methods consistent with the regulations of reformed pre-school education. Teachers are obliged to improve the content of education and the relating teaching forms and methods tailoring them to the changing needs of education. In groups of children with special needs, teachers are obliged to tune the necessary education methods and choose the relating teaching aids.


It is recommended that a complex education system be applied to the upbringing of children in kindergartens. It ensures the optimum conditions for the realisation of the goals of pre-school education by observing the basic principles of the education reform and changing the approach to children’s education (discarding the academic subject-based teaching and replacing it with the type of education where the child is brought up, trained and taught through his/her involvement in activity and play that comes natural to pre-school learners thus stimulating their own experience and involvement).

When applying other methods of upbringing, it is necessary to take account of the following: 1) the pedagogues should take responsibility for the results of the newly applied methods and supply parents with objective information on the merits and shortcomings of the new methods; 2) the newly chosen method should not run counter the innovative direction in upbringing; 3) the programme of education is narrowed, extended or altered only based on the Outline of Criteria for Pre-School Education Curriculum.



Pre-primary education Priešmokyklinis ugdymas is based on the following methods and educational forms:

- creating favourable conditions for the child’s play and other activities, alternate use of various methods, the teacher’s direct communication with the child, creation of situations stimulating the child’s self-expression;

- supporting the games initiated by the child, encouraging the child to suggest or invent new games;

- enriching the child’s experience by creating situations where the child is urged to explore, search for information, make ’discoveries‘ and find solutions to various problems;

- a very careful modeling of the child’s behaviour and actions;

- suggesting themes, projects, games, activities, playthings, art works, materials interesting to the child and contributing to the expansion of the child’s experience;

- implementing projects devised by the children.

Every group of pre-primary education develops its own package of teaching (learning) strategies for pre-primary education. It is comprised of main and complementary strategies to be used individually and collectively. The strategies are incorporated into the package only after they have been found purposive, constructive, positive, effective, comprehensive, economical, diverse and open to change. They are aimed at assisting the children in developing various competences. A document that helps develop a package like this is Conception of a Teaching Aid for Pre-Primary Education approved by a ministerial order. It defines the


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teaching aids to be used in pre-primary education and the scope of their application and also sets out the principles for the selection of teaching aids and formation of the teaching aids package. The document is intended for pedagogues of pre-primary groups, managers and founders of institutions providing pre-primary education, developers and producers of those teaching aids, education politicians and the entire education community.

Conception of a Teaching Aid for Pre-Primary Education

3.12. Evaluation of Children

Education achievements attained by children participating in pre-school education programmes are assessed in accordance with indicators set out in the education programmes for respective age groups. The assessment of education achievements attained by children participating in pre-primary education programmes and the use of the assessment results are regulated by the Pre-Primary Education Standards and Outline of the Procedure for Organising Pre-Primary Education approved by the Minister of Education and Science.




The performance of pre-school age children is not subject to assessment.

The object of the child’s assessment is his/her physical, emotional–social and cognitive maturity. Group educators assess children’s progress through constant observation in line with the procedure established by the council of the pre-school educational institution and discuss it regularly with children’s parents (foster parents and guardians).


Evaluation of children’s progress and their achievements is regulated by the Pre-Primary Preparatory Education Standard. Learning achievements are evaluated and progress checked by a teacher providing pre-primary education. Throughout the entire course of the curriculum implementation, the children’s progress is subjected to continuous assessment based on a freely selected assessment means and methodologies. Evaluation of children’s achievements is carried out at the beginning and the end of the school year. Within four weeks from the start of the pre-primary curriculum, the teacher providing pre-primary education carries out the initial evaluation of the children’s attainments. On completion of the curriculum implementation, the teacher(s) providing pre-primary education carries(y) out the final evaluation of the children’s attainments and prepares (e) a free-form record-recommendation for a teacher of primary grades.


3.13. Support Facilities

Families raising pre-school children at home receive educational assistance according to a procedure established by the Minister of Education and Science.


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Children of 5–6 years of age who do not attend pre-school educational institutions receive educational assistance according to a procedure established by the Ministry of Education and Science. The Procedure for Providing Educational Assistance to 5–6 Year-Olds not Attending Pre-school Institutions was developed.

A psychologist with a degree in higher education provides psychological assistance to children. His duties include diagnostic, consultative and educational work.

Public health service specialists provide methodological assistance to teachers and parents on matters related to children’s health.

An increase in the number of high social risk families made pre-school educational institutions start establishing ward groups for neglected children and those who have been temporarily deprived of their parents’ care.

On noticing any instances of violence, intimidation, exploitation and sexual or other kinds of abuse against children, teachers must provide the necessary assistance to them and report the case to the management of the educational institution and institutions responsible for the protection of children's rights.

In 2008, the State target programme for establishing full-time positions of psychologists, special pedagogues and social pedagogues (generalist teachers) in pre-school educational institutions and pedagogical psychological services was launched. Target programmes for the improvement of professional qualifications of the teaching staff were developed and are currently implemented.

Every year since 2008, target funds for financing the newly established full-time positions of educators and pre-school education staff are allocated to municipalities from the country‘s central budget in the months of September-December. In addition, target central funds are allocated to municipalities for a partiaLfinancing of the pre-primary preparatory education curriculum based on the principle of allocating funds per pupil.

Procedure for Provision of Assistance to Children Aged 5-6 who do not Attend School

3.14. Private Sector Provision

There are very few non-state institutions of pre-school education. They are run in accordance with the principles governing the foundation of public institutions and organisation of their activities. Such institutions are maintained from the funds of the founder and the parents. Subject to the resolution of the municipality council, they may receive support, including the lease of premises, etc. from the municipality.

3.15. Organisational Variations and Alternative Structures

There are kindergartens that have groups where children are educated according to the Waldorf or Montessori methods. Vilnius has a private centre of the Montessori methodology. In 2002, pre-primary preparatory settings working according to the Suzuki method were set up. They are aimed at revealing and developing young talents at the earliest possible stage. Those groups are fully integrated into the school framework.

The appearance of Childhood Pedagogy Centres (CPCs) is a novelty in the educational system. In terms of quality, CPCs have become a model establishment of a new mode. The idea of these centres came into existence in 1997 on the initiative of the Egmont Project in the Open Society Fund Lithuania (OSFL). They


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were conceived as methodological centres. They are called Childhood Pedagogy Centres because they not only offer education but also initiate and test innovative pedagogical processes, methods and models. These methodological centres organise lectures, hold conferences, seminars and methodological workshops for children and teachers; they receive students for teaching practice and put their projects into practice. CPCs are set up in institutions that invite teachers to come and not only familiarise themselves with innovations but also observe how they are put into practice (at the same time, their participation in the activities of CPCs is regarded as in-service teacher training and given a formal assessment). CPCs may be set up in a state-run or private kindergarten, a kindergarten-school or in a primary school. In 2008, there were thirteen Childhood Pedagogy Centres.

Organisational variations and alternative structures in education are applied by private and denominational pre-school education institutions (of non-traditional religions).

Changes in pre-school education were also affected by Lithuania’s participation in international projects focusing on various innovations, including The Sound Kindergarten stressing the importance of the systemic change in institutions to ensure the child’s security and good health, the Danish Egmont Petersen Project highlighting the way of achieving quality education through projects, Head Start stressing the importance of child-centred education and involvement of the family in the educational process, Zippy’s Friends presenting strategies and ways of overcoming the child’s daily difficulties. These ideas of the pre-school education change provided a favourable context for the search of new models in pre-school education, development of their theoretical foundations and insights into ways of their practical application.

Since 2000, Lithuanian kindergartens have been participating in the international Young Europe programme (Zippy’s Friends). In 2007–2008, the participants included nearly one third of all Lithuanian kindergartens and their teaching staff. Although the programme was intended for six-year-olds, it may be applied to 5–7-year-olds. Children are taught to overcome their everyday difficulties, understand their own feelings and talk about them, experiment with and apply methods which help them feel better and also cope with complicated or critical situations. In the 2008–2009 school year, the programme Zippy’s Friends was implemented in 58 municipalities of all Lithuanian counties. The number of children to have joined the programme amounted to 15,725, which makes 24.6% of the total number of Lithuania‘s 6–7-year-olds, or 30% of this age group children attending education institutions. The programme Zippy’s Friends was incorporated into the National Programme for Prevention of Violence Against Children and Provision of Child Support for 2008–2010.

3.16. Statistics

Pre-school education providers

2000 2003 2004 2005 2007 2008

Total number of pre-school education providers 714 672 655 656 649 654

Nurseries-kindergartens 533 525 519 524 525 534

Kindergartens 181 147 136 132 124 120

General education schools with pre-school education settings 259 296 241 249 203 209


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Number of children in pre-school education institutions

2000 2003 2004 2005 2007 2008

Total number of children: 90,087 89,469 88,423 90,021 93,044 95,136

in nurseries-kindergartens 66,597 67,228 67,374 68,184 71,314 74,649

in kindergartens 9,182 6,740 6,628 7,722 8,093 8,114

in kindergartens-schools 12,571 13,726 13,083 12,091 11,705 10,627

in general education schools with pre-school education settings

1,737 1,775 1,338 2,024 1,932 1,746

Percentage of children attending pre-school education institutions, as compared to the total number of children within the respective age groups, 2008 (end of year)

Total Urban areas Rural areas

Aged 1-6 years and older 56.9 75.3 23.7

Aged up to 3 years of age 23.2 32.0 6.2

Aged 3-6 years 74.8 99.2 32.2

Number of pre-primary preparatory education settings and children in them

2000-2001

2003-2004

2004-2005

2005-2006

2007-2008

2008-2009

Total number of pre-primary preparatory education settings

1,076 1,991 2,050 2,185 818 1,963

Total number of children in them 16,171 29,724 31,628 27,376 9,816 28,096

Number of pre-primary preparatory settings in schools of general education

632 843 896 999 1,248 8,81

Number of children in them 7,692 9,620 10,342 11,727 16,227 8,870

Number of pre-primary preparatory settings in pre-school education institutions

444 1,148 1,154 1,189 1,894 1,082

Number of children in them 8,479 20,104 21,286 15,649 26,043 19,226

Number of places in pre-school education institutions

2000 2005 2007 2008 Number of places per 100 children attending pre-school education institutions

91

96

96

97

In urban areas 89 94 94 97

In rural areas 110 109 106 96

Number of places per 1,000 children of pre-school age

356

454

488

505

In urban areas 491 627 665 694

In rural areas 123 158 176 162


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Founders of pre-school education institutions

Number of institutions Number of children

2007 2008 2007 2008

Total 649 654 93,044 95,136

Municipality 645 648 92,781 94,774

Community 3 3 70 130

Private person - 3 122 232

Joint venture 1 - 71 -

Pre-school education institutions by the language of instruction

Pre-school education institutions and the language of instruction

2005 2007 2008

Total 656 649 654

Lithuanian 561 565 560

Russian 16 16 19

Polish 11 10 10

Lithuanian and Russian 24 14 18

Lithuanian and Polish 25 25 23

Lithuanian, Russian and Polish 9 9 15

Russian and Polish 9 9 8

Lithuanian and another language 1 1 1

Special purpose pre-school education institutions

Number of institutions Children in them Special purpose pre-school education institutions (including institutions of other types with special purpose settings)

2007 2008 2007 2008

Total 111 84 3,620 3,068

Out of them for children with special needs relating to the following impairments: hearing

6

6

56

94

speech 40 39 2,213 1,488

eyesight 8 2 372 212

mental 3 3 149 135

motor and support apparatus defects 5 3 152 159

complex 49 31 678 980


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Teaching staff in pre-school education institutions (end of year)

2005 2007 2008

Total teaching staff 12,136 12,526 13,120

Directors 656 649 654

Deputy directors 654 651 690

Teachers/Educators 8,767 9,061 9,568

Teachers of artistic education 820 846 890

Special pedagogues 154 153 151

Speech therapists 690 731 802

Psychologists 29 38 88

Other pedagogical staff 366 397 277

Percentage of children in pre-school education institutions, as compared to the total number of children within the respective age groups

5 year-olds 6 year-olds 7 year-olds 2005 62.6 58.7 2.2

2007 67.1 62.8 1.7

2008 69.5 64.2 2.3

Percentage of education coverage at the pre-school education level (ISCED 0)

2000 2005 2007 2008 Gross 56.3 68.9 72.5 74.8

Net 54.2 67.9 71.7 74.0

Sources: Education 2008 / Statistics Lithuania

Švietimas 2008



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4. Primary Education O r g a n i s a t i o n o f t h e e d u c a t i o n s y s t e m i n L i t h u a n i a , 2 0 0 9 / 1 0

41 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 2710

LOPŠELIS-DARŽELIS

DARŽELIS

GIMNAZIJAKOLEGIJA

















Source: Eurydice.

The goal of primary education is to develop a healthy, active and creative child who has acquired elementary literacy, social, informational and cognitive skills as well as the fundamentals of human values.

Primary schooling constitutes the first level of education according to the Lithuanian Classification of Education (2000) and ISCED 1997. The primary education programme is a formal four-year programme of schooling (comprising grades 1–4) upon completion of which learners acquire primary education.

The primary programme is implemented by the following types of schools: kindergarten-school (comprising pre-school, pre-primary and primary education), primary schools (comprising primary education), basic schools (comprising primary and basic education), secondary schools (comprising primary, basic and secondary education), special education schools (comprising pre-primary, primary, basic and secondary education), special education centres (comprising pre-school, pre-primary, primary and basic education), children socialisation centres Vaikų socializacijos centras (for juvenile delinquents), hospital schools, sanatorium schools, adult schools and adult education centres.

Primary schools may function as independent educational institutions. Primary grades (1–4) may be part of basic and secondary schools of general education. Grades like this may sometimes be established in gymnasiums (particularly in rural areas). Generally, basic and secondary schools have their primary classes separated and functioning in separate buildings. In rural areas, there may be small-contingent primary schools which, due to the small number of learners in them, may contain classes where schooling is provided to children of the same education level but belonging to different age groups.


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Lietuvos švietimo klasifikacija


In the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the first (Cathedral) schools are known to have functioned at the end of the fourteenth century. From the fifteenth to the middle of the nineteenth century almost all primary schools were called parish schools.

The eighteenth century, with the development of capitalism in Europe and the spread of the ideas of Enlightenment, marked a turn to secular education. The Educational Commission (founded in 1773) attempted to subject primary schools to its power, make them secular and expand their programmes.

Primary schools were one-grade schools and two-grade schools. The latter were very few. One-grade primary schools were most widely spread. A new type of the two-grade primary school also appeared; this school was more closely related to life and the needs of agriculture and industry and was a school of the realist trend. Apart from the official primary schools, rural schools known as ’bakalorija‘ were widely spread in the eighteenth and the first half of the nineteenth centuries. In these schools, a teacher employed by the peasants taught the children of one village or those of several families.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, single-class rural primary schools in which learners of three or four grades were schooled together dominated in the part of Lithuania governed by Russia, whereas primary schools comprised of two classes or four separate classes functioned in towns. From 1918, there functioned four-grade primary schools in independent Lithuania. Their reorganisation into six-grade primary schools began in 1936. In 1922, the Law on Compulsory Primary Education for 7–14 year-old children was adopted and its implementation started in 1928. In 1931, compulsory primary education was officially realised.

Following the occupation of Lithuania by the Soviet Union in 1940, the system of education fell under the dictatorship of the aliens. Compulsory four-year education was introduced and the education of adults catered for. When the gymnasiums and pro-gymnasiums were reorganised into secondary and seven-year schools in 1949, primary schools were attached to them. There remained few independently functioning primary schools, mostly in the villages. Up to the 1970–1971 school year, primary schools were four-grade schools; they became three-grade schools in the period between the 1971–1972 and 1985–1986 school years. When children started to be schooled from the age of 6 in 1986, primary schools again turned into four-grade schools.

When independence was restored in 1990, Lithuania undertook the education reform. The General Concept of Education in Lithuania (1992) discusses the significance and the objectives of primary education as the first concentre of school education. Changes in education content were initiated from the very first steps of the education reform. In 1990, draft programmes for the primary school were prepared and experimental programmes were developed in 1991. 1992 saw the publication of pre-school and primary programmes in line with the guidelines of the education reform. In 1994, drafts of the general curriculum framework for schools of general education and, in 1997, the curricula themselves (for classes 1–10), alongside with education standards, were published.

In 2003, the revised general curriculum framework and education standards for primary schools were provided. The general teaching plans were adjusted and the requirements for regulation of the learning load at school were tightened. Those documents, in principle, finalise the work that has been continuing for over a decade of restructuring the education content in schools of general education.


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The new version of the Law on Education of the Republic of Lithuania (2003) defines that the purpose of primary education is to provide an individual with the basics of moral and social maturity, culture (including ethnic culture) and elementary literacy, as well as to assist him/her in preparing for learning according to the basic education curriculum.

In 2008, the General Curriculum Framework for Primary and Basic Education was approved by an order of the Minister of Education and Science. The updated primary and basic education curricula are the main documents regulating the contents of education and specifying what and how pupils are taught and what results they are expected to attain.

Since 2009 September 1, the adoption of the updated content of the primary education curriculum has started the roll-out of the curriculum renewal across the country. The aim is to move away from memorising and reproduction of knowledge and focus on the development of skill- and value-based general competencies. The curriculum discloses the content of such competencies as communication, sociability, cognition, creativity, healthy lifestyles and learning to learn and also highlights the importance of transition from knowledge acquisition to the development of skills and values. The curriculum describes the general didactic principles which the competence-based primary education should be based on, brings out the content of pupils’ aptitudes, values and knowledge necessary for the development of those competencies. Orientation of the curriculum to competencies does not lead to the exclusion of subjects taught but change the attitude towards the educational objectives.

The curriculum change is accompanied by introduction of a new pupil assessment concept in primary schools. The focus is placed on formative assessment based on the principle of individual progress and criteria defined in the education standards to the exclusion of the customary traditional assessment in marks.


Pradinio ir pagrindinio ugdymo bendrosios programos



Introduction of the updated general education curricula in primary grades is supported by counseling and guidance provided to school teams and teachers working according to the new curricula in the country's schools. Round-table discussions and meetings with school communities have revealed a number of problems facing the education process. The main problem at present is related to the assessment of pupil achievements. There are many questions about what should be seen as proper assessment of pupils’ progress and what evaluation system would be most suitable for encouraging them to achieve better results while maintaining the ideographic principle of attainment assessment. Currently, methodological guidance to help schools address the issues of assessment in primary education is being developed. The question under discussion is how and what pupil assessment results should be reported to pupils' parents and school communities. It is planned to develop a detailed description of the primary education curriculum.

Long-term success indicators of the general curriculum implementation will allow monitoring and evaluation of the general curriculum effectiveness. Implementation of projects supported by the School Improvement Programme Plus (23 funding agreements were signed in 2009) will contribute to the overall quality of general education: standardised student evaluation and self-assessment tools will be developed and


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implemented; professional expertise skills, educational competencies and managerial excellence of educational specialists are further strengthened.

After the introduction of one freely chosen foreign language (English, German or French) beginning with grade 2 in every general education school from 1 September 2009, more emphasis is laid on the in-service training of foreign language teachers who work with primary school pupils: teachers are provided with counseling and guidance, workshops and methodological teaching aids.

The revised Law on Education (its draft is currently under discussion) provides for validation of primary education certificate. It would be issued upon acquisition of primary education.

School Improvement Programme Plus


The general documents regulating the functioning of schools providing primary education include the Law on Education of the Republic of Lithuania (2003), Requirements for the Regulations on State- and Municipality-Run Schools (2004), General Teaching Plans and other legal documents of the Ministry of Education and Science governing general education.

In 1994, general curricula were drafted. In 1997, the Collegium of the Ministry of Education and Science approved the General Curriculum Framework for the Lithuanian basic school of general education (grades 110) and the project of Standards of General Education for the basic school (grades 110).

On 3 February 2003, the Minister of Education issued an order that approved the Concept of Primary Education. The Concept is intended to define primary education as one of the levels of education in the Lithuanian system of education setting forth its goal, objectives, principles of curriculum design, methods of education, principles of assessment, relations between primary education and other stages of education, its organisation and process.

Procedure for Consecutive Education According to General Education Programmes (2005) regulates admission of learners to follow primary education curricula, their promotion from grade to grade and to a higher level curriculum as well as repetition of a certain part of the curriculum and its completion.

In 2003, a newly prepared publication entitled ’General Programmes of Education and Education Standards. Pre-Primary, Primary and Basic Education‘ was released. The General Programmes define the goals and objectives, didactic principles and content of education and self-education for learners from 6–7 to 10–11 years of age.

A document entitled ’Procedure for Legitimating Attainments of Learning‘ (2003) regulates the process of legitimating learner’s attainments when studying according to primary, basic and secondary education curricula in certificates and also defines the way such documents or their duplicates are issued.

The Concept of Assessment of Learners‘ Progress and Achievements (2004) defines the goals and objectives in measuring learners‘ progress and achievements, sets the principles and provisions of general and continuous assessment in the process of education or final assessment (upon completion of the programme), and defines the role of assessors.


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The Minister of Education and Science issued orders to confirm the Conceptual Framework for Cultivating Talents According to the Suzuki Model in Lithuania (2005), Understanding of the Montessori Pedagogical Teaching in Lithuania (2004), the Conceptual Framework for Waldorf Pedagogical Approach (2004) and the Understanding of Education Based on the Jesuit Pedagogical Teachings (2008).

A List of General Criteria for Admission of Pupils to State and Municipal General Education and Vocational Schools (2004) is a document laying down the basic criteria for admission of pupils to state and municipal general education schools that are run as budgetary or public institutions. Founders of budgetary institutions and general meetings of partners in public institutions are guided by those criteria when establishing the procedure for admission of learners to schools under their control.

Criteria for the Foundation, Reorganisation, Liquidation and Restructuring of General Education, Special Education and Vocational Schools and Institutions Providing Assistance to Pupils, Teachers and Schools (adopted in 2004 and amended in 2008 and 2009) is a document for guiding schools in enrolling pupils and forming classes.

In 2010, the Minister of Education and Science confirmed the Conceptual Framework for Non-Traditional Education the aim of which is to provide the basics of non-traditional education, define its place in the Lithuanian education system and specify the status, mission and basic activities of education providers working according to the non-traditional pre-school, pre-primary preparatory, primary, basic, secondary and non-formal education curricula.


Concept of Assessment of Learners' Progress and Achievements

Concept of Developing Talents in Lithuania

Concept of Primary Education

Conception of Montessori Pedagogy in Lithuania

Conception of Waldorf Pedagogy in Lithuania

Conceptual Framework for Non-Traditional Education


List of General Criteria for Admission of pupils to State and Municipal General Education and Vocational School

Procedure for Consecutive Learning in Accordance with General Education School Curricula

Understanding of Education Based on Jesuit Pedagogical Teachings


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In primary schools, the child’s physical, mental and emotional development that began at the pre-school and pre-primary preparatory education stages is continued and the foundations of the child’s relationship with the environment, other people and his own self are laid.

The purpose of primary education is to provide conditions for an individual to acquire the basics of moral and social maturity, the foundations of culture (including ethnic culture) and elementary literacy, as well as to assist him/her in preparing for learning according to the basic education curriculum.

Primary education is based on the principles of humanism, democracy, rationality (national identity) and openness (change).

Primary education is organised according to the following provisions:

Education is child-centred

Education is integral and complete

Education is differentiated and individualised

Education is contextual

Education is oriented towards interpretative and not reproductive learning

The process of education is interactive

Education is attractive and enjoyable.

The goal of primary education is to develop an active and creative child with elementary literacy, social, cognitive, informational and activity skills who has acquired the basics of common values and is prepared to continue learning according to the basic education curriculum.

In order to achieve the goal of primary education, the following targets are set:

- to assist the child in acquiring meaningful, relevant knowledge about himself, the world and other people;

- to help the child develop the skills needed to accumulate knowledge and experience, discover and put forward ideas and also design and implement projects;

- to help develop the personal competencies, necessary skills, abilities and values;

- to create conditions conducive to the development of personal competencies and a humane and democratically mature personality recognising national and universal values.


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An exceptional characteristic of primary education is its integrity, i. e. completeness, coherence and consistency. Primary education is organised as a single structure system without dividing, if possible, areas of education into unrelated parts or subjects.


In the management of the school network, the state and local authorities give priority to the requirement that primary grade pupils should attend school as close to their homes as possible.

The recent demographic changes and population migration within the country prompted the authorities to initiate the process of the general education school network transformation. Confronted with the regular decrease in the number of pupils, local governments have no other alternative than to reform the school network. In line with the Rules for Establishing the Network of Schools Implementing the Formal Education Curricula approved by a Resolution of the Lithuanian Government (2004) and the Methodological Guidance on the Transformation of the School Network approved by the Minister of Education and Science (2004), the municipal administrations have to draw up plans for the establishment, reorganisation, liquidation and transformation of the school structure up to 2012.

The distribution of the network of kindergarten-schools and primary schools run as separate institutions is not even in the country and some municipalities may not have a single one of them. Primary grades, however, are found in basic schools and the so-called ‘long’ secondary schools (providing different stages of education under the same roof), which greatly facilitates access to primary education.

Over the recent years, the number of schoolchildren in grades 14 has been decreasing. The number of primary schools has been also decreasing. The decline of primary schools is partially due to their transformation into divisions of basic and secondary schools. In 2008–2009, the number of urban and rural primary schools as separate institutions was almost the same (656 and 650, respectively). Primary schools in urban areas, however, were attended by nearly 3.5 times more pupils than those in rural areas. In rural schools, two-thirds of primary classes have less than 15 pupils, and one quarter of them less than 10 pupils. In urban schools, the majority of primary classes have 20–24 pupils.

The transformation of the school network by way of closing down some of the schools, particularly small ones, and affiliating many others to other schools resulted in the increasing numbers of children who had to travel more than three kilometres to reach their schools. In accordance with the Law on Education, all children attending rural pre-primary preparatory facilities and grades 1–8 have to be transported to the nearest school providing the curriculum designed for the age of the said children if they live more than three kilometres away from the school.

The numbers of learners who should be but are not transported to school are decreasing as the process of transportation of children to school and provision of schools with school buses is steadily improving. Some learners are taken to school by public or private transport. Under the Law on Transport Privileges, upon presentation of a learner certificate, transportation costs of learners travelling a distance defined by the founder are reimbursed from the founder‘s funds.

In 2008, the Lithuanian Government approved the Programme for Provision of Yellow Busses to Schools for 2009–2012. The goal of the Programme is to improve transportation of rural learners from liquidated or restructured schools implementing the general education curriculum and schools with the transformed inner structure to other nearest schools as well as equip state and municipal schools with buses equipped to meet


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transportation of learners with special needs. The Programme seeks to improve transportation conditions for rural children and learners with special needs. It is funded from the State Budget of the Republic of Lithuania.

Upon completion of the Programme, nearly 10,000 rural children living more than three kilometres away from school will have better conditions to reach their schools and approximately 1,300 learners with special educational needs will be enabled to attend schools nearest to their homes.

Guidelines for Restructuring of General Education Institutions’ Network

Programme for Provision of Yelow Buses to Schools for 2009-2012

4.6. Admission Requirements and Choice of School

The Law on Education (2003) stipulates that a child starts attending the first grade of a primary education school that calendar year when he turns 7 years of age. At the request of the child’s parents, provision of primary education may start earlier if the child is mature enough to undertake the said education. According to the Concept of Primary Education (2003), primary education may be provided to children who have reached the age of six.

Under the Procedure for Consecutive Learning in Accordance with Primary, Basic and Secondary Education Curricula, children who turn seven in the calendar year (or younger children if they are mature enough) and adults are admitted to follow a primary school curriculum according to a procedure established by the founder. A person’s admission to follow a primary school curriculum is documented by concluding an education agreement. An application is submitted and the agreement is signed by one of the parents (foster parents or guardians) on behalf of the child under 14.

Priority enrolment in a general education school providing primary education is granted to children living in the catchment area assigned to that school. In the case that parents (foster parents or guardians) or children express a wish to attend another school of general education implementing the necessary curriculum which is located in some other catchment area than that assigned by the respective municipality or to attend a school in the neighbourhood that belongs to another municipality, the child’s admission to the said school depends on whether or not it has any vacant places to offer. In the course of the school year, new learners are allowed to join the respective classes if there are vacant places in them. If the new learner living in the assigned catchment area arrives at the school at some point in time during the course of the school year, and the school has no vacant places to offer, he/she is sent to the closest school following the same curriculum.

Procedures for admission to a particular school are approved by the council of the municipality which is the school founder. The descriptions of the admission procedures approved by the municipality council include the following information: curricula implemented by schools under their subordination that pupils are admitted to follow, admission criteria, documents to be submitted for admission to school, the place where applications and other documents are accepted, the beginning and the end of the period for filing applications and the procedure for application registration and enrolment of pupils during the course of the school year.

The process of children’s admission to school and formation of classes proceeds until 1 September of every current year. In the event that all children living in the catchment area of the municipal general education school who expressed a wish to be enrolled to follow the primary curriculum have already been granted access to it, priority to occupy the remaining vacant places is given to orphans, children in foster care,


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children with special educational needs, children whose brothers and sisters are learning at the same school at the time of filing the application and children whose parents work in the territory serviced by the school.

Admission to gymnasiums of music, art and fine arts, art schools and conservatoires is granted to children with special artistic abilities and aptitudes. No service area is established for admission of learners to vocational schools, gymnasiums of music, art and fine arts, art schools, conservatoires, youth schools, hospital, sanatorium, special, adult schools, children socialisation centres and secondary schools and gymnasiums providing the secondary education curriculum.

Admission of children to the first grade runs parallel to ensuring favourable conditions for education and self-education of children of different physical, intellectual and social maturity. Prior to the child’s admission to any school providing primary education, his/her parents (foster parents or guardians) must submit the child’s birth certificate, a medical certificate about his/her state of health and an application. The parents are free to choose which type primary school the child will attend. They are free to decide which type of provision to choose for a child with special educational needs – provision in a special educational institution or integrated provision in a mainstream school of general education (upon recommendation of specialists and pedagogic-psychological services). See 10.

Concept of Primary Education



4.7. Financial Support for Pupils’ Families

Provision of education in state-run and municipal primary schools is free of charge. Pupils are also provided with free textbooks.

Social support is provided for children studying at general education schools according to primary, basic, secondary or special education curricula. Social support is not provided for children who are maintained (receiving free accommodation and meals) in institutions financed from the State or municipal budgets or are paid a guardianship (custody) benefit in accordance with the procedure laid down by laws.

From 1 January 2009, assistance to children placed under guardianship in a foster family increased. Children aged 3-18 years, or older are allocated a monthly benefit of 0.4 basic social benefit (BSB) (LTL 52). Family income is tested at the beginning of the calendar and school year; if the material situation of the family gets worse, free meals may be provided at any time during the school year and if it remains stable, provision of free meals is allocated for the whole year.

There are two types of social support for pupils: provision for free school meals and provision for pupil supplies.

Since 1 January 2010, pupils have been entitled to provision for free school meals and provision for pupil supplies if the monthly income per family member is less than 1,5 times the amount of the state supported income (SSI) (LTL 525).


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Taking into account the living conditions of families, pupils may be provided free meals if the monthly income per family member is less than 2 times the amount of SSI.

Free meals may be provided to pupils in full-day summer camps organised by schools during summer holidays if the monthly income per family member is less than 1.5 times the amount of SSI (2 times the amount of SSI in particular cases).

The decision on what particular form/forms of free school meals – lunch, meals in full-day summer camps organised by schools during summer holidays or, in exceptional cases, breakfast or afternoon tea – should be provided to pupils as a matter of priority is taken by the municipality administration.

The price allocated for the acquisition of a set of pupil supplies (including the purchase value added tax) amounts to 120% of the amount of BSB (LTL 156) per pupil during a calendar year.

Sets of pupil supplies for children from social risk families are formed for each pupil according to his/her individual needs, taking account of the number of pupils in the family and the supplies already available to them.

Social support for the acquisition of pupil supplies is provided in cash or in kind if the pupil is raised in a social risk family.

Administrations of county governors (up to 1 July 2010) and the Ministry of Education and Science administer provision for pupils’ free meals at schools established by them, and municipal administrations administer provision for pupils’ free meals at schools established by them and non-state schools established in their territory. Municipal administrations administer provision for pupil supplies to pupils who declared the place of residence in their territory or to those who live there.

Social assistance to pupils is financed with special targeted grants of the State budget to municipal budgets, the general appropriations allocated from the State budget to administrations of county governors and the Ministry of Education and Science, funds of municipal budgets, also funds allocated by the founders of non-state schools and other funds obtained in accordance with the procedure laid down by laws.


4.8. Age Levels and Grouping of Pupils

In a primary school, pupils learn for four years (between 6–7 and 10–11 years of age).

Primary schools operate on the basis of one shift of pupils per day but they may operate on the basis of two shifts per day in larger towns with considerable numbers of pupils.

There is only one teacher in primary forms, who teaches all subjects. There may be exceptions when, for instance, the teacher lacks the required qualification (does not know a foreign language or is not familiar with the basic techniques for teaching dancing, etc.). Usually the same teacher teaches the same pupils throughout the four years, beginning with the first and finishing with the fourth grade. The number of learners in grades 1–4 should not exceed 24.


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In small-contingent schools, multi-grade classes may be formed. In small-contingent schools, one primary school teacher works with one-grade class if there are 10 and more pupils in it, two-grade class if there are no more than 18 pupils, three-grade class if there are no more than 15 pupils, and four-grade class if the total number of pupils does not exceed 10. The decision regarding what grades should be joined together rests with the school administration.

4.9. Organisation of School Time

The General Teaching Plan of the Primary Education Curriculum for 2009–2011 regulates the implementation of the primary school curriculum, the curriculum tailored to the needs of pupils with special educational needs and also the curriculum of non-formal education in schools.

The goal of the General Teaching Plan is to assist the school implementing the primary education curriculum to plan, organise and implement it in the most expedient, purposeful and efficient way.

In line with the General Teaching Plan and other legal acts, the School Primary Education Teaching Plan is developed by a working team. The draft of the Plan is coordinated with the school council and the founder.

The Teaching Plan of a school working according to the Conceptual Framework of Non-Traditional Education is approved by the Minister of Education and Science.

Decisions regarding various forms of education activities and other aspects of education organisation are taken by the teachers’ council.


General Teaching Plan of the Primary Education Curriculum for 2009-2011

4.9.1. Organisation of the School Year

The school year begins on 1 September and ends on 31 August. The duration of a year-long education process is 32 weeks. The process of teaching that began on 1 September 2009 ends at the close of May 2010.

The school year for learners of grades 1–4 lasts 170 days. This figure includes the officially established public holidays (8 days). Learners are given breaks in autumn (of one week, including the public holiday), at Christmas (of two weeks, including the public holidays) and at Easter (of one week, including the public holiday).

Ten teaching days are allocated for additional school holidays (twice a year). The summer break should last at least two months.

The school year for learners of grades 1–4 may be divided into terms or semesters.


During the school year, classes for pupils of grades 1–4 normally take place 5 days per week.

In schools, classes start not earlier than at 8.00 a.m.


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Primary grades are provided with two variants of the teaching plan: one for schools with the Lithuanian state language as the main language of instruction and the other for schools with languages of ethnic minorities as the main language of instruction. In the first grade, the class lasts 35 minutes and in grades 2–4 it lasts 45 minutes. In the plans, the scope of subjects in the primary curriculum is indicated in hours and the scope of subjects in hours per week.

The duration of breaks between the classes and for lunch is established by the school in its regulations. The breaks between the lessons usually last for 5–15 minutes (most often 10 minutes). The lunch break is usually between the fourth and fifth lessons and lasts 20–30 minutes. The established time pattern for lessons and breaks is the same on all the days of the week.

The school may organise groups in which learners can stay after school. The length of learners’ stay in them is regulated by the school.

Hours for additional education of learners are assigned after school.

Schools with a huge number of learners may operate another shift. Grades 1 and 4 always work in the first shift. Unless there is a possibility to work in the first shift, grades 2 and 3 work in the second shift and the school itself decides when it should begin.

The duration of the weekly and daily timetable has to comply with the general health requirements for general education schools approved by the Minister of Health (2005).

4.10. Curriculum, Subjects, Number of Hours

From 1 September 2009, pupils of grades 1 and 3 started learning according to the revised General Curriculum Framework. All pupils of grades 1–10 will start learning according to them from the beginning of the 2010–2011 school year.

The revised General Curriculum Framework is based on the following principles:

- relevance to the public and the learner;

- the value for further education and work;

- availability;

- sustainable development.

The General Teaching Plan of the Primary Education Curriculum for 2009–2011 regulates the Implementation of the primary school curriculum, the curriculum tailored to the needs of pupils with special educational needs and also the curriculum of non-formal education in schools. The goal of the General Teaching Plan is to assist the school implementing the primary education curriculum to plan, organise and implement it in the most expedient, purposeful and efficient way.

In 2010, primary schools are working according to the teaching plan designed for 2009–2011.


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In developing the teaching plan for the implementation of the primary curriculum, the school follows the General Teaching Plan and other legal acts regulating primary education and school activities. The primary education teaching plan is developed by a working team set up by an order of the school principal. The draft of the plan is coordinated with the school council and the founder. The teaching plan is to be approved by the school principal before 1 September of the current year. The teaching plan of a school working according to the Conceptual Framework of Non-Traditional Education is approved by the Minister of Education and Science.

The teaching plan is comprised of two parts: subject classes and hours for non-formal education.

Subject classes are compulsory and non-formal education is elective.

Subjects and hours per week allocated to them for the implementation of the primary education curriculum in the 2009–2010 school year.

Number of subject classes per week Subjects

Grades 1–2 Grades 3–4 Primary education curriculum (Grades

1–4)

Moral education (religion or ethics) 2 2 4

Languages:

Lithuanian (mother tongue) 15 14 29

Foreign l-ges (English, French or German) 2 2 4

Mathematics 9 9 18

Perception and understanding of the world 4 4 8

Art and technologies 4 4 8

Music 4 4 8

Physical training 5 6 11

Minimal number of compulsory classes per pupil

22 in grade1 23 in grade2

22 in grade 3 23 in grade 4

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Classes distributed at the school‘s discretion 6

Maximum number of compulsory classes per pupil

22 in grade 1 24 in grade 2

24* in grade 3 24 in grade 4

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Non-formal education 8 8

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* only for pupils who have chosen early foreign language learning

Learners who study at schools where the language of instruction is other than Lithuanian, instead of Lithuanian study their mother tongue (14 hours in grades 1–2 and 14 hours in grades 3–4) and the state Lithuanian language (5 hours in grade 1–2 and 7 hours in grades 3–4).

The pupil’s parents (foster parents or guardians) choose one of the subjects of moral education: ethics or a religion of the traditional religious denomination or community.

One of the foreign languages (English, French or German) is taught in the second–fourth years of the primary education curriculum. The right to teach a foreign language can be granted either to a teacher who has the qualifications of a foreign language teacher and has completed a didactics training course designed for work


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with primary pupils or a primary school teacher who either has the qualifications of a foreign language teacher or is participating in the retraining study programme.

In grades 1–4 one class of physical training per week can be devoted to choreography.

A school engaged in arts-oriented education develops a target curriculum of arts education that is to be approved by the school principal. If a theatre specialist with teaching experience is available, theatre is recommended as one of the areas of non-formal education.

By way of agreement, the teaching plan should include the following:

- A possibility to increase the number of classes devoted to the implementation of the primary and musical curriculum and also primary and arts curriculum by 1–2;

- The initial choice of the primary curriculum content and also options of its differentiation and customisation;

- Organisation of integrated education;

- Integration of human safety (civil safety, fire safety and traffic safety) into other subjects of the General Curriculum;

- Integration of preventive and other programmes into the content of education;

- Ways of using Information Technologies in the process of education;

- Ways of organising non-formal education activities, etc.

Mobile groups may be formed for individual educational purposes (the teaching of moral education or an ethnic minority language, organising groups of special medical capacity during classes of physical training, provision of group consultations and special pedagogical assistance).

Non-formal education of children is implemented in accordance with the Conceptual Framework of Non-Formal Education (2004). Non-formal education activities are designed for the development of personal, social, educational and professional competencies of children who have opted for artistic, sports or other activities. Those activities are freely chosen by the pupils (or their parents / guardians) and are realised through:

- non-formal education programmes funded from the pupil’s basket;

- non-formal education programmes which may be implemented at school after all non-formal education hours have been used;

- cognitive activities;

- social, project and other activities.


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During holidays, children may engage in non-formal education activities in a manner established by the founder.

The school in which the language of instruction is other than Lithuanian is free to decide on the number of lessons to be allocated to the teaching of Lithuanian (as the state language) and the native language in class, taking into account the pupils’ linguistic abilities and needs. In the minority language medium schools bilingual education may be applied. The native language is taught in accordance with the Guidelines for Organising the Teaching of Minority Languages in General Education Schools (2006).

In view of the educational needs of an individual child or children groups, the content of education is made more specific through differentiation and customisation, expansion or narrowing. This can be implemented through complementary education focused on early language teaching or art-oriented education and creation of individual programmes.

Primary education curricula can be implemented by way of expanding the teaching of subjects in certain areas. Among the State-recognised study and training programmes contained in the State Register of Education and Training Programmes, there is a primary and art education programme; primary and fine arts education programme; primary and musical education programme which are designed for exceptionally gifted pupils. Those programmes are based on the Lithuanian educational traditions and the practical and methodological experience of artistic, musical and ballet activities. Their content is expanded by way of pedagogical and technological innovations in contemporary art education. The programmes are designed to develop pupils' artistic nature and individuality.




4.11. Teaching Methods and Materials

Working with the updated General education curricula, schools and teachers adapt the education content to the individual needs of pupils and classes so that pupils should achieve the best possible results within their abilities. In order to involve the pupil in an active and conscious learning, interactive teaching and learning methods are applied in the educational process:

- the teacher encourages his/her students' independent thinking, their active interpretative relationship with the teaching material and learning from experience;

- the teacher selects and organises the training methods and learning activities so as to make the learning process match their experience, abilities, interests, learning style, readiness to learn, available facilities and resources and the emotional climate in class;

- the learning materials and methods should promote a wide range of pupils’ activities.

Teachers are free to choose forms and methods of pedagogical activity and work out individual programmes. They must seek for forms and methods of pedagogical activity that best meet the needs of the general curriculum and its change.


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Lessons (periods) is the principal form of the primary education process. The teacher chooses methods of upbringing depending on the educational goals of the subject and on the educational aims of a particular lesson. Methods and strategies used in primary education meet the peculiarities of the development of young schoolchildren, help them apply the experience they have acquired and link it with the new content; they provide a possibility for children to learn independently, develop their moral values, general and subject skills, help them acquire the necessary knowledge; they encourage children’s initiative to establish their educational needs and assess their achievements; they correspond with the pupils’ psychophysical and intellectual abilities and are effective pedagogically (help achieve the educational/learning goals); they are attractive to the children of that age and are acceptable to the teacher.

Primary education employs individual and group work methods which encourage exploration, explanation, interpretation, problem resolution, project development, creativity (activating education methods). Such methods include conversation, discussion, interview, role play, simulation, games, projects, exploration (test, experiment), brainstorming, etc.

In pursuing general education aims, the teacher takes into account the peculiarities of the child’s age, individual peculiarities of the development of the child’s attention, perception, thinking, will and emotions, his/her inclinations and interests, and also works out and applies appropriate methods or their combinations.

The principal thing which is emphasized in the education programme for primary schools is to foster the child’s intellect and perception of the world through the integration of the subjects taught; it may have the intra-subject or the inter-subject mode. The teacher can choose the pivots of the integration of the subjects, which may be one or several, general or specific. There is also a thematic mode of integration when several subjects are joined into one unit (for instance, Lithuanian may be taught jointly with the cognition of the world).

In primary education, teachers use textbooks or sets of textbooks recommended by the Ministry of Education and Science; they have full discretion to choose additional teaching materials and aids. Taking into consideration the preferences of the pupils and their parents, teachers can choose textbooks or sets of textbooks and submit proposals concerning the choice to the School Council. The choice of supplementary educational aids – books of fiction, cognitive literature, readers, reference books, dictionaries, encyclopaedias, periodicals, practice books, audio/video/computer materials, etc. – is made by the teacher and the pupils, taking into account the level of the learners’ progress and achievements, their needs and possibilities and also the aims, content and methods of education.

When selecting the teaching materials and modes of their presentation, the teacher should think of how they will contribute to:

- fostering the child’s individuality;

- making the child aware of diversity of opinions and possibility of different solutions;

- communication between the pupil and the teacher;

- provision of the newest information which is not yet reflected in textbooks;

- humaneness of assessment.


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Pupils use textbooks supplied to them free of charge and practice books purchased with their own money. Teachers have teachers’ books. Primary grades use special textbooks representing different conceptions in music, alternative textbooks in mathematics, mother tongue, art and understanding of the world. The Ministry of Education and Science issues a list of textbooks approved for use in primary education, and schoolteachers are free to make their own choice.

Application of innovative methods and information and communications technology (ICT) are increasingly finding their way into schools. In the educational process, these methods provide wide-ranging opportunities for pupils and teachers to collaborate and communicate, making both teaching and learning more attractive and accessible. Teachers can apply ICT and other innovative methods in their work with pupils and parents, in organisation of their teaching and exchange of pedagogical experience. The Educational Development Centre is working on a project supported by the European Social Fund (ESF) which is entitled ‘Testing and implementation of the model for the improvement of primary school teachers’ and special education teachers’ competencies to use ICT and innovative teaching methods’. The project began in 2009 and would be continued until 2012. The goal of the project is to modernise primary education through introduction of innovative teaching methods and ICT. The main objectives are to improve primary school teachers’ and special teachers' competence in applying innovative teaching methods and ICT, create a methodology for organising the process of implementation in primary grades and test it in pilot schools.

At the Centre for Information Technologies in Education, one can get freely licensed computer programs that are disseminated as learning tools, find information about various other applications available for purchase and also about websites for teachers and pupils that they can have free access to. Pupils of primary classes are provided with computer games that help them acquire additional knowledge and skills in mathematics, natural sciences, foreign languages, information technologies and other fields and also develop their logical thinking and observation skills. Some of the applications are pilot projects intended for exploration and testing whereas others have already been positively assessed by experts and recommended for schools to be purchased. Further information on various educational application programs is available online at www.emokykla.lt.




4.12. Pupil Assessment

In 2004, the new Concept of Assessment of Learners’ Progress and Achievements was approved. It was designed to define the strategy of change in assessing pupils’ progress and attainments in line with the upgraded objectives and targets of pre-primary preparatory education, primary, basic and secondary education curricula. The principle of assessing each child’s individual progress has been applied since the very start of primary education restructuring (in 1992). The practice adopted has created the necessary preconditions for the improvement of assessment.

Assessment of pupils’ progress and achievements in primary education is based on the ideographical principle, when by way of comparing the pupil’s current attainments with those achieved earlier the overall progress is observed and assessed through formal (non-gradable and measured against set criteria) and non-formal modes of assessment.


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Assessment is aimed at assisting the pupil in learning and developing as a personality, providing a track-record of the pupil’s learning experience, attainments and progress, measuring the level of success achieved by individual teachers and schools and making reasonable judgements. Assessment is based on the current concept of education, psychological peculiarities of children depending on their age and individual needs of the pupil and is in line with the objectives of education and pupils’ self-development. In the process of assessment, measurement is made of all attainment targets that are expected to be reached by pupils in the process of education, including their knowledge and understanding, general skills and abilities in particular subjects, moral values and behaviour.

Within the process of assessment of pupils’ progress and achievements, the following types of assessment are used: formative assessment (orally and in writing), diagnostic assessment (according to the formalised way of assessment chosen by the school) and informative assessment (used to report on a child’s progress to whom it may concern). Formative assessment helps the teacher and the child decide in what direction the pupil’s learning and self-development should be taken forward and what actions are required for that end and also measures the progress achieved. Throughout the process, the teacher observes the pupils’ performance, discusses it and provides feedback encouraging pupils to assess their own learning process. Formative assessment is not usually formalised and recorded. Its aim is to determine whether the target goals and objectives of education have already been reached, to encourage and motivate pupils and provide constructive feedback. Formative assessment is not graded and its aim is not to exercise control but rather help the pupil in his/her educational development. The pupil’s performance is assessed orally or in writing when the teacher wants to help or encourage the child and direct his/her activities to achieve some understandable targets. The results of this type of assessment are not made public.

Diagnostic assessment is used to find out whether the set targets have been achieved, what assistance and in what form should be further provided and what further steps of learning should be made. Diagnostic assessment is usually adopted before proceeding with a new learning stage (subject, part of the course, etc.). Diagnostic assessment is based on observation of pupils and assessment of their homework and school tests. It helps identify their strengths and weaknesses and is significant only when it is performed systematically and when pupils and their parents are provided with constructive feedback.

The teacher is free to choose any form to formalize assessment (by making notes, entries, reviews, descriptions, etc.) the results of which are recorded in special assessment sheets, journals or class registers. The assessment materials (samples of pupils’ work performed, tasks for practical training, tests, etc.) are accumulated in assessment files.

Taking into consideration the results of both formal (in accordance with set criteria) and non-formal assessment (observation, talks, discussions, etc.), the teacher adjusts the methods applied, the requirements and the content of the material delivered. The parents are systematically provided comprehensive information on the progress of their child – the achievements, the gaps and the possible ways of overcoming the failures. The teacher regularly discusses the pupils’ progress and educational problems with the parents and also with the pupils during individual meetings (according to circumstances, but at least 2 or 3 times a year).

In primary grades, pupils’ progress and achievements are not assessed in marks.

At the end of each term (semester), information on pupils’ progress is entered into the Primary Education Record Book. In the 2009–2010 school year, achievements of pupils in grades 1 and 3 are recorded by indicating the level of attainment (satisfactory, basic or advanced) in the corresponding columns of the Record Book according to attainment characteristics described in the General Curriculum Framework. In the


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2009–2010 school year, achievements of pupils in grades 2 and 4 are recorded according to assessment arrangements established by the school itself.

At the end of the school year, the progress of the fourth grade pupils in all subjects is assessed in the pupil’s educational record in compliance with the requirements of the Standards of Education.


4.13. Progression of Pupils

Pupils with satisfactory end-of-year assessment in all compulsory subjects of the teaching plan can continue into the next class.

On request from the parents and following a procedure established by the principal of the school, it is possible to check the child’s knowledge, competences and skills in the first half of the year. On ascertaining that the learner of grades 1–3 has already mastered the whole curriculum intended for the respective grade, he/she is promoted to the next grade before the end of the current school year.

Promotion to the next grade of learners whose end-of-year performance in some of the compulsory subjects or additional assignments is unsatisfactory is considered by the Teachers’ Council. After analysing the reasons for lagging behind, the Teachers’ Council may give the learner additional assignments and repeatedly discuss his/her promotion to the next class. The Teachers’ Council takes a decision advising the school principal to promote the learner or make him/her repeat the year. Promotion of the learner to the next grade or leaving him/her to repeat the curriculum is based on the order of the school’s principal. If the final grade pupil has a negative annual assessment in some subject for additional work given to him/her on completion of the primary education curriculum, he/she is retained in the same class to repeat the curriculum.

The final grade pupil is not promoted to the next grade and is considered to have completed the primary education curriculum. The primary education final grade pupil who has satisfactory annual assessment in all subjects of the teaching plan is considered to have completed the primary education curriculum, acquired primary education and a right to follow the basic education curriculum.

After the children complete primary education, their parents (foster parents or guardians) can choose the basic (secondary) school in which their children will continue their education.

4.14. Certification

Pupils in their final year of primary school (except for those who followed an adapted or special curriculum) who have satisfactory end-of-the-year assessment in all compulsory subjects of the primary education programme are considered to have completed the primary education programme, obtained primary education and a right to follow the basic education programme. The year of completion of the primary education programme coincides with the year of acquisition of primary education.

Pupils in their final year of primary education who leave primary school at the end of the school year without having completed the programme are issued an informal/unofficial certificate.


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Official certificates of primary education are awarded to pupils who have completed the primary education programme. In the certificate, under the word ’completed‘ a specific programme is indicated: ’primary education programme‘, ’primary education programme for adults‘ or ’primary education stage of the art gymnasium programme’.

4.15. Educational Guidance

At primary schools, guidance and support on informational, psychological, special educational, medical, social educational and other issues is offered to assist schools in implementing the objectives of education and meet the individual educational needs of pupils. A special emphasis is placed on pupils beginning to attend the first grade and those who move on to the fifth grade as they are in need of properly organised periods of adaptation.

The primary class teacher is the main person who takes care of every learner’s education, is interested in his/her inclinations and interests, safeguards his/her health, communicates with the learner and his/her family, is concerned about any problems that may arise, cooperates with other educators and institutions providing support to the child and his/her family and, if necessary, seeks help from other specialists working inside or outside the school, such as special pedagogues, speech therapists, social pedagogues and specialists of health care.

As pupils automatically transfer from primary schools to secondary education without academic selection, no special vocational information and guidance services are offered to primary school pupils. Information related to the world of work or professional career is integrated into the curriculum contents.

4.16. Private Education

Similarly to state schools, non-state schools base their activities on the Law on Education and other laws of the Republic of Lithuania, legal acts of the Ministry of Education and Science and Regulations of the General Education School of Lithuania. In their educational activities, non-state schools follow the requirements of the state general curriculum framework and education standards. Non-state schools can also apply non-traditional methods of education and pedagogical systems (those of Waldorf, Montessori or others). At present, there are eight non-state schools in Lithuania.

In 2009–2010, there is one private kindergarten-school and six primary schools. All of them have the status of public institutions. In addition, there are 29 non-formal schools of children education.

The founder must coordinate the regulations/statute of a non-state school with the head of the education department of the municipality in the territory of which the non-state school is to be established.

Non-state schools are maintained from the funds of their founders. To finance programmes providing the state standard level of education, non-state schools receive budgetary funds in a procedure established by the Government or its authorised institution in the same way as state or municipality schools of the same type (stage). Non-state schools also receive pupils’ baskets allocated from the state budget.

Any additional payment for education or teaching services in a non-state school is established by the founder on the basis of a contractual agreement.


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The need to develop educational institutions based on non-traditional educational principles is conditioned by the fact that traditional educational institutions do not sufficiently respond to the needs of the community in providing educational diversity. Emergence of educational institutions based on non-traditional educational principles increases the range of options for people to choose from, expands the diversity of Lithuanian educational institutions, promotes the process of modernisation in education, emergence of alternative education methods and also reflects and reinforces the spread of Lithuanian democratic origins in the country’s education system.

According to the Conceptual Framework on Non-traditional Education (2010), non-traditional education is education implemented according to formal (primary, basic and secondary), and (or) non-formal (pre-school, pre-primary preparatory and other non-formal) education curricula based on some unique pedagogical system (M. Montessori, Waldorf, Suzuki, etc.) or its separate elements.

Non-traditional education is part of the education system that is consistently equivalent to the traditional system of education comprising formal (except for vocational training and higher education) and non-formal education of children. Non-traditional education is implemented in non-traditional schools and in traditional schools according to the curriculum of primary and (or) other non-formal education.

General education schools using the non-traditional education systems, base education on general education curricula tailored to their own needs or develop their own curricula that have to be registered in line with the procedure established by the Minister of Education and Science. Non-traditional secondary schools work in accordance with their own education plans which conform to the general education plans, are coordinated with the school founder and confirmed by an order of the school principal.

The total number of subjects and hours allocated to individual discrete subjects during the entire period of schooling (grades 1–12) may not be more than 25% different from subjects specified in the state general teaching plans and the number of hours allocated to individual discrete subjects. The duration of organising the education process in a non-traditional general education school (days, weeks or the entire school year) may differ from the duration of organising the education process in a traditional school.

Alternative schools are free to choose teaching methods and strategies to help realise their goals of education. They can create a unique learning environment, develop and use specific instructional materials and school achievement assessment systems.

Waldorf pedagogy ideas first reached Lithuania about 15 years ago. In 1993, the Lithuanian Waldorf Pedagogy Centre was established. This Centre is a member of the International Association of Waldorf schools. The Centre disseminates the ideas of Waldorf pedagogy and promotes their creative application in Lithuania. It is also engaged in the activities of translating and publishing pedagogical and philosophical literature.

The essence of Waldorf pedagogy lies in making the content of education face the child. The focus is placed on human values helping the child disclose his/her personality and seek for what is good and beautiful. The content of education is finely tuned to the regularities of the child’s spiritual development and helps the


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child find himself/herself and cope with certain critical moments that may arise at various age ranges in the child’s development. Education helps develop and unfold pupils’ intellect, feelings and willpower.

In 1993, the M. Montessori Centre was established in Vilnius. In 1994, a kindergarten-school named after M. Montessori was founded in Kaunas. In 1999, the Lithuanian M. Montessori Association was re-registered in Lithuania. At present, Lithuania has one kindergarten-school, one primary school and the Vilnius-based M. Montessori Method Centre which employ the Montessori methods in education. Within the framework of the M. Montessori educational system, a particular enphasis is placed on the child’s individual activities. The basis for such activities is provided by the specially created educational environment adjusted to suit the different stages of the child’s development and the teacher who has the professional qualifications to apply the methods of the M. Montessori educational system in his/her work. Alongside the principles of the Lithuanian education system, the M. Montessori school adhers to the basic principles of that educational system, such as freedom in discipline, equality of rights, distinction, efforts to sustain the child’s positive activities, promote his/her self-control to avoid mistakes and achieve unity between the school and the children’s families.

In 1998, the Lithuanian S. Suzuki Association of Music Teachers was registered. It initiated the teaching of music to children according to the S. Suzuki method. In 2000, the introductory course to present the S. Suzuki method was organised. In 2002, the S. Suzuki school was granted the status of a primary school and the first pre-primary and primary classes were formed. The S. Suzuki method is referred to as the mother tongue method and is based on a purposeful musical education. The main principle of the S. Suzuki method is the belief that there are no unapt children and that every child possesses talent that has to be revealed by starting to teach the child as early as possible.

In the 2009-2010 school year, the country has the following non-traditional schools of education: three private primary schools, including the public institutions of Rudolf Steiner Remedial Medical Education Centre, Montessori Primary School in Kaunas, the Montessori Method Centre; the Municipal Montessori Kindergarten-School in Kaunas, Maria Montessori Kindergarten-School in Klaipėda; and a number of municipal basic schools (with primary grades), including the Christian School ‘The Word of Faith’, the public institution ‘Vilnius International School’, the public institution ‘International Meridian School’ and the public Institution ‘Universa Via’. In Kaunas, the municipality runs a primary school called Vėtrungė implementing the Suzuki educational methodology. There are Waldorf classes in Vilnius, Kaunas and Kazlu Rūda.

In 2004, the International School was established in Vilnius. It offers a programme of study that can be easily adjusted to learners’ abilities and needs and provides the children with experience reflecting the values of a democratic and multicultural society parralel with the Lithuanian culture and traditions.

Since 1994, the project ‘Good Start’, launched on the initiative of the Open Society Fund Lithuania, has been carried out in Lithuania. It is a Lithuanian arm of the international project ‘Step by Step’. The ‘Good Start’ differs from the traditional education by its educational setting as the process of teaching and learning takes place in discrete centres, with the space of the classroom divided into several parts and pupils individually selecting the centre in which they will work and the type of activity they will choose to engage in. The teacher is aided by an assistant, usually a trainee teacher, or parents who do the work voluntarily and other teachers.





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4.18. Statistics

Number of pupils at the primary school level (at the beginning of the school year)

2000 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Number of pupils

211,650 170,216 150,422 143,841 135,752 129,514 122,481

Percentage of education coverage (at the beginning of the school year)

2000 2002 2004 2006 2007 2008 Gross 103.6 103.0 101.9 99.0 96.9 96.5

Net 96.8 95.4 95.1 94.0 92.2 93.0

Number of primary education institutions and pupils in them

Type of schools 2007–2008 2008–2009 2009–2010 Primary schools 107 101 94

Pupils in them 22,189 20,980 21,138

Kindergarten-schools 111 105 114

Pupils in them 9,193 8,890 11,216

Private schools 7 7 7

Number of pupils following the primary education curricula in the 2009–2010 school year

Type of curriculum Number of pupils Primary education curriculum 117,655

Primary and art education curriculum 507

Primary and fine arts education curriculum 266

Primary and musical education curriculum 625

Foreign language learning in primary grades in the 2009–2010 school year

Grade Total English German French

Grade 2 28,403 28,081 222 88

Grade 3 28,330 27,959 257 98 Early learning

Grade 4 27,049 26,787 165 84

Grade 4 5,999 5,813 137 48

Primary grade pupils by the language of instruction in the 2009–2010 school year

Learning Grade

Number of pupils Lithuanian Russian Polish Belarusian English French

Grade 1 28,233 26,021 1,187 970 17 21 16

Grade 2 29,379 27,125 1,214 1,000 12 12 16

Grade 3 31,170 28,864 1,273 985 8 16 18

Grade 4 33,699 31,254 1,297 1,076 15 13 39


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Sources: Statistics Lithuania; EMIS (Education Management Information System), AIKOS (Open Information Counselling and Guidance System)



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5. Secondary and Post-Secondary Non-Tertiary Education

O r g a n i s a t i o n o f t h e e d u c a t i o n s y s t e m i n L i t h u a n i a , 2 0 0 9 / 1 0

41 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 2710

LOPŠELIS-DARŽELIS

DARŽELIS

GIMNAZIJAKOLEGIJA

















Source: Eurydice.

In accordance with the Lithuanian Classification of Education, the second level comprises basic education (providing the basic and alternative education programmes and also programmes of initial vocational education and training). According to ISCED, that level corresponds to lower secondary education (level 2). Secondary education belongs to the third level (providing the secondary education and gymnasium curricula and also programmes of initial vocational education and training). According to ISCED, that level corresponds to upper secondary education (level 3). Continued vocational education comprises the fourth level (ISCED level 4).

The basic and secondary education programmes are usually provided at general education schools, vocational schools (day departments), adult schools (evening departments) and adult education centres.

Under the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, education is compulsory to all pupils up to age of 16 (inclusively).




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An advanced school founded in Vilnius in 1539 was the first school in Lithuania to offer schooling similar to secondary education. Between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, other secondary schools were established in different areas across the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL). In 1570, the Jesuits established a college in Vilnius.

In the first half of the eighteenth century, secondary schools in the GDL increased in number, but the quality of instruction became inferior. Schools operated intermittently because of wars. From 1773, when the Education Commission started overseeing the education process, two types of secondary school were offering instruction: the six-form district school (a seven-year course of study) and the three-form small district school (a six-year course of study with each class lasting two years). Upon completion of either of the two types of school, pupils could enter a university. From 1803, a district school was called gymnasium (gimnazija) (6–7 years of schooling), a small district school was re-organized into a six-year county school. Part of these schools was financed and maintained by the Education Commission, they were referred to as academic schools; others were run by the monastic orders, but even these were accountable to the Education Commission. The gymnasiums and county schools differed in their educational focus (philological, technical, commercial and agricultural).

Until the middle of the nineteenth century, no age limitations were set to start secondary school. In 1870, the first secondary school for girls, which provided a complete gymnasium course (8 forms), was founded in Vilnius. In the second half of the nineteenth century, the first science-focused gymnasiums were founded.

In 1918, 24 secondary schools operated in Lithuania. The process of writing and publishing Lithuanian textbooks also gained impetus.

In the period between the two wars Lithuania began establishing complete eight-year secondary schools – gymnasiums (gimnazija) and incomplete four-year schools – pre-gymnasiums (progimnazija). The gymnasiums that focused on Latin or the so-called classical studies were predominant. Of them, some were one-sex, others co-educational. All gymnasiums charged tuition fees. In 1936, a school reform was started and seven-year secondary education was introduced. Two types of secondary schools were phased in: a humanitarian type and a school with science-focused curriculum. In the humanitarian gymnasium the humanities prevailed, and the science-oriented gymnasium’s programme was dominated by mathematics and natural sciences.

Until 1932, eight-form gymnasiums were operating in the Polish-occupied Vilnius region. After the hand-over of the Vilnius region to Lithuania, all secondary schools in the region were reorganized to comply with the Lithuanian regulations. Thus, in 1939, there were gymnasiums and pre-gymnasiums operating in Lithuania.

With the introduction of Soviet rule in 1940, the secondary schools were nationalized and the school was separated from the Church. In 1940–1941, reorganization of gymnasiums into 11-year secondary schools (including primary classes) was begun. With the introduction of compulsory seven-year education in 1949, the gymnasiums were reorganized into 11-year secondary schools, while the junior gymnasiums were transformed into seven-year schools (inclusive of primary classes). The working youth could get education in a gymnasium for adult workers or a junior gymnasium for the rural youth, which in 1949 were reorganized into secondary and seven-year schools for industrial and rural youth.

In 1959, secondary schools introduced extended day groups. In 1959–1963 seven-year schools were reorganized into eight-year schools, and eight-year education was made compulsory (effected in 1962). In


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the 1970s, secondary schools started offering intensified provision in some subjects. In 1975, the implementation of the general secondary education was essentially completed. In the 1986–1987 school year, 12-year education was introduced.

The declaration of the Programme of Educational Reform in Lithuania in October 1991, and the publication of the 1992 Concept of Education Reform in Lithuania marked the start of a reform in the sphere of general education. Ever since the moment the education reform was launched, special attention has been focused on the restructuring of education content (the curriculum, textbooks and pedagogical approaches).

In 1994, a draft of the General Curriculum Framework was published and was followed by the 1997 General Curriculum Framework for forms 1–10, and the National Education Standards (draft). The decentralisation of the core curriculum was a strategic turning point in the policy of curriculum building in the country. The curriculum content is integrated and offered in concentric blocks that reflect the new structure of the school: 4+(4+2)+2. The educational reform has made child-centred education possible. New types of general education institutions have been phased in, such as youth school, gymnasium, kindergarten-school; the secondary schools have introduced a disciplinary streaming ("profiling") practice. Non-state general education schools have started to appear. The period from 1992 to 2000 was marked by an intensive process of youth school foundation, with the establishment of the first youth school in the country in the 1992–1993 school year.

Changes in the education content were especially speeded up by a reform in examinations that started in 1998. The changed content and process of education required to change the process of assessment and develop a system in line with learners’ attainments outlined in the National Education Standards. In 2001, the project Assessment of Pupils’ Progress and Attainments in the Process of Education was launched. The goal of the project was to create an effective system to assess pupils’ progress and achievements, initiate creation of new effective assessment methodologies and their implementation in schools.

In order to reduce the number of dropouts among young learners, the compulsory nine-year schooling was replaced by the ten-year schooling.

As part of the process to implement the goals of the second phase of the education reform, the education content was further improved. In 2001–2004, the project on Bilingual Education was carried out. The key goals of the project were to improve the general communicative competences of learners of ethnic minorities, the respective learners’ competence in the state language and meet the educational needs of ethnic minorities in the sphere of bilingual education. In the course of the project implementation, a number of surveys were conducted. The schools gained considerable new experience.

In 2002, the new General Curriculum Framework for forms 11–12 of general education schools and the Education Standards were published.

In 2002, an investment programme of education in Lithuania entitled 'Education Improvement Project' was launched for implementation. The basic aim of the project was a radical improvement of the teaching and learning conditions of pupils attending grades 5–10 of general education schools (basic and secondary). The Education Improvement Project comprised the following integrated components: A. Improvement of teaching and learning conditions at basic schools; B. Creation of the system of quality management of education; C. Reduction of energy expenses and improvement of learning conditions; D. Optimisation of the school network. In each of the four components separate purposes and expected outcomes were defined. The programme was completed in 2005. Currently, the outcomes of the programme components are being evaluated.


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In 2003, the Provisions of the National Education Strategy 2003-2012 were approved. The Provisions envisage upgrading of education content and linking it with personal competences. The annex to the above mentioned document contains the Implementation Programme of the Provisions of the National Education Strategy 2003–2012 that identifies the key implementation measures, key indicators and outcomes of the National Education Strategy.

In 2003, the General Curriculum Framework and Education Standards (for pre-primary preparatory, primary and basic education) for grades 1–10 were approved. Those documents, in principle, completed an important stage in the process of restructuring education content in general education schools that started in 1994 when the project of General Curriculum Framework for General Education Schools in Lithuania was launched.

In 2008, the upgraded General Curriculum Framework for Pre-Primary Preparatory, Primary and Basic Education designed for the implementation of the key provisions of the National Education Strategy was approved. Schools have been working according to the upgraded General Curriculum Framework since 2009. Primary and basic education curricula are based on pupil competencies, they place emphasis on the importance to develop the skills of learning to learn, communicate and reveal the child’s artistic capabilities at the stage of primary education, and the importance to develop the pupil’s entrepreneurship and cultural competencies and the skills of learning to learn and communicate at the stage of basic education. Within the General Curriculum Framework, the content of education is described with regard to educational outcomes. In this way, effort is made to achieve important targets of the upgraded general curricula, such as reduction of the learning load and bringing different areas of education content into line with one another.

In order to develop a systematic and coherent process of curriculum change, the Strategy for the Design, Evaluation, Updating and Implementation of the General Education Curriculum was developed and approved by the ministerial order in 2007. The Strategy was aimed at improving decentralisation of education. It was developed by a working group set up by the Education Development Centre.

In order to modernise the curriculum content and education process, improve the professional qualifications of teachers, introduce innovative teaching methods and enhance students' educational options available in 2005-2008, the Education Development Centre, in conjunction with its partners, conducted a number of projects supported by the EU structural funds, including ‘Expansion of Options for 14–19 Year-Old Students to Choose Different Education Schemes’, ‘Development of ICT-based Education Content and its Implementation through the Use of the Integrated Model Course of Natural Sciences for Grades 5–6‘ and ‘Improvement of Primary and Special Education Teachers‘ Competencies of Using ICT and Innovative Methods of Teaching and Learning‘.

The key points in the development of the vocational education and training reform were as follows:

- In 1990, the vocational training reform was launched. Then, the secondary vocational technical schools were renamed vocational schools. In vocational schools, four stages were introduced. Curriculum development was decentralised and left to schools themselves.

- In 1991, the reform of restructuring technical schools into advanced vocational schools was carried out.

- In 1995, the Tripartite Vocational Education Council was set up at the Ministry of Education and Science; the Phare Vocational Education Reform Programme (Phare-94) was launched. This Programme and its follow-up (Phare-97) produced a great impact on the overarching development of the vocational training system. In the course of the Programme, a number of strategic documents, new education curricula and teaching


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materials were created. The financial support of the Programme was also spent on modernising the teaching equipment.

- In 1996, the Register of Vocational Education and Training Programmes that validated the Lithuanian Standard Classification of Qualifications was approved and the Vocational Training Methodology Centre (at present, the Qualifications and Vocational Training Development Centre) was established.

- In 1997, the Law on Vocational Education and Training was adopted and the levels of vocational education established.

- In 1998, the framework of vocational education standards was approved and the first standards introduced. In line with the Phare Vocational Education Reform Programme, implementation of the self-analysis-based quality assurance system was initiated. The Vocational Education and Training White Paper was issued. Lithuania joined the Leonardo da Vinci and Socrates programmes.

- In 1999, the classification of occupations was approved. The process of the vocational school network optimisation was initiated. Basic general education was extended to 10 years, and this contributed to the renewal of the vocational training curricula.

- In 2000, the first multifunctional regional vocational training centres were established. The reform of advanced vocational schools was launched, as a result of which they were restructured into non-university institutions of higher education, i. e. colleges and vocational schools. The Concept of the Training of Vocational Teachers in Lithuania was prepared and the Standard of the Vocational Teaching Profession defined.

- In 2003, the Vocational Guidance Strategy was approved. By way of experiment, the process of restructuring vocational schools into public institutions was started.

- In 2004, the system of financing vocational education and training was reformed and the pupil’s basket introduced. The process of upgrading the Law on Vocational Education and Training was initiated.

In 2007, in order to improve the quality of vocational training and make it more popular, the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania adopted the Law on Amendments to the Law on Vocational Education and Training and approved amendments to several articles of the said Law in 2009. The new Law on Vocational Education and Training with its amended articles legitimated the linkage between the vocational education and labour market training systems. The Law on Vocational Education and Training specified: the structure of the vocational training system; filing and management of a list of professional qualifications and establishment of the order for obtaining them; organisation and management of vocational training; and financing of vocational education and training. The Law marks a fundamental change in the vocational training system in Lithuania. The system includes: initial vocational training, continuing vocational training and vocational guidance.

In 2008, as part of the plans for the implementation of the Lithuanian Government Programme, the Government adopted a number of important programmes essential to ensuring the quality of education and its availability, such as the Programme for Returning School Drop-out Children back to School, the 2009-2012 Programme for the Restructuring of General Education Schools and Vocational Training Institutions and Supplying them with Teaching Materials (in 2009, this programme was changed into the Programme for Modernisation of Educational Institutions) and the Yellow School Bus Provision Programme for 2009–2012.


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Quality assurance of vocational training is one of today's priority objectives. In 2008, implementation of the project ‘Development and Implementation of the Uniform Quality Assurance System’ was completed.


Lietuvos bendrojo lavinimo mokyklos bendrosios programos ir išsilavinimo standartai XI-XII klasėms




Career Guidance Strategy


Law on Vocational Education and Training of the Republic of Lithuania



Programme for Returning School Dropout Children back to School



Strategy for Desing, Evaluation, Updating and Implementation of the General Education Curriculum


Within the context of the continuing reform of the basic and secondary education curriculum (during the coming four years), due regard will be paid to the main provisions identified by the working group that prepared an outline of the key competencies as part of the ’Education and Training up to 2010‘ implementation programme. Debates focus on changes currently taking place in the education system. Formal working groups and informal discussion groups involve representatives from all levels of education (colleges, universities, vocational schools, etc.).

Discussions and debates are ongoing on:

- provision of quality education for all;

- the EU educational goals and objectives, including key competences;


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- issues on transition from knowledge-based to competence-based education (discussed with teachers at seminars).

In 2009, to support the prevailing trend of progress, particular attention was paid to training teachers to work with the updated general curricula. Long-term success indicators of the general curriculum implementation will allow to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the general curriculum. Projects supported by the School Improvement Programme Plus continue to be implemented (23 funding agreements were signed in 2009).

In order to rationally absorb the allocations of the European Union structural funds for the 2007-2013 programming period alongside the co-financing of Lithuania provided for the development of practical training resources, the Practical Training Resource Development Programme was drawn up. The Programme plans to develop a network of sectoral practical training centres. This network will link educational institutions evenly distributed throughout the territory of Lithuania. The sectoral practical training centres and training institutions will be provided with modern equipment necessary for realisation of vocational training programmes and will be available for use by educational institutions of other levels. In order to maximise the use of the practical training capacities and provide high quality services to the largest possible number of users, advanced ICT-based training methods will be introduced and the technological competence of practical trainers and teachers will be further enhanced.

Upon completion of a decade-long process of the general education school network restructuring, the Ministry of Education and Science has submitted to the Seimas a Draft Law on Education that is to legitimise the new structure of the school network. Amendments to the Law on Education are to validate pre-gymnasium [progimnazija] as a new type of school, introduce a pupil‘s basket for children in pre-school education and those attending classes of non-formal education, etc. Amendments to the Law are deliberated at the Seimas and discussed by the general public and trade unions. The revised Law will introduce the following changes in the education system:

- By 1012, there will be no secondary schools in Lithuania. The network will comprise primary schools, basic schools, pre-gymnasiums and gymnasiums.

- From 2011, testing of achievements in basic education will be compulsory. The knowledge of pupils in grade 10 will be tested in Lithuanian, their mother tongue and mathematics.

- From 2011, it will be possible to allocate funds from the state budget to cover the economic costs related to the maintenance of private school facilities.

- It is planned to further reduce the bureaucracy and red tape in schools.

A working group set up by a ministerial order designed a project on the Concept of Non-Formal Education. Presentations of the projected Concept were attended by many teachers from arts and sports schools, private non-formal education institutions and members of the academic community. A working group at the Ministry of Education and Science is preparing a ‘Detailed Description of the Model for Financing Non-Formal Education’ the purpose of which is to establish criteria for financing children non-formal education schools and providing funds for non-formal education of children in mainstream schools.


Practical Training Resource Development Programme


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The beginning of the reform of the education system called for preparation of documents regulating general secondary education, an important chain in the Lithuanian educational system.

The main documents are as follows:

- The Law on Education of the Republic of Lithuania (adopted on 25 June 1991);

- The General Concept of Education in Lithuania (1992);

- The Law on Amendment of the Law Education (2003);

- The Law on Amendment of the Law on Vocational Education and Training (2007);

- The current wording of the Law on Education in force (containing an amendment adopted on 21 January 2010);

Different types of schools operate on the basis of the following documents:

- The orders by the Minister of Education and Science on granting the status of a gymnasium and gymnasium classes (1999–2000);

- The Concept of Non-Traditional Education (2010).

All types of schools providing general secondary education comply with the following statutory documents:

- The General Curriculum Framework for General Education Schools in Lithuania and the National Education Standards: Grades 11–12 approved by the Minister of Education and Science in 2002;

- The General Teaching Plans: the general teaching plans of basic and secondary education curricula for 2009–2011; and the general teaching plans of vocational education and training for 2009–2011;

- The Regulations on Changes in Intensified Teaching (2000);

- The Procedure for Organising and Conducting of Matura Examinations (approved annually);

- The Procedure for Independent Learning (2003) regulating a person’s independent learning according to primary, basic and secondary education curriculum or its part and completion of the curriculum;

- The General Curriculum Framework for Primary and Basic Education (2008).

In 2002, the Programme on Establishment of Divisions of Technological Gymnasiums in Vocational Schools Providing Secondary Education was approved by a decree of the Minister of Education and Science.


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The Concept of Assessment of Learners’ Progress and Achievements (adopted in 2004) is aimed at defining the provisions and strategy of change in the assessment of learners’ progress and achievements as a result of changes in the objectives and targets of the basic and secondary education curricula.

In 2004, the Ministers of Education and Science and Social Security and Labour approved the Action Plan of the Vocational Career Guidance Strategy that was updated in 2005.

In 2005, the Procedure for Consecutive Education in Accordance with the General Education Curriculum Framework was approved. The Procedure regulates all aspects of consecutive learning: admission of learners to follow the general education curriculum, progression of pupils from one class to another or from a lower stage to a higher stage curriculum, criteria that determine whether pupils remain in the same class to repeat the curriculum or complete it. These procedures are followed by all schools providing general education curricula.

The Procedure of Admission to State-run Schools of Vocational Education and Training (adopted in 2005) regulates the formal education curricula provided by vocational schools the founder of which is the Ministry of Education and Science. It also establishes requirements and criteria for admission of pupils to such schools throughout the school year.

In 2006, the Minister of Education and Science approved The Programme for Improvement of the School Structure that was aimed at enhancing the level of self-governance, openness and democratic management of schools.

In 2006, the Education and Science Minister approved a ‘Detailed Description of the Secondary Education Curriculum’. The purpose of the Description is to define the future changes in the structure of the secondary education curriculum and the principles of its implementation.

In 2008, the ‘Plan of Measures for Testing Achievements in Basic Education and Improving Matura Examinations for 2008–2012’ was approved. This document is intended to define future changes in the testing of basic education achievements and matura examinations in line with the provisions and principles of the formal summative assessment. The Plan of Measures provides an analysis of the current situation in the testing of basic education achievements and matura examinations, discusses the general principles, objectives and tasks in the changes to be introduced and outlines measures for their implementation.

In 2008, the Government approved the ‘Programme for Modernisation of Educational Institutions’, which would create conditions for modernising the facilities of the country's general education and vocational schools, purchasing of school furniture, teaching equipment and other teaching aids to enable schools to introduce information and other technologies and improve student learning conditions.

In 2009, the Minister of Education and Science approved the ‘Programme for Education of Gifted and Talented Children’ the purpose of which is to ensure a full disclosure and cultivation of gifted children’s abilities and talents by developing their skills and interests and also to create favourable social and educational conditions for their training (learning).





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Detailed Description of the Secondary Education Curriculum




Procedure for Admission to State-run Schools of Vocational Education and Training


Procedure for Independent Learning

Regulations on Changes in Intensified Teaching


The aim of the general education school is to develop an educated person able to solve, individually and collectively, problems arising in his/her own life and in the life of society, produce a positive impact on the changing reality in Lithuania, successfully cope with the challenges of the contemporary world and lead a meaningful life in the present-day conflicting reality.

The key objectives of education are as follows:

- to ensure a coherent development of a learner’s inherent powers, to nurture his/her spiritual culture and civic maturity;

- to create conditions for learners to acquire the basics of social and cultural literacy, help them develop personal, social, cognitive (assuring linguistic, scientific and technological literacy) and cultural competencies necessary for an efficient solution of personal and social problems;

- to assist learners in developing communication skills, acquire the basics of informational culture and computer literacy meeting the present-day and future needs of life;

- to reveal and develop the learners’ creative potential, nurture their artistic and aesthetic competence and promote their engagement in the cultural life of their communities;

- to develop the learners’ skills of critical thinking and problem solving;


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- to develop the learners’ self-reliance, pro-activity, independence, readiness to accept responsibility and his/her disposition and ability to strive for life-long learning and perfection.

For more detailed information, refer to 5.4.1., 5.4.2., 5.4.3.


5.4.1. General Objectives of Basic Education

The purpose of basic education is to provide an individual with the basics of moral, socio-cultural and civic maturity, general literacy and the basics of technological literacy, to cultivate national consciousness, to foster an intent and ability to make decisions and choices and to continue learning.

The basic school:

- provides basic education;

- develops the content of pupils’ education, which reflects the national educational policy and individual needs of the school community;

- provides additional education of pupils and education of pupils with special needs in the mainstream or specialised classes;

- administers control of basic education attainments assessment;

- organises auxiliary activities beyond the teaching plans (courses and individual or group care of children after school) financed by the parents;

- establishes school as a cultural centre of the local community;

- helps pupils’ to acquire the fundamentals of cultural and socio-cultural literacy.

Under the Concept of Youth Schools, the objective of the youth schools is to help children and young learners rejoin the consecutive education system through assisting them in regaining their motivation for learning, creating conditions to understand themselves, learn to resolve problems arising in their daily lives and developing immunity from the adverse social impact.

The major objectives of the youth schools Jaunimo mokykla are to:

- provide basic education and try to achieve that as many pupils as possible acquire basic education;

- by engaging pupils in various practical activities which are suitable to their positive needs, interests, abilities and aptitudes, expand their personal experience, facilitate preparation for further learning, choice of profession and participation in socio-cultural life.

The youth school develops the content of general education, pre-vocational training and additional education. It determines the ways to teach these programmes. The youth school offers general education reflecting the contemporary level of science and culture; organizes theoretical, practical, pre-vocational activity suitable to individual physical, psychic abilities and interests; organises versatile extra-curricular


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education providing every pupil with an opportunity for self-expression; provides individual psychological, pedagogical and didactic counselling to pupils and their families.

5.4.2. General Objectives of Secondary Education

The purpose of secondary education is to assist a person in the acquisition of general academic, socio-cultural and technological literacy, moral, national and civic maturity, and the basics of vocational competence and/or qualification.

The secondary school:

- provides general secondary education;

- develops the content of pupils’ education in compliance with the provisions of the state education policy and individual needs of the school community;

- organises the pupils’ extra-curricular activities and education of pupils with special needs in the mainstream or specialised classes;

- administers secondary school-leaving examinations;

- organises auxiliary activities beyond the teaching plans (courses and individual or group care of children after school) financed by the parents;

- establishes school as a cultural centre of the local community.

The gymnasium Gimnazija has the objective to:

- facilitate pupils’ selection of a study focus which best meets their abilities, interests and aspirations;

- seek a high level of pupils’ performance and encourage them not only to accumulate knowledge but also develop general skills, competences and readiness for lifelong learning;

- aspire for high-level quality of instruction and create an environment for moral, social and cultural maturity of pupils; to educate future citizens of a cohesive and sustainable civil society;

- make basic and secondary education accessible to as many young people as possible and expand possibilities for them to pursue further education, including higher education;

- put to the best value all the funds allocated for general education.

5.4.3. General Objectives of Vocational Training

The key objectives of the vocational education system are to:

- help a person acquire qualifications and competencies in line with the level of modern science, technology, economics and culture that would enable him to find his/her place and compete in the changing labour market and ensure the country's economic progress, international competitiveness and sustainable development;


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- create conditions for lifelong learning, improvement of qualifications obtained and retraining to people of various needs and abilities;

- ensure access to and quality of vocational training;

- ensure that the qualifications obtained meet the country's economic needs, competencies objectively assessed and qualifications impartially awarded and recognised;

- ensure effective functioning of the career guidance system.

The principles upon which the system of vocational education and training is based are:

- equal opportunity: the system of vocational education and training is fair, it ensures equality for individuals irrespective of gender, race, nationality, language, origin, social position, religion, beliefs or convictions; it assures access to obtaining the first qualification by each individual and creates conditions for improvement of the qualification obtained or gaining a new one;

- contextuality: the system of vocational education and training is closely linked to the context of the national economic, social and cultural development; renews itself as this context does and meets the continuously changing needs of the labour market;

- effectiveness: the system of vocational education and training pursues high-quality results by rationally and economically using available resources and by relying on effective management, i.e. proper and timely decisions taken together with social partners;

- continuity: the system of vocational education and training is flexible, open, based on interaction of various forms and institutions; it creates conditions for each individual to engage in lifelong learning.

Initial vocational education and training is formal, universal and designed for acquisition of an initial qualification. It is provided to persons of at least 14 years of age who have completed basic or secondary education and also to persons who have not acquired basic education but who have followed special education curricula. Pupils who have not acquired basic education are in a position to continue learning according to the basic education curriculum.

A person who has acquired basic education has a choice of following the vocational training curriculum or coupling it with the secondary education curriculum. For pupils following the vocational training curriculum, the general education technology subjects or modules of the vocational training curriculum are credited in an order prescribed by the Minister of Education and Science.

Continuing vocational education and training includes formal and informal training. For a person already in possession of a qualification or seeking to acquire another qualification prior learning is credited in an order prescribed by the Minister of Education and Science.

Vocational guidance services are provided to all residents of Lithuania. In an order prescribed by the Minister of Education and Science together with the Minister of Social Security and Labour, vocational guidance is provided in general education schools, vocational schools, vocational guidance centres and labour exchanges. The municipal executive body plans, organises and administers vocational guidance in accordance with the procedure established by the Minister of Education and Science together with the Minister of Social Security and Labour.


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5.5. Types of Institutions

Formal education according to basic and secondary curricula is provided by various categories of general education schools. Basic and secondary curricula are also provided by vocational schools.

Schools specialising in formal vocational branches of study include vocational schools, gymnasiums (of technological profile) or other providers of education with a licence to offer such education programmes.

For further information on types of institutions, refer to 5.5.1., 5.5.2., 5.5.3.

5.5.1. Types of Institutions Implementing the Basic Education Curriculum

The basic curriculum (or a part thereof) is implemented by basic (most often, schools with grades 1–10), youth Jaunimo mokykla , vocational schools, conservatoires, gymnasiums Gimnazija (four-year gymnasiums providing the basic education curriculum covering grades 910; twelve (ten)-year gymnasiums of fine arts), secondary (with grades 1–12 or 5–12) and other schools.

The basic school may represent a six-year basic education school (as a separate institution); a ten-year basic school that integrates primary grades and six basic grades, or it can be part of a twelve-year general education school, together with the secondary school.

The youth school is an educational institution with the focus on practical knowledge of the world that provides general education combined with initial vocational skills. A youth school normally includes grades from 6 to 10 (plus an levelling class).

Under the Concept of Youth Schools adopted in 2005, the youth school is a discrete category of basic schools which, depending on the type of its activities, may be either a youth school (the current formation of the youth school) or a youth home. The youth school is designed for children and youngsters given to practical activities, children and youngsters with learning difficulties or those lacking motivation for learning and in need of re-socialisation assistance. In youth schools, the number of learners may range between 50 and 130. Education may be provided in the form of day-time, evening or mixed schooling. Youth homes are for children and youngsters who have no record but are given to various addictions and suffer from emotional and behavioural disorders.

At vocational schools, pupils without a basic education are offered the basic education curriculum alongside a professional qualification.

Children Socialisation Centres Vaikų socializacijos centras are general education schools providing an average amount of childcare as well as the basic education and initial vocational training curricula. These are educational institutions which offer provision to boy or girl minors (from 14 to 18 years of age) with behavioural disorders.

5.5.2. Types of Institutions Implementing the Secondary Education Curriculum

The two-year secondary curriculum is implemented by gymnasiums Gimnazija , secondary, vocational and other (e.g. The International Baccalaureate) schools. Curriculum modules that have been assessed and


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recognised by vocational schools and meet the requirements of curricula implemented in such schools may be included in the secondary school programme; completion of such modules is credited upon continuing education and studies at these schools.

The secondary school may operate as a twelve-year secondary school offering the primary, basic and secondary education curricula (the so-called ‘long’ secondary school) and an eight-year secondary school offering the basic and secondary education curricula. The International Baccalaureate school is a two-year school.

The gymnasium is a school which provides a more advanced, subject streamed ("profiled") general education with higher performance requirements. Normally, gymnasiums offer education for pupils in grades 9–12 (4 years of schooling). To date, there are the following gymnasiums operating in the country: a four-year gymnasium; gymnasiums offering the primary, basic and secondary education programmes; gymnasiums offering the basic and secondary education programmes; twelve (ten)-year fine arts gymnasiums, and two-year technological gymnasiums (autonomous subdivisions in vocational schools).

At vocational schools, learners seeking to acquire a particular qualification and secondary education are provided the secondary education curriculum.

5.5.3. Post-Secondary Education

Vocational training is provided at vocational schools (technology and business schools) and also at vocational training centres. Pupils who have attained secondary education or completed a curriculum of a general education secondary school acquire a professional qualification.

In 2009, within the context of the 2007–2013 Action Programme for the Promotion of Lithuania‘s Cohesion, the State approved a list of projects for the development of the vocational training infrastructure. In line with these projects, sectoral practical training centres are being set up. The sectoral practical training centres are facilities fitted out with modern equipment and established by one or several sectors of the Lithuanian economy within the presently operating institutions of vocational training. They are intended for the training of persons seeking to acquire or improve a professional qualification.


In 1999, the Ministry of Education and Science approved the Guidelines for Restructuring of General Education Institutions Network, which specified the stages and objectives of the reform in the general education schools network. In the first stage, the network of primary and basic schools was restructured as part of the process of transition to ten-year basic education and profiled secondary education. This process was aimed at implementing rational financing of educational institutions, at the same time increasing accessibility to general education for both children and adults. In order to increase the school occupancy, make a more rational use of funds allocated to education, ensure the quality of education and its availability, schools are reorganised, closed down or founded. Often, schools are reorganised by annexing one school to another or merging several schools into one. Liquidation of certain schools is sometimes caused by demographic changes.

Accessibility of educational institutions in the territories of towns is not problematic. Children get to the educational institutions on foot or by public transport on regularly running buses and trolleybuses in the cities. To provide equal opportunities for children living both in urban and rural areas, the programme ’Yellow Bus‘ providing transportation of learners to rural schools was approved by the Government resolution in 2000. The programme aims at ensuring safe and fast transportation of children who live more


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than three kilometres away from school. School buses to carry pupils to bigger schools are bought and the travel expenses of pupils reaching schools by public transport are also covered. The majority of pupils use public transport, some are taken to schools in private cars and others commute on school buses.

In 2002, restructuring of the general education school network was continued. Its aim was to achieve a more rational mapping of schools in line with the changing number of school-age children, population density and changing educational needs.

Optimisation of the general education school mapping is caused by the declining birth rate and overall enrolment of learners, small average number of pupils per class, particularly in rural schools, low teacher and pupil ratio, rather low occupancy rates in some schools and working in two shifts in others, and other social and economical factors. Development of the school network is part of the planning process for the country’s regional development. This process is revised in view of the constantly changing needs of society and the labour market.

Changes in the network are gaining momentum with the implementation of the Strategies for the Development of Education in Lithuania in 2003–2012 that envisage "to effect a transition to a structure of education based on flexible curricula or their modules rather than on closed types of schools".

In 2004, the Rules for the Development of the School Network for Schools Implementing the Formal Education Curricula were adopted. The Rules regulate the development of diverse curricula and education programmes offered by general education, advanced vocational and higher schools, coordination of the educational programs offered, establishment, liquidation of schools and restructuring and also planning and execution of the school network reorganisation. The Rules specified that the counties, Ministry of Education and municipalities should develop the general plans for 2005-2012 regarding the reorganisation of the network of schools established by them. The municipal general plan is approved by the Municipal Council. The purpose of the master plan is to create an efficient, available and high quality school network in the municipality, have a sufficient number of primary, basic, secondary and non-formal education providers and enable all members of the local community to get educated and ensure their right to acquire education in accordance with the education standards established by the State.

In 2008, the Government approved the Programme for Supplying Schools with Yellow Buses for 2009-2012 which is designed to improve the transportation of rural pupils from closed down or reorganised schools implementing general education curricula or schools with the reorganised internal structure to other schools in the closest proximity and provide state and local schools with buses adapted to carry pupils with special needs.

The network of technological gymnasiums is formed with the view of meeting the market needs, ensuring their geographical accessibility for pupils, bringing vocational education and training closer to academic training and ensuring education quality and efficiency.

For further information on school network optimisation, refer to 5.6.1., 5.6.2., 5.6.3..

Guidelines for Restructuring of General Education Institutions’ Network




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5.6.1. Basic School Network

The country has a dense network of basic schools. In the school year 2009–2010, the country had 515 basic schools, attended by 115,498 pupils. Although in recent years the number of basic schools in the country has declined (in the 2008–2009 school year, there were 534 and in 2007–2008 562 basic schools), but the number of pupils in them has increased, e. g. in the 2009–2010 school year, it increased by 5 thousand, compared with the 2008–2009 school year. The average school size amounts to about 224 students. The average number of pupils per class stands at 6.7 pupils.

Most basic schools (374, in total) are located in rural areas. They are attended by 40,124 pupils (comprising 34.7% of the total basic school enrolment). The average size of rural schools amounts to 107 pupils. The average number of pupils per class in rural schools is 11.3.

Availability of the basic education curriculum to pupils is increased not only due to their transportation by school or public transport, but also by the fact that the basic education curriculum is also provided in secondary schools and gymnasiums.

The network of youth schools Jaunimo mokykla is very scarce. With the exception of one, all youth schools are located in urban areas.

5.6.2. Secondary School Network

The network of secondary schools is not as dense as that of basic schools but it is evenly distributed. The number of secondary schools and pupils in them has been recently declining. Within the context of the school network restructuring, secondary schools are reorganised into basic schools or gymnasiums Gimnazija . Over the recent years, they have been growing in numbers with the number of pupils in them growing, too. Gymnasiums are larger in size than secondary schools, with the average size of pupils amounting to 626. The average size of secondary schools amounts to 506 pupils. In secondary schools, the average number of pupils per class is 21 and in gymnasiums 24. (See 5.21.2.)

In 2010, 43% of secondary schools operated in rural areas (139 out of 325 schools). They were attended by 22% of all secondary school students. The average size of rural schools is 262 students and the average number of pupils per class is 16.3 pupils.

The network of gymnasiums is not dense but they are distributed evenly. Gymnasiums are mainly located in urban areas. Only one out of 60 municipalities had no gymnasium.

With the location of schools providing the secondary education curriculum becoming more remote from their learners’ place of residence, alternative ways of transporting learners have been devised: they are transported to school by yellow buses and private carriers or pupils' parents are contracted.

5.6.3. Vocational School Network

In 2000, the Programme for Optimisation of the Initial Vocational Training School Network was launched. The key objectives of the Programme were as follows: to rationalise the national network of initial vocational training schools in line with the regional needs for population education and specialists required; sustain the variety of educational programmes offered by institutions of vocational training enabling all people to acquire the desired profession; reduce the schooling costs per pupil and also administration and support staff expenses; rationalise the use of premises allocated for vocational training and ensure high-level quality of the teaching process in all vocational schools.


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The network of vocational schools is dense though the distribution is not even. There are some municipalities which do not have a single vocational school. Vocational schools greatly differ in size. Most of agricultural vocational schools are distributed in rural areas, whereas all other types of vocational schools are located in urban areas.

Within the context of the vocational school network reform, part of the vocational schools were merged into regional vocational training centres, making the number of schools decrease during the 2003–2004 period as a result. Since 2005, the number of vocational schools has been increasing as some of the new schools were set up at the local initiative and others as a result of the fact that some advanced vocational schools failed to be transformed into colleges. In the school year 2008–2009, there were 75 state vocational training institutions in Lithuania. There are still a number of vocational schools with 100–200 students despite the fact that the training capacities and the number of teachers can cater for a much larger number of pupils.

Programme for Optimization of the Initial Vocational Training School Network

5.7. Admission Requirements and Choice of School

A person has the right to choose a state-run, municipal or private school and also to change schools. The procedure of admission to a state-run and municipal general education and vocational school is established by the founder on the basis of General Admission Criteria confirmed by the Minister of Education and Science.

Admission to start following the basic or secondary education curricula is obtained by a written application plus an education certificate, and admission to continue the above mentioned curricula is obtained by a written application plus a certificate attesting to learning achievements or a special kind of certificate attesting to learning achievements in the previous school.

Pupils are admitted to schools on the basis of their place of residence or the territorial area assigned to a specific school by the local government, unless the founder of the school has established a different admission policy. When possible, parents’ or children’s preferences may be taken into account if children meet the education requirements and other conditions (health or proficiency in the language of instruction) specified by the school.

The respective person’s admission to follow the basic and secondary education curricula is formalised by concluding an education agreement that sets out the obligations of both the school and the person and the consequences for non-compliance with them.

In the course of the school year, pupils are admitted to vacant places on the basis of the school principal’s decision.

For further information on admission requirements, refer to 5.7.1., 5.7.2., 5.7.3..

List of General Criteria for Admission of pupils to State and Municipal General Education and Vocational School


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5.7.1. Basic Education

Children and adults are admitted to schools implementing the basic education curriculum in accordance with the procedure established by the founder after presenting to the school principal a certificate about completion of primary education.

The basic education is also available at gymnasiums where pupils enrol after completion of eight grades of the general education basic school. On completion of grade 9 or grade 10 of the general education school, pupils may enter grade II grade III of a gymnasium Gimnazija .

A pupil who studied abroad is admitted to follow the basic education curriculum according to a generally established procedure. In the event that the pupil has no learning achievements certificate, he/she is admitted only after the school has evaluated his/her learning achievements.

Youth schools provide education to socially and pedagogically disadvantaged teenagers of 1216 who fail to adjust to a general education school and have low motivation to learn. Evening classes of youth schools working in shifts cater for 16-18 year olds seeking lower secondary education who, due to social economic conditions, cannot continue their schooling in a regular general education school. Pupils are admitted to youth schools on request of their parents (foster parents or guardians) in accordance with the regulations of the school.

Admission to schools to follow the vocational training curriculum to acquire the first qualification is granted to teenagers of at least 14 years of age from the entire territory of the country. Persons not younger than 14 years of age without a basic education who have completed the adapted basic education curriculum are admitted to follow a two-year vocational training curriculum designed for the acquisition of a qualification. Persons from 14 to 16 years of age without basic education are admitted to follow a three-year vocational training curriculum in conjunction with the basic education curriculum.

The National Fine Arts Gymnasium is for artistically gifted children who are admitted to grade 1 at the age of 67 from across Lithuania. Applicants to grade 1 have to take tests on their general and artistic preparedness for school and their aptitude for the chosen speciality. At entrance examinations, applicants are assessed and selected by a board of examiners appointed by the school principal. Admission to senior grades is granted to pupils from across Lithuania provided they meet the requirements of discrete grades regarding the level of their education, age and artistic preparedness. Entry into the Fine Arts Gymnasium is by competition. Gifted pupils who cannot, for one reason or another, study at the day department and also those who study at other general education schools of Lithuania may be admitted to groups of additional education.

Admission to the conservatoire is granted to pupils who have completed eight or nine grades and have the required musical training. They take three entrance examinations in subjects related to their speciality and music.

Admission to the children socialisation centres Vaikų socializacijos centras is granted to youngsters from the age of 14. Children may be educated there for a period of three years, but no longer than he/she turns 18.

5.7.2. Secondary Education

A person is admitted to a school implementing the secondary education curriculum in accordance with the procedure established by the founder after presenting to the school principal a certificate of basic education.


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Pupils who have completed the basic education curriculum can enrol into grades 1112 of the secondary school.

On completion of ten grades in a general education school, pupils may either continue their education in grade 11 of the same school or transfer to another general education secondary school. They may also opt to continue their education in a vocational school.

Four-year gymnasiums Gimnazija (except for fine arts gymnasiums) admit those pupils seeking general secondary education who have completed at least eight grades. The procedure for new entrants’ enrolment into a gymnasium is based on the gymnasium regulations. Priority enrolment is granted to children from families with many children, children of disabled parents, orphans, etc. Two-year gymnasiums admit pupils who have completed a ten-year basic school.

Conservatoires may also admit pupils who have completed ten grades and have the required musical training. They must take entrance examinations.

Persons who have completed a basic or equivalent education may be admitted to follow a two-year vocational training curriculum or a three-year vocational training curriculum in conjunction with the secondary education curriculum. Institutions of vocational training admit children of at least 14 years of age.

The International Baccalaureate school admits pupils who have completed basic education.

A pupil who studied abroad is admitted to follow the secondary education curriculum according to a generally established procedure. In the event that the pupil has no learning achievements certificate, he/she is admitted only after the school has evaluated his/her learning achievements.

5.7.3. Post-secondary Education

Within the context of vocational study programmes, persons in possession of a secondary education or those who have completed the secondary education curriculum or an adapted secondary education curriculum are admitted to follow the vocational education curricula of one year, a year and a half or two years.

Persons are accepted to follow the said vocational education curricula at the decision of the admission board, taking into account the documents certifying the education achieved or learning outcomes according to the basic education / adapted / special basic education or secondary education / adapted secondary education curricula, the state of health, motivation and suitability of their special skills to the vocational training curriculum chosen.

5.8. Registration and/or Tuition Fees

Instruction in state-run and municipal schools according to basic, secondary and vocational education and training curricula is free of charge.

Learners studying according to the basic curricula use textbooks free of charge. Learners studying according to the secondary or initial vocational training curricula are partially provided with textbooks from the school textbooks supplies (if available), taking into account the income status of the parents and the student. Personal school supplies (exercise books, pens, calculators, etc.) are provided for learners by their parents (foster parents, guardians).


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The founder of the school determines the fees for additional services provided at the parents’ (foster parents’, guardians’) request and specified in school regulations (extended day groups, learners’ care after school, studies, clubs, extracurricular groups, camps, excursions, etc.).

The Minister of Education and Science determines the fees for attained education level certificate forms, for repeated instruction in general education subjects requested by persons who have attained a secondary education level and wish to better prepare for further studies, also for repetition of the national-level (external) matura examination or school-level (internal) matura examination in general education subjects. The founder determines the fees for non-formal education provided by the school.

Vocational schools provide additional services (not defined in the teaching curricula) for a fee. The fee is determined by the founder after agreement with the school council.

5.9. Financial Support for Pupils

The procedure of granting transport privileges to general education and vocational education and training school learners travelling to/from school and the procedure of compensation of their travelling expenses is set forth in the Law on Transportation Privileges.

Learners attending grades 1–8 at general education schools in rural areas who live more than three kilometres away from the school must be transported to the nearest appropriate municipal school or that of another founder by way of school buses or other transport.

A learner who is admitted to a general education school and lives in a territory other than the service territory assigned by the founder to that school is provided with dormitory accommodation upon the request of his parents (foster parents, guardians). The founder of the school covers the costs of the learners’ accommodation at the general education school dormitory.

Pupils of vocational schools (except for orphans) make partial payment for dormitory accommodation.

Meal service for learners is organised at general education and initial vocational schools. Learners from low-income families receive meals free of charge as prescribed by the Minister of Social Security and Labour and the Minister of Education and Science.

A learner following the initial vocational school curriculum may be paid a stipend and receive material support as prescribed by the Government. Learners may receive students’ allowances for orphans, social allowances and also grants established by businesses and organisations.

Orphaned children are eligible to an orphan’s pension established in accordance with the Law on State Social Assistance of the Republic of Lithuania. The pension is payable to orphans up to the age of 18 and beyond if the orphans continue in full-time education at day departments of properly registered vocational and general education schools but only till they reach the age of 24.




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5.10. Age Levels and Grouping of Pupils

In general education schools, starting from grade 5 onwards, separate subjects are taught by subject teachers.

Schools are co-educational.

Under the criteria adopted by a resolution of the Lithuanian Government for the foundation, reorganisation, liquidation and restructuring of general education special and vocational schools, the maximum number of pupils in a general education class of basic, secondary and adult schools, adult learning centres, education centres and gymnasiums Gimnazija should not exceed 30 learners in the case that education is provided according to the basic and/or secondary education curricula.

The average number of pupils following various education curricula per general education class in basic, secondary and adult schools, gymnasiums, art gymnasiums, national schools of fine arts and conservatoires is determined on the basis of the Criteria for the Foundation, Reorganisation, Liquidation and Restructuring of General, Special and Vocational Education Schools and Institutions Providing Statutory Assistance to Pupils, Teachers and Schools adopted by the Government Resolution in 2004 and the Government Resolution on their amendment in 2009.

The size of classes depends on the curriculum, type of the area and the school and also school size.

The maximum number of pupils in a class for teaching of the state or foreign language is 20 learners. The minimum number of pupils in a mobile class is 5 learners.

The grade corresponds to one schooling year. The class is usually formed of children of the same age (there may be a year’s difference in their age depending on whether the child started school at 6 or 7).

Schools are advised to redistribute parallel or adjacent classes for teaching of some compulsory or elective subjects taking into consideration the pupils’ interests and skills, the school’s possibilities and the pupils’ preferences to follow various curricula or modules. If possible, there are separate groups for girls and boys for classes in physical education.

For further information, refer to 5.10.1., 5.10.2., 5.10.3..


In grades 5–10, pupils from the age of 10/11 to 16/17 are taught. Small-set schools may have joint classes formed of pupils from grades 59. Levelling classes Išlyginamoji klasė are established for pupils that have learning or interpersonal difficulties, or those who want to be transferred to the mainstream schooling system, but received no instruction in some subjects and want to prepare for grade 11 of the secondary school or grade 3 in a gymnasium. Remedial classes are formed if the number of the above-mentioned pupils reaches at least 15 in urban schools and 10 in rural schools.

In levelling classes Išlyginamoji klasė or groups, pupils can learn all the subjects specified in the class teaching plan but the levelling class or group for the study of subjects or one subject in certain areas of education (languages, natural, social, or exact sciences and arts) must consist of no fewer than 5 students.


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The class size must be no less than 25 pupils in the event that pupils are taught according to the first part of the basic education curriculum in a basic school, secondary school (gymnasium Gimnazija ) or arts school located in the district centre or town and in the event that pupils are taught according to the second part of the basic education curriculum in a basic school with 201 and more pupils and in a secondary school (gymnasium) with 501 pupils and more located in a rural settlement as well as in a basic school, secondary school (gymnasium), arts school or conservatoire located in the district centre or town. Under other circumstances (in rural and smaller schools), the class size may be smaller.

When implementing the general basic education curriculum, the class may be divided into groups for the teaching of the following subjects: information technologies, technology, moral education, foreign languages (the first and the second) and the Lithuanian language (the official state language), if the class consists of at least 21 pupils.

When implementing the basic education curriculum, a mobile group is composed of no fewer than 7 pupils in the rural settlement schools and 12 pupils in the municipality centre or town schools.

In a class at a youth school Jaunimo mokykla or a separate youth class (for youngsters aged 12–16) formed at other schools implementing the basic education curriculum, the maximum number of pupils should not exceed 16 learners. Classes at youth schools or separate youth classes are joined in the event that there are fewer than five pupils in them.

In youth schools, levelling classes are for pupils with educational difficulties seeking basic education. Pupils of youth schools may complete the basic education during 6 years or a longer period (7 years) and they can also return to respective grades in a mainstream basic school.


Pupils from 17/18 to 18/19 learn in grades 11–12 of a secondary school. Classes are co-educational, except for physical education, which, when possible, is separate for girls and boys in grades 112.

The class size must be no less than 25 pupils in the event that pupils are taught according to the secondary education curriculum in a rural settlement secondary school (gymnasium Gimnazija ) with 501 pupils and more as well as in a secondary school (gymnasium), arts school or conservatoire located in the district centre or town. Under other circumstances (in rural and smaller schools), the class size must be smaller. The class size must be no less than 20 pupils in the event that pupils are taught according to the primary, basic and secondary education curriculum in the national fine arts school.

When implementing the secondary education curriculum, the school itself determines the size of a mobile group according to the funds allocated.

At a hospital school, a separate class is formed if there is a group of 5 or more pupils. If there are 1–4 pupils, a joint class is formed.

A mobile group can be formed (with at least 5 pupils participating) to teach a separate subject, differentiate a subject on a modular basis and provide pedagogical or special pedagogical assistance.

5.10.3. Vocational Education

Vocational schools enrol pupils aged at least 14. The number of pupils in the first year groups of vocational training should be at least 25 learners. When a group of learners contains more than 20 pupils, it can be


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divided into two sub-groups: during classes of practical training in specialisation-related subjects; during classes where specialisation-related theoretical teaching and practical training are closely related and taught by the same teacher; and at ICT workshops.

In vocational schools, mobile groups include:

- pupils from groups following the same or parallel professional education curriculum;

- pupils from groups following different professional education curricula;

- pupils of adjacent courses or schools, following the same education curriculum, etc.

5.11. Specialisation of Studies

Pursuant to the Law on Education, a learner enjoys the possibility of choosing education curricula, their different versions, modules and subject courses according to his abilities and dispositions. A learner may also choose a school implementing a selected education programme, an alternate education provider or independent studies as prescribed by the Minister of Education and Science.

Education curricula are classified vertically according to different hierarchy levels and horizontally according to the area of the programme (indicating the core of the qualifications and specifying specialisations).

The General Curriculum Framework of general education schools are intended for two-year concentres including those for grades 1–2, 3–4, 5–6, 7–8, 9–10 and 11–12. The chosen structure ensures the continuity of teaching and learning and allows projection and monitoring of the pupils’ general and individual attainments when progressing from one grade to another.

According to the Law on Vocational Training, vocational training is carried out in accordance with the formal and non-formal training curricula. The formal vocational training curriculum is designed to gain a qualification included in the Register of Professional Standards and Qualifications. The formal vocational training curriculum must meet the qualification standard describing the profession and also the appropriate standard of vocational training.

The formal vocational training curricula can be implemented in conjunction with the general education curricula or may be supplemented by other programmes designed for individual socialisation, self-expression and securing a stable position on the labour market.

The non-formal vocational training curriculum is designed to acquire competencies and improve them.

For further information, refer to 5.11.1., 5.11.2., 5.11.3.





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The General Basic Education Curriculum Framework sets out the education objectives and targets, didactic provisions and contents for the education and self education of pupils aged between 10/11 and 16/17.

The basic education curricula are as follows:

- the basic education curriculum lasting 6 years;

- the alternative education curriculum intended for pupils who have failed to adapt in a traditional school. It is offered to teenagers between 12 and 16;

- the basic and arts education curriculum;

- the basic and artistic education curriculum;

- the basic and musical education curriculum;

- the basic vocational training curriculum that provides basic education and a vocational qualification.

Related subjects taught are linked together to form areas of education within the general framework of education curriculum.

The basic education curricula provide more opportunities to differentiate the education content. Schools may offer their pupils to choose an intensified study of the following subjects: Lithuanian (the official state language), a foreign language and physical education in grade 5; other subjects (as modules) according to the second part of the basic education curriculum; learners can also continue or start learning according to the purposeful artistic education curriculum. Pupils may be provided conditions to choose different subject modules according to their learning aptitudes and interests based on the ‘Model for Expansion of Options for 14–19 Year-Old Students to Choose Different Education Schemes’.

Mobile groups may be formed to teach optional subjects, modules of subjects and also teach a discrete subject according to different programmes.

For several decades, intensified instruction in a subject was quite popular in Lithuanian schools of general education. Foreign language teaching was the most popular subject taught at an intensified level. With a new stage of the reform underway, some changes in intensified instruction development are being introduced. Intensified instruction is being replaced by teaching languages at an earlier age, focus on arts and provision of deeper knowledge in the subjects taught.

Intensified teaching of a subject is provided to pupils who want to test themselves in one or another activity or have a personal agenda to master a certain subject. The subjects for a more in-depth study that are available to learners from grade 5 include the official language, foreign languages and physical education. Classes or groups are not granted the status of intensified teaching. To organise a more in-depth study of various subjects in grades 510, the school uses lessons that can be distributed at the school’s discretion.

If the school is prepared to provide focus on fine arts, such instruction can be organised starting from grade 1 or any other grade. The school itself is responsible for the teaching programme. Artistic instruction is


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integrated into additional education and, to organize it, lessons that the school distributes at its own discretion can be used.



The secondary education curriculum covers the following:

- the two-year secondary education curriculum;

- the two-year International Baccalaureate curriculum;

- the secondary and arts education curriculum;

- the secondary and artistic education curriculum;

- the secondary and musical education curriculum;

- the secondary vocational training curriculum.

A diversity of pupils’ learning aptitudes, needs and interests and comparatively demanding education requirements set for the final stage of general education schools are the main driving forces behind the necessity to individualise and differentiate education in grades 11–12. The Detailed Description of the Secondary Education Curriculum provides for a possibility to make an individual education plan for every pupil by choosing discrete subjects, subject courses and modules. The Secondary Education Curriculum is made of the general education core (covering 60% of all curricular time that is identical and compulsory for all pupils) and the learning content of the pupil’s own choice (covering 40% of all curricular time, including additional core-related subjects, extended subject courses and modules and also elective subjects).

Teaching is organised by breaking up pupils into relatively regular groups according to selected profiles, subjects or courses of different levels (basic or advanced) at which they may choose to study a particular subject. The courses differ in their education goals, content, teaching methods and expected outcomes. The basic course provides the basics of a subject ensuring the pupils’ general cultural fluency, experience and skills necessary to satisfy the day-to-day needs of life. The advanced course is much broader in contents and embraces a complex of knowledge, competences and skills necessary for more profound studies of a particular field. The advanced course is designed by supplementing the basic course with themes and assignments in line with the aims of the advanced course or with elective modules of the subject. The programmes for those modules are prepared by the teachers, who take account of the pupils needs, and confirmed by the school principal.

The General Curriculum Framework defines the general guidelines for the curriculum content in grades 11–12. They are used by the school to develop school-specific curricula reflecting the needs and interests of the pupils and the local community and also the possibilities of the school. The general curriculum is not a top-down document to be unconditionally implemented but rather a projection of major directions.




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For pupils who have acquired a secondary education or completed the secondary education curriculum, the length of vocational education and training is 1 year, 1.5 years and 2 years. The length of the education programme depends on the complexity of the profession. In vocational schools, persons with a secondary education are currently offered 84 education programmes covering 12 areas of study, including the following fields: architecture and building, manufacturing and processing, engineering, computer sciences, fine arts, personal services, security services, social services, health care, transport services, business and administration, farming, forestry and fisheries.

5.12. Organisation of School Time

The teaching plan for a general education school is developed by a working group (which includes representatives of the school management, teachers and pupils) approved by the school principal. Teaching plans for unconventional schools are approved by the Minister of Education and Science.

The Teaching Plans provide guidelines for determining the duration, beginning and end of the school year and recommendations regarding school holidays.

Decisions concerning organisation and time management within the school rest with the school council.

In vocational schools, the organisation of education is regulated according to the school regulations, teaching plans, curricula and other legal documents.

For further information, refer to 5.12.1., 5.12.2..


The school year begins on 1 September.

Provision of lessons ends on 28 May for pupils of grade 5, 11 June for pupils of grades 6–9 and 11 (grades I–III in gymnasiums), 28 May for pupils of grade 10 (grade II in gymnasiums) and on 28 May for pupils of grade 12 (grade IV in gymnasiums).

Learners of grade 5 work 32 weeks, learners of grades 6–9 (grades I–III in gymnasiums) 36 weeks, and learners of grades 10 and 12 (grades II and IV in gymnasiums) work 34 weeks a year, inclusive of the public holidays established by the Government. The schoolchildren have holiday in autumn (seven calendar days), at Christmas (fourteen calendar days), Easter (seven calendar days) and a summer holiday that lasts at least two-months. The beginning of summer holidays is determined by the school. The school council takes decisions concerning the dates of holidays and organisation of the education process between June 1st and the end of the school year. Subject to the approval of the school council, additional holidays may be envisaged. National minority schools fix the dates for Christmas and Easter holidays themselves. Schools may set the dates for winter and spring breaks at their own discretion.

In grades 110, the school year may be divided into terms or semesters. In grades 1112, the school year is divided into two semesters. The semester dates are determined by the school principal and their duration is outlined in the general teaching plans.


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The school year for first-year learners of vocational schools begins on 1 September. In vocational schools, the school year lasts forty weeks in the case of a five-day week. In other cases the number of school weeks is set by the school. The school year is divided into two semesters of 20 weeks each. During the school year all learners enjoy holidays the overall length of which is no shorter than ten weeks, including a two-week Christmas holiday, a five-day Easter holiday and a two-month summer break. The dates for other holidays are set by respective education institutions.


General education schools work 5 days per week. The lessons begin not earlier than at eight o'clock in the morning.

Within the basic education curriculum, the minimum weekly number of obligatory lessons per pupil is 26 in grade 5, 28 in grade 6, 29 in grade 7; 30 in grade 8; 30–31 in grade 9 and 31–32 in grade 10.

The maximum weekly number of obligatory lessons per pupil is 27 in grade 5, 29 in grade 6, 30 in grade 7; 31 in grade 8; 32 in grades 9 and 10.

In grades 5–8, the number of hours allocated for non-formal education amounts to 8 hours per week and to 5 lessons in grades 9–10.

Within the secondary education curriculum, the minimum weekly number of obligatory lessons per pupil is 28 (29 in schools with the ethnic minority language as the language of instruction). The maximum weekly number of obligatory lessons per pupil is: 32 lessons; 34 lessons (36 lessons in schools with the ethnic minority language as the language of instruction) for pupils of national fine arts schools, conservatoires, art, fine arts and musical gymnasiums and also of classes or groups with integrated modules of vocational training; 33 lessons in schools with the ethnic minority language as the language of instruction.

In schools providing the vocational training and basic education curriculum, the minimum weekly number of obligatory lessons per pupil is 33 lessons and the maximum is 34 or 35 lessons (during the continuous on-site training); 35 lessons for pupils aged 18 and 40 hours per week during their on-site training. Pupils study vocation-related subjects, general education subjects and may also take up non-formal education subjects. The number of hours allocated for non-formal education amounts to the total of 120 hours in the course of three years.

In schools providing the vocational training and secondary education curriculum, the minimum weekly number of hours and lessons is 30 and the maximum 34 (36 in schools with the ethnic minority language as the language of instruction). The number of hours allocated for non-formal education amounts to the total of 220 hours in the course of three years.

The length of lessons in various grades of general education schools is determined in the General Teaching Plans. A lesson normally lasts 45 minutes. Grades 59 have 56 lessons per day and senior grades may have 67 lessons per day. The length of breaks between lessons, including the long break for lunch, is fixed by the school. Usually, the real time for breaks between the lessons is 1015 minutes and for lunch 2030 minutes.

There may be no more than 7 lessons per day, except for schools implementing the basic and musical education curriculum, basic and arts education curriculum, basic and artistic education curriculum and also the secondary and musical education curriculum, secondary and arts education curriculum, secondary and artistic education curriculum and secondary education curriculum in conjunction with vocational training.


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The school also fixes the time for the beginning of the second-shift lessons that must end not later than at 19 hours.

A five-day week is recommended for institutions of basic vocational training. The weekly number of lessons must not exceed 37 hours. The length of lessons for teaching theory and primary labour skills is 45 minutes. The lessons on the same subject can be doubled at the request of the teacher. The teachers’ council determines the length of the breaks in line with the local conditions and health care requirements.

Evening classes or classes in shifts may be formed at general education schools for working young people aged 1617 who cannot continue their studies in mainstream secondary schools of general education because of the specific social or economic circumstances. Education of young people studying in evening or shift youth classes is organised in compliance with the Teaching Plans for General Education Adult Schools.

General Teaching Plans for the Basic and Secondary Education Curricula for 2009-2011

5.13. Curriculum, Subjects, Number of Hours

Implementation of the basic and secondary education curricula is based on the General Teaching Plans for the Basic and Secondary Education Curricula for 2009–2011 approved by the Minister of Education and Science.

The General Teaching Plans for Vocational Training for 2009–2011 regulate the implementation of the formal vocational training curriculum to obtain the first qualification.

The state-regulated curriculum content is defined in the General Teaching Plans through the minimum number of lessons in compulsory subjects. The curriculum content of the school is formed through lessons allocated to various subjects at the school’s discretion, lessons for mobile groups and additional education.

Decisions regarding the formation of the school profile(s) and the offered choice of subject modules and electives are taken by the school council. The school teachers’ council determines the principles and procedure for developing individual curricula and thematic plans. It also determines the length of projects and ways of evaluating their outcomes.

The scope of the initial vocational education programme in academic hours is set out every year in initial vocational education plans confirmed by the Minister of Education and Science.

For further information, refer to 5.13.1., 5.13.2., 5.13.3.


General Teaching Plans for Vocational Education and Training for 2009-2011


In the school year 2009-2010, the education process in grades 5, 7 and 9 (gymnasium Gimnazija grade I) was based on the General Curriculum Framework for Primary and Basic Education (2008). This Curriculum Framework defines the national curriculum content. Based on the General Curriculum Framework, schools and teachers develop school- and classroom-level curriculum content adapting it to the individual needs of pupils and classes so that learners achieve the best possible results according to their capabilities. The


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General Curriculum Framework provides new optional programmes that were previously non-existent and curricula activities that help students choose a course of learning, also guidelines for teachers on how to tailor the syllabus of individual subjects according to students' needs. The General Curriculum Framework includes programmes on entrepreneurship and economics, ICT, integrated programmes of general competencies, etc.

To give pupils a chance to learn some subjects deeper, the basic school provides an early or strengthened learning of subjects or purposeful artistic education as a continuation of a programme that started in the primary school or a programme that starts from the basic school.

In other types of general education institutions such as youth schools Jaunimo mokykla , schools offering instruction in languages of ethnic minorities, schools of medical facilities, adult general education schools or classes and education centres, the lower secondary education programmes, plans and their implementation have their specific character.

Lessons distributed at the school’s discretion are set aside for:

- differentiated teaching of subjects;

- optional subjects;

- subject modules and other activities (lessons and counselling) that would contribute to the consecutive development of competencies, i. e. knowledge, skills and attitudes.

Schools may intensify the teaching of individual subjects by covering the number of lessons specified in the General Teaching Plans for two years over a single year. That practice is not to be applied to physical and moral education.

Non-formal education for children is intended for pupils who have opted for arts, sports and other activities to develop their personal, social, educational and vocational competencies through participation in sports, tourist clubs, studies of artistic expression, societies of young naturalists and technical creation, research, and pedagogical clubs and other after-school events. Non-formal education is also aimed at the development of pupils’ national identity. Participation in non-formal education groups, studios, clubs, workshops, etc. is optional.

Gymnasium grades I–II work in accordance with the education plans designed for the second concentre (grades 910) of the basic education curriculum in general education schools.

In grades 5–6, pupils learn 14 subjects, in grades 7–8, they learn 16 subjects and in grades 9–10 they learn 18 subjects. The subjects taught are divided into groups, including languages, natural sciences and mathematics, social sciences, fine arts and technological education, physical education, human safety, and information and communication technology (ICT). Moral education (religion and ethics) constitutes a separate subject. In grades 9–10, information and communication technology (ICT) is introduced.

In grades 5–10, learners study the following subjects (the figures in brackets indicate the minimum summative weekly number of lessons throughout the six years of studies):

- Moral education (religion or ethics) (6);


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- Lithuanian language (mother tongue) (29);

- Lithuanian language (official state language) (20);

- First foreign language (18):

- Second foreign language (10);

- Mother tongue (for schools with instruction in the language of the ethnic minority) (28);

- Mathematics (23);

- Nature and man (in grades 5–6) (4);

- Biology (in grades 7–10) (6);

- Physics (in grades 7–10) (7);

- Chemistry (in grades 8–10) (6);

- Information technologies (5);

- History (12);

- Basics of citizenship (in grades 9, 10) (1);

- Geography (from grade 6) (9);

- Economics or economics and entrepreneurship (in grades 9–10) (1);

- Art (6);

- Music (6);

- Technologies (9.5);

- Physical education (13);

- Safety of people (in grades 5–10) (2.5)

- Lessons allocated at the discretion of the school.

During six years, total time allocated to non-formal education amounts to 13 hours.

Levelling classes Išlyginamoji klasė follow an educational plan that gives pupils a chance to learn on a modular basis.


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Parents (foster parents or guardians) choose a subject in moral education for pupils under 14 years of age, and from 14 to 16 pupils make their choice for themselves at the advice of their parents (foster parents or guardians). Pupils older than 16 years of age individually choose one of the subjects in moral education: religion (of the traditional religious denominations or communities) or ethics.

The learning of the second foreign language is compulsory to pupils from grade 6, except for schools with instruction in the language of the ethnic minority. Parents (foster parents or guardians) choose the second foreign language for pupils under 14 years of age, and from 14 to 16 pupils make their choice for themselves at the advice of their parents (foster parents or guardians). The languages to be chosen from include English, Latvian, Polish, French, Russian, German and other languages.

Schools are recommended to create conditions for pupils who have arrived from other Lithuanian or foreign schools to continue learning the elected foreign language.

Pupils who are following the second part of the basic education curriculum may be offered to choose alternative technological education curricula designed by the school to meet the specific needs of their pupils and peculiarities of their learning conditions.

Subjects in the area of artistic education include compulsory subjects in arts and music and elective subjects in drama, choreography and contemporary fine arts. Pupils in grades 5–10 who attend or have finished the state or municipal art, choreography, music or sport schools can be exempt from the compulsory lessons in these subjects.

To teach subject modules and optional subjects and to form mobile groups for the discrete modules or optional subjects, the school may use lessons to be distributed at its discretion and also lessons intended for providing teaching in mobile groups without exceeding the maximum number of lessons per week for learners.

Pupils of youth schools (classes) can complete the basic education programme over six years or a longer period (seven years). They can also return to the respective grades of the basic school. Pre-vocational education is freely chosen by learners of youth schools.

Vocational education curricula are implemented in conjunction with part of the basic education curriculum. In grade 10, the education process of the basic education curriculum is organised according to the General Teaching Plans for the 2009–2011 basic and secondary education curricula.

Implementation of the two-year vocational education curricula for persons without basic education covers the following number of hours (in the first and second years):

- vocational education curriculum (in total 2,414 hours)

- non-formal education (140 hours)

Vocation-related subjects are broken down into three groups:

- basic vocational subjects (modules);

- specialisation subjects (modules);

- hands-on training on site or at school (practicing of the skills).


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The qualification to be granted on completion of education determines the specific content of the basic vocational subjects (modules). At least 40 but not more than 200 hours are allocated for each subject or module. The hours are divided between theoretical and practical teaching. There may be several specialisations but pupils select only one of them, and the specialisation subjects are given 1015% of the overall hours allocated for vocational subjects. The hands-on training may be continuous or broken down into separate parts. The hands-on training covers 6070% of hours allocated for vocational subjects. In the final year of study, the following periods are allocated for the closing practical teaching of the profession or apprenticeship that is conducted either in the enterprise, institution, on a farm or at school if it has the facilities to meet the necessary working conditions: 15 weeks in the event that the duration of vocational training curriculum covers 2–3 years, 12 weeks if the training curriculum length is 1. 5 years and 8 weeks if the vocational training curriculum lasts 1 year.

Environmental education is integrated into vocational training. ICT and foreign languages are integrated into the vocation-related subjects or singled out as discrete modules.




Secondary education in grades 11–12 (gymnasium grades III–IV) is organised according to the Detailed Description of the Secondary Education Curriculum (2006).

Pupils choose one of the aspects of moral education, i. e. religion or ethics. In secondary schools, pupils continue learning the languages taken up when following the basic education curriculum.

In order to ensure the continuity of studies, the school may recommend that pupils of grades 9–10 (gymnasium Gimnazija grades I–II) who followed the integrated artistic education curriculum, choose photography, graphic design, film and visual arts and computer music technology programmes. Students can also choose other programmes of artistic education (art, music, dance, drama).

Within the subject of technologies, pupils can choose such programmes as tourism and food technology, construction and wood processing technology, applied arts, craft and design technology, textiles and garment manufacturing technology, business and management technology. The school can also offer other technological programmes.

Modules of the vocational training curriculum are included in the secondary education curriculum in accordance with the ‘Procedures for the Set-off of General Education Subjects of Technology and Modules of the Vocational Training Curriculum’ (2008).

Information technology is an elective course. After checking the pupils’ skills in information technology, the school may make the course mandatory by its decision.

The number of lessons earmarked for different subjects in grades 11 and 12 is distributed at the school’s discretion. A pupil taking a general or extended course may have more weekly lessons than defined in the teaching plan.

The general curriculum subjects and the hours per week allocated to teach them during the two years in grades 11–12 are as listed below (the figures in brackets indicate the scope of the curriculum in hours):


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- Moral education (religion/ethics) – 2 hours per each (70 hours per each);

- Lithuanian language (mother tongue ) – 8 (280);

- Lithuanian (State) language – 8 (280);

- Mother tongue (Belarusian, Polish, Russian, German) at schools with instruction in the language of the ethnic minority – 8 (280);

- First foreign language – 6 (210);

- Second foreign language – 4 (140);

- Foreign language at schools with instruction in the language of the ethnic minority – 4 (140);

- Social education – 4 (140);

- History – 4 (140);

- Geography – 4 (140);

- Integrated course of social sciences – 4 (140);

- Mathematics – 6 (210);

- Information technologies – 2 (70);

- Science education – 4;

- Integrated course of natural sciences – 4 (140);

- Biology – 4 (140);

- Physics – 4 (140);

- Chemistry – 4 (140);

- Arts and integrated course of arts and technology – 4 (140);

- Artistic programmes – 4 hours per programme (140);

- Technological programmes – 4 hours per programme (140);

- Integrated course of arts and technologies – 4 (140);

- Physical education – 4–6;


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- General physical education – (140–210);

- Selected branch of sports – (140–210);

- Human safety – 0.5.

The total number of lessons for compulsory core subjects amount to 38 (44 lessons at schools with instruction in the language of the ethnic minority). The number of hours for non-formal education stands at 6 and the number of lessons/mobile groups allocated at the discretion of the school amount to 24 lessons per week over a period of two years.

The subjects of extended courses and the number of hours per week allocated to teach them during the two years in grades 11–12 are as listed below (the figures in brackets indicate the scope of the curriculum in hours):

- Lithuanian language – 10 (350);

- Lithuanian (State) language – 10 (350);

- Mother tongue (Belarusian, Polish, Russian, German) at schools with instruction in the language of the ethnic minority – 10 (350);

- First foreign language – 8 (280);

- Second foreign language – 6 (210);

- Foreign language at schools with instruction in the language of the ethnic minority – 6 (210);

- Mathematics – 9 (316/314);

- Information technologies – 4 (140);

- Geography – 6 (210);

- History – 6 (210);

- Biology – 6 (210);

- Physics – 7 (244/246);

- Chemistry – 6 (210);

- Arts – 6 (210);

- Technologies – 6 (210);

- Integrated course of arts and technologies – 6 (210);


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- General physical education – 8 (280).

The number of hours for non-formal education is 6 per week.

The curriculum content chosen by the pupil amounts to at least 26 lessons per week.

Pupils have to learn not fewer than 9 subjects over two years. The maximum number of subjects chosen during two years is 13. This number does not include projects, community activity and civil safety. The maximum number of general education subjects in schools of fine arts profile (fine arts gymnasiums) and technological profile (vocational schools) is 10.

Pupils who have completed basic education in a different language, but are learning in the Lithuanian language in their 11th and 12th grades, have a possibility to learn Lithuanian as a foreign language and continue to study their mother tongue.

In general education schools implementing the secondary and musical education, secondary and arts education and also secondary and artistic education curricula, the curriculum content chosen by the pupil is allocated to the arts subjects and extended courses of those subjects. The teaching of arts education-related subjects is integrated into non-formal education. Schools may adjust up to 25% of the curriculum content set out in the General Teaching Plans.

The Secondary education curriculum plan in conjunction with the vocational training curriculum when training lasts three years includes the following (hours per week):

- vocational training (theory and practice), final qualification exams – 707 hours in the first and second year and 2,155 hours in the first–third years, out of which 600 hours for apprenticeship;

- general subjects of vocational training – 230 hours in the first–third years;

- compulsory courses in core subjects – 34 (1,190 hours in the first and second years and1,400 hours in schools with instruction in the ethnic minority language).

Pupils study vocational education subjects, compulsory general education core subjects and can freely choose to learn the vocation-related or the general education subjects (arts, ethnic culture, aesthetics, etc.) and non-formal education subjects. The number of total hours allocated to non-formal education is 220 and to mobile groups 310. Information technology is a mandatory subject of the vocational training curriculum.

The two-year vocational training curriculum for persons with basic education includes:

- the total number of 2,454 hours for vocational training; and

- 100 hours for non-formal education.

The teaching plan of the basic vocational training includes: 1) subjects of vocational training; 2) subjects of general education and 3) non-formal education. Pupils’ freely selected hours may be used for either extended courses of the general education subjects, for the selected programme of a general education subject or for learning of general vocational subjects and/or general education subjects and their modules. Separate subjects or themes may be integrated or divided into modules without exceeding the number of


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hours allocated in the teaching plan. The subject of information technologies is linked with application of information technologies in practical activities.

Subjects in vocational training are grouped into three categories: 1) basic vocational subjects (modules); 2) specialisation subjects (modules); hands-on training (apprenticeship) on site or at school. The projected qualification determines the specific content of the basic vocational subjects (modules). Not fewer that 40 and not more than 200 hours are earmarked for each subject or module. A student selects one specialisation, and the specialisation subjects are given 1015% of the overall hours earmarked for vocational subjects. As many as 6070% of vocational hours are spent on hands-on training.




The weekly teaching load for pupils should not exceed 37 hours. For 18-year old pupils, the weekly load may reach as many as 40 hours during the hands-on training.

The curriculum content embraces both theoretical and practical teaching. Practical teaching accounts for 60–70% and specialisation 10–15% of the total number of hours allocated for subjects of vocational education and training. The curricula may include several specialisations but learners choose only one of them.

The one-year, one and a half-year and two-year vocational training curricula for persons with secondary education include:

the total number of 1,340 hours for the one-year vocational training curriculum; 2,080 hours for the one and a half-year vocational training curriculum; and 2,480 hours for the two-year vocational training curriculum during the first and second years.

20, 40 and 60 hours, respectively, for non-formal education.

The vocational training curriculum embraces: vocational subjects, subjects of general cultural education and additional education (not compulsory). Vocation-related subjects are broken down into three groups: basic vocational subjects (modules), specialisation subjects (modules) and hands-on training (practicing of the skills). The contents of the basic vocational subjects (modules) is determined by the vocational qualifications available for pupils on completion of the vocational education and training. At least 40 and not more than 200 hours are allocated for each subject or module. The hours are divided between theoretical and practical teaching. Specialisation subjects (modules) are included if they are part of the education programme. There may be several specialisations, but pupils select only one of them, and the specialisation subjects are given 1015% of the overall hours allocated to vocation-related subjects. The specialisation area is divided into 13 subjects (modules). The hands-on training may be continuous (spread over the entire course of learning) or broken down into separate parts. This practical work experience is undertaken only after the pupils have covered the respective vocational subjects related to the hands-on training. In the concluding year, the length of the practical work experience depends on the length of studies: it covers 8 weeks if the studies last one year, 12 weeks if the studies last a year and a half and 15 weeks if the studies last two years. Pupils may have practical work experience either on site or at school if the latter has standard facilities providing real working conditions. Final qualification examinations that have to be taken as part of the vocational school curriculum usually take place during one week.


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Hours for non-formal education are allocated for programmes of pupils‘ artistic self-expression chosen at their own discretion.

Theoretical vocational training includes both general technical and special subjects related to the profession. The curriculum content is recorded in the teaching plans and programmes. The teaching plans and programmes are designed according to the General Qualification Requirements for Programmes of the Initial Vocational Education and Training approved by the Ministry of Education and Science. The teaching plans and programmes are confirmed by the founder after prior agreement with organisations representing employers and the Ministry of Education and Science.

General Teaching Plans for Vocational Education and Training for 2009-2011

5.14. Teaching Methods and Materials

In pursuing general education goals, every teacher is free to select what she or he deems adequate educational methods, combine several of them and create his/her individual style of instruction. Specific education methods should reflect the actual situation: the needs and abilities of pupils; skills and faculties of each individual teacher as well as the changing socio-cultural context. The teacher has a right to propose his/her individual programmes and choose various ways and forms of pedagogical activities.

The General Curriculum Framework provides favourable conditions for teachers’ individual engagement in the development of the curriculum content by tailoring it to the individual needs and aptitudes of their learners, aligning the curriculum content with the school’s objectives and also the teacher’s experience and resources available.

Teachers apply such teaching methods which encourage pupils’ activity and independence, stimulate critical, creative and constructive thinking, problem solving abilities, situational awareness and responsibility for their actions. Project development method is a good means of integrating formal and non-formal educational content. In teaching, teachers apply new computer and information technologies. The educational process is based on interpretative rather than reproductive methods.

Schools apply differentiated and individualised teaching methods. Teachers adjust their teaching practices according to the individual character of a pupil or a mobile group they are working with. Individual teaching methods are designed for the best and worst performing pupils.

Teaches apply non-traditional methods and a wide variety of them. Lessons can be given not only in the classroom or school, but also out-of-doors, in libraries, museums or exhibition halls.

Youth school Jaunimo mokykla teachers apply individual forms, methods, ways and content in their teaching as well as innovative teaching (learning) technologies, which serve to restore and stimulate motivation in their pupils.

The main methods are teaching practices that seek to turn pupils into active, lifelong learners, stimulate their involvement and initiative in the learning process. One of the practices is organisation of long-term integrated projects. Teachers apply interpretative, communicative, integrated, cooperative, learning to learn methods, which encourage abstract and conceptual thinking and independent work.


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Gymnasium Gimnazija teachers choose teaching methods which are focused on problem solving context, independent learning, theoretical thinking skills and research principles, the use of a wide variety of resources, IT literacy and original, non-standard tasks.

Teachers of vocational schools have a right to freely choose any ways and forms of organising their teaching activities and select any of the accredited curricula and textbooks.

In 2009, the new Procedure for Provision of Schools with Textbooks of General Education Subjects and Teaching Aids was approved. It defines the purpose of the textbook, the main functions and requirements, the concept of teaching resources, evaluation of the textbook content and how the textbook and special teaching aids are tailored to the specific needs of pupils with special educational needs and also the process of acquisition of textbooks and teaching aids.

The Ministry of Education draws up a list of currently applicable textbooks. The Authority responsible for the purchase of digital teaching aids makes a list of digital teaching aids to be purchased through centralised funds. It is approved by the Lithuanian Minister of Education and Science.

Funds for textbooks and teaching aids available in the pupil's basket may be used for the purchase of: textbooks recorded on the list of currently applicable textbooks; International Baccalaureate textbooks; foreign textbooks published for learning foreign languages; special education aids; teaching aids supplementing the textbook (excluding exercise books); teacher's books; literature required for the education process; also digital training tools, objects, materials and equipment (working tools and creative, information and visual aids necessary for the teaching and learning of individual subjects). In addition to the funds of the pupil’s basket, funding for the purchase of textbooks and teaching aids may also be available from the state and municipal budgets.

The founder, the municipal executive body or its authorised person, the meeting of participants (owner) (of other schools) establish the procedure for supplying the schools under their subordination with textbooks and teaching aids and for redistributing the available textbooks among schools under their responsibility when pupils move from one school to another.

Following the general procedure for provision of schools with textbooks and the corresponding procedure established by the founder of the school or its authorised institution, the principal of the school determines the procedure for acquisition of textbooks and teaching aids, their recording, accounting, storing and giving out to pupils, appoints persons in charge of purchasing, recording and storing the supplies; upon agreement from the school council, confirms a list of textbooks or parts of their sets, teaching materials and reference literature and defines the funds necessary for purchasing exercise books and ways of acquiring them.

The list of currently applicable textbooks for general education subjects, its supplements and information on foreign textbooks published for learning foreign languages is available online at the website www.smm.lt/ugdymas/bendrasis/aprupinimas.htm of the Education Supply Centre at the Ministry of Education and Science.

The list of currently applicable textbooks for general education subjects used in grades 5–12 in the 2009–2010 school year comprises 1,264 subject textbooks, including textbooks for teaching foreign languages. Other 24 textbooks are intended for teaching pupils with special educational needs.


http://www.smm.lt/ugdymas/bendrasis/aprupinimas.htm�


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Description of General Procedure for Provision of Schools with Textbooks and Teaching Aids

5.15. Pupil Assessment

The Concept of Assessment of Learners’ Progress and Achievements (2004) defines the aim of pupil assessment as assisting the pupil in the process of learning and maturing as a personality; providing a track-record of the pupil‘s learning experience, achievements and progress; measuring the level of success achieved by individual teachers and schools and making reasonable judgements.

In the process of assessment, measurement is made of all attainment targets that pupils are expected to reach in the process of education, including their knowledge and understanding, general skills and abilities in particular subjects, moral values and behaviour.

Assessment of pupil progress and achievements consists of two major parts that greatly differ both in purpose and objectives: assessment in the process of education (involving both teaching and learning); final assessment upon completion of the course, module and basic or secondary education programme.

Assessment arrangements in the process of education consist of two interrelated types of assessment: formative assessment and diagnostic assessment. 4.12.

The General Curriculum Framework provides the key guidance for all components of assessment, including planning, teaching, recording and discussing assessment-related information and adjusting education to meet the required standards.

To sum up the results of teaching upon completion of the education programme of a discrete subject or a subject module, summative assessment is used (in the form of attainment tests, credit tests and examinations). Basic education is concluded by testing the pupil attainments and secondary education by Matura examinations. The summative assessment is formal. Depending on the assessment objectives, either a criterion-referenced or norm-referenced method of assessment is applied. The assessment results are rated in grades or in some other way.

The achievement of pupils in grades 512 is rated based on a 10-point system. A school may apply a different rating system and indicate how it converts into a 10-point system.

It is not recommended to rate pupils’ performance during the adaptation period in grade 5. Instead, their progress is reflected based on an ideographic principle. 4.12.

The learning outcomes in the subjects of moral education, human safety, physical education, physical education preparatory groups, arts and technology, basics of economics and citizenship are recommended to be assessed as ‘attested’ or ‘not attested’. The record ‘exempt’ is used in the event that a pupil is exempt from attending certain classes under a doctor's recommendation and the school director's orders.

The learning outcomes of pupils studying subject modules are recommended to be assessed by way of formative assessment or a mark, credit, cumulative score, etc. They are included in the final assessment record for covering the syllabus of the related subject.


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The criterion-referenced method means an assessment that compares a pupil’s performance against concrete criteria or standards established in advance. The result is rated in scores from 1 to 10.

Scores from 4 to 10, also "attested", "passed" and "pp" are considered to be a satisfactory assessment, while scores 1–3, "failed", "not attested" and "np" indicate unsatisfactory developments.

"Not attested" is a pupil who has not accounted for the subject course taught over one term or one school year.

In all forms, moral education (religion/ethics) is not assessed in marks/scores.

At the written recommendation of a doctor, pupils can be excused from lessons of physical education, in which case "exempt" is entered in the result report.

Subject teachers perform classroom assessment of pupils’ knowledge, competences and skills. The end-of-year assessment (score/mark) is an average of the results for the terms 1, 2, 3 or two semesters. If learning achievements are not assessed in marks or scores, appropriate term, semester or end-of-year assessments that are entered in the result report are in line with the evaluation system applied, viz., "attested", "not attested", "pp" or "np".

A passed examination testifies to pupils’ achievement. The results of the school-level Matura examinations are rated on a 4–10 point scale. The results of the national level Matura examinations are rated on a 1–100 point scale.

Basic vocational training schools rate pupils’ professional knowledge, skills and products on a 10-point scale. Otherwise, their performance may be assessed as "attested" or "not attested". Theoretical courses usually end in a rated credit or examination.

Learning achievements are evaluated by a teacher, education provider, school founder, the Ministry of Education and Science and its authorised institutions.

Teachers plan and assess their pupils progress and learning achievements in the process of education; sum up and evaluate the pupil‘s academic attainment; record assessment results in the manner established by the school; provide information about the pupils’ performance, achievements and gaps in their knowledge to the learners, their parents, other teachers and school management; analyse and adjust the pupils’ teaching and learning; and see to it that pupils experiencing learning difficulties should be provided timely assistance.

The school determines the general procedure for collecting, recording and using information about pupil assessment and ensures consistent application of assessment methods in the process of pupil‘s progression from one class to another or from a lower stage of education to a higher one and among parallel classes or discrete subjects. The school also coordinates the scope and frequency of tests, provides assistance to pupils experiencing learning difficulties and, based on the pupils‘ achievements, evaluates the quality of work performed by individual teachers and the school.

The education department of the school founder‘s administration analyses information about pupil assessment it receives from schools and uses it for making judgements; takes into account the social and cultural context in making judgements about the efficiency of the school activities; ensures that the procedure for external assessment of pupils‘ achievements should be agreed with the school and its teachers; and provides facilities for the teachers‘ professional development and in-service training.


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The Ministry of Education and Science approves documents regulating the general contents of formal education and pupil assessment. It determines the pupil assessment procedure at the time when the pupil completes the basic and secondary education programmes. It also ensures a timely analysis of the pupil assessment results and their presentation to the pedagogical community and the general public and also the efficient use of that information.



5.16. Progression of Pupils

Promotion of pupils from grade to grade is organised in accordance with the Procedure for Consecutive Learning in Accordance with General Education School Curricula (2005).

Pupils with satisfactory end-of-year assessment in all compulsory subjects of the teaching plan can continue into the next class.

Promotion to the next grade and completion of the education programme of learners’ whose end-of-year performance in some of the compulsory subjects or additional assignments is unsatisfactory is considered by the teachers’ council.

Pupils following education programmes that do not fully correspond to the national education standards are promoted to a higher grade after they have been given their end-of-year marks.

A pupil who studied abroad is promoted to a higher grade according to the generally established procedure after the school has evaluated his/her learning achievements.

A pupil of the final grade of a respective education programme is not promoted to any higher grade on obtaining a certificate of the education acquired. He/she is considered to have completed the respective education programme.

For further information refer to 5.16.1., 5.16.2., 5.16.3..



Pupils of grades 5–10 who receive satisfactory end-of-year evaluation in all compulsory subjects can continue into the next class by order of the school principal (pupils placed in a medical facility for a long-term treatment are promoted to the next class by order of the head of the medical facility school).

Pupils who have unsatisfactory end-of- year assessment are given additional tasks by the teachers’ council. Pupils who have performed additional tasks and have received satisfactory assessment, move on to a higher grade. The teachers’ council will consider whether pupils who fail to receive satisfactory evaluation even after having performed additional work will be transferred into the next grade.

A pupil who, after additional instruction, has an unsatisfactory end-of-year assessment in the final grade of basic education, has to repeat the course of the final year. Unwilling to do so, such a pupil has an option of


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independently choosing a different school and learning independently on the modular basis to settle his arrears.

Pupils who have turned 16 and have an unsatisfactory end-of-year score in one of the subjects are promoted to a higher grade provisionally. They are given an opportunity to catch up during the first term. A pupil who fails to get a satisfactory assessment in a subject that is taught in his next grade is sent back to his previous grade by order of the school principal. If the pupil disagrees to do so, he is expelled from school.

Pupils in their grade 10 (grade II in gymnasiums Gimnazija are allowed to settle their arrears in the subject the instruction in which ends in grade 11 before the time of the Matura examinations.

A pupil in the final grade of the basic education programme (except for those that followed an adapted of special programme) who has satisfactory end-of-year assessment in all compulsory subjects of the teaching plan is considered to have completed the basic education programme and acquired the basic education. He is entitled to continue his education on the basis of the secondary education programme.


A pupil of grade 11 whose end-of-year scores in all compulsory subjects are satisfactory is transferred to the next grade.

Should some obvious circumstance cause a twelve-grade pupil to interrupt his studies, he is entitled to repeat the course or to continue his disrupted study the next year.

Upon completion of the school year, a pupil of grade 12 who has unsatisfactory end-of-year assessments or has failed in some credits or examinations is not allowed to repeat the year. He/she can settle the arrears by learning independently at any school implementing the corresponding secondary education curriculum. To receive a secondary education certificate, pupils have to take examinations in four subjects from the secondary education programme: the compulsory examination in the Lithuanian language (as the mother tongue in Lithuanian schools and state language in other schools) and three examinations of their own choice.

The school matura examination Mokyklinis brandos egzaminas is an examination which involves tasks prepared on the basis of the school leaving examinations programme (requirements). The examinations are administered and the results assessed at school (local centres). The assessment used is criterion-referenced, and the results are rated on a 10-point scale (110).

The national matura examination Valstybinis brandos egzaminas is an examination which involves tasks prepared on the basis of the national Matura examinations programme (requirements) and is taken at the National Matura Examination Centres. The assessment is centralised and the results are rated on a 100-point scale. It is a norm-referenced assessment.

An individual who has completed the secondary programme of a subject and has a satisfactory end-of-year assessment in that subject is allowed by the school principal to take a Matura examination in that subject. An individual who has unsatisfactory end-of-year assessment is not allowed to take an examination in that subject.

An individual who receives an unsatisfactory score during the main session of the national Matura examinations is allowed to take a school-level Matura examination in the same subject during a repetitive session.


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Examinations are administered and other ways of learning achievement assessment are requested by institutions authorised by the Minister of Education and Science.


Final qualification examinations that have to be taken as part of the vocational school curriculum usually take place during one week.

Students of vocational schools, who have completed a course and mastered one module, take an intermediary examination. A total of intermediary examinations set forth in the education plans entitle a student to take final proficiency examinations qualifying for a prospective occupational activity. Students take proficiency examinations based on a certain procedure which is established by a competent body in coordination with the Council of Vocational Education. Academic study is finalised by an examination or a rated credit, as specified in the teaching plans.

5.17. Certification

The learning achievements of a person are legitimated by means of a document (certificate, education certificate, Matura certificate, diploma issued according to an established procedure; the form and the procedure for issuance of the document is established by the Government or its authorised institution.

The school principal formalizes a pupil’s completion of the basic or secondary education programme by issuing an order indicating what education programme the pupil has completed and what level education certificate or learning achievement document has been issued to him/her.

A special kind of certificate attesting to learning achievements is issued to pupils in grade 10 whose results in a subject (some subjects) are rated as unsatisfactory, pupils who have completed a special general education programme, pupils who participated in adapted programmes and pupils who have passed only part of the examinations or whose end-of-year results in some subjects are unsatisfactory.

Pupils in the final year of education programmes that do not fully correspond to the national education standards are considered to have completed the education programme after they have been given their end-of-year subject marks.

For further information refer to 5.17.1., 5.17.2., 5.17.3.


The year of completing the basic education programme and the year of acquiring the basic education coincide.

The basic education certificate is issued to a pupil who has completed the basic education programme in a state-run and municipal general education or vocational school. The certificate specifies what programme that individual has completed: "basic education", "adult basic education", or "fine arts gymnasium (basic education block)". The end-of-year marks in each subject that was taught on the basis of the individual education plan as well as other assessments such as "attested" or "exempt"; and satisfactory learning achievements are noted on the certificate form.


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Pupils who have not completed the basic education programme (those leaving the school or those who followed a programme not complying with the Education Standards) receive a certificate attesting to their learning achievements or another free form document.

Learners who have completed part of the basic curricula (its module) receive a certificate attesting to their learning achievements.


A pupil who has satisfactory end-of-year scores in each subject in the final year of the secondary education programme is considered to have completed the secondary education programme. The pupil who has passed the Matura examinations is considered to have acquired secondary education. The year of completing the programme and acquiring the secondary education does not necessarily coincide.

The certificate attesting to learning achievements is issued to a pupil in the last year of secondary education who did not take the Matura examinations or passed only part of examinations/credits required for the award of the Matura certificate.

The Matura certificate is awarded to a pupil who has completed the secondary programme and has passed the Matura examinations. School-leavers take the following examinations and credits: the Lithuanian language (state language), the mother tongue and one of foreign languages (credits), a compulsory examination in the Lithuanian language and at least three elective examinations in selected subjects. No school graduate receives his Matura certificate without a document accompanying the certificate.

The Matura certificate with commendation is issued to an individual who has taken the national examinations (at least one of these), whose end-of-year achievement in each subject of instruction is rated no lower than 910 scores, who has been rated no lower than 910 scores for competence in the Lithuanian language, mother tongue and one of the foreign languages and who has received equally high scores in school-level examinations and scored no lower than 50 points at the national examinations.

The Matura certificate is issued to pupils of the state, municipal and private secondary, vocational, schools and gymnasiums who have completed the general secondary education, adult secondary education or the fine arts gymnasium programme.

The certificates are awarded to pupils of the Vilnius Lyceum of Exact, Natural and Technical Sciences (gymnasium) who have completed the international baccalaureate programme.

Pupils of stage 3 in vocational schools who have also passed the Matura examinations are awarded diploma of vocational education and secondary school Matura certificates.


On completion of the vocational training curriculum, pupils are issued the following documents to attest the qualifications attained and learning outcomes:

- Qualification Certificate issued to a person who has received assessment of his/her competencies necessary for the qualification obtained;

- Vocational Training Certificate issued to a pupil who completed the formal vocational training curriculum;


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- Certificate Attesting to Learning Outcomes of Vocational Training issued to pupils who have not completed the vocational training curriculum;

- Certificate issued to pupils who have completed the vocational training curriculum module, non-formal vocational training curriculum and/or those who have obtained the competence to perform a certain kind of work;

- Certificate of Competence Assessment issued to a person to attest the results of his competence assessment.

On completion of the basic education curriculum in conjunction with vocation training, pupils of vocational training institutions are issued Basic Education Certificates and on completion of the secondary education curriculum and passage of matura examinations, they are granted Matura Certificates, whereas those who have not completed the general education curriculum and have not passed the matura examinations are granted Certificates of Learning Outcomes.

The content, form and the order of issuing the Qualification Certificate and the Certificate of Competence Assessment is established by the Minister of Social Security and Labour in agreement with the Minister of Education and Science, and the procedure of issuing all other certificates by the Minister of Education and Science, in coordination with the Minister of Social Security and Labour.

Recognition of qualifications obtained abroad as corresponding to qualifications gained in Lithuania and certification of qualifications obtained in Lithuania for people going abroad is regulated by the legislation of the European Union and the Republic of Lithuania and international agreements.

5.18. Educational/Vocational Guidance, Education/Employment Links

To ensure access to education, the Law on Education envisages provision of vocational information and counselling services, including provision of information about opportunities afforded by the vocational training, higher education study curricula, possibilities to study abroad, employment prospects on the labour market of Lithuania, and consulting. Those services are provided in schools, information centres, consulting services and labour exchanges in compliance with the requirements established by the Ministers of Education and Science and Social Security and Labour.

In 2003, the Ministers of Education and Science and Social Security and Labour issued a joint order to confirm the Career Guidance Strategy. That strategic document on vocational guidance is closely linked with the project "White Paper on Lifelong Education and Continuing Vocational Training". The key aim of the Career Guidance Strategy is to develop the necessary environment for the system of vocation guidance and development of guidance-related services in Lithuania in line with the prospects of the country’s economic and social development and individual needs of every member of society.

In Lithuania, there is quite an extensive network of institutions involved in the on-going integration of pupils into the labour market, provision of career planning programmes, information and consulting. It is comprised of the Lithuanian Labour Market Training Authority 7.15., the Lithuanian Labour Exchange, municipal pedagogical-psychological assistance services, the Career Planning Division at the Lithuanian Centre for Pupil Information and Technical Creation, vocational guidance and career centres at the country’s four


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largest universities and private consultancy organisations and vocational information points. At present, there are 700 vocational information points in Lithuania.

Lithuanian general education schools employ psychologists whose job descriptions envisage provision of consulting services to pupils and their parents. Schools maintain close links with institutions of vocational guidance and direct pupils or classes who are interested in professional careers to them.

The Lithuanian Labour Market Training Authority website provides links to the Lithuanian Classification of Occupations, Listing of the Labour Market Non-formal Educational Programmes and Listing of Vocational Guidance and Programmes for the Development of General Competencies.

The Open Information, Counselling and Guidance System (AIKOS) is available online at the website of the Ministry of Education and Science. The main objectives of the system are to:

- provide high-quality information about education and employment opportunities;

- ensure availability of high-quality information about education and employment opportunities to Lithuanian people throughout the entire span of their lives;

- provide high quality vocational information services to all residents of the country;

- improve the ability of young people and adults to find employment, promote their entrepreneurship skills and their ever-present pursuit of knowledge;

- develop people‘s social activity and responsibility for their professional careers in an attempt to avoid unemployment and provide high-quality information about education and employment opportunities in Lithuania.

AIKOS website provides an opportunity for making use of official integrated information stored in the education, statistics and labour information systems. Information is available to various groups of users, including pupils, applicants to higher schools, people wishing to develop their professional qualifications, employment seekers and employers.

Those who need information about mobility programmes and opportunities for studies in other countries can use information provided by the PLOTEUS portal, the Euroguidance website, etc.


Lithuanian Labour Market Training Authority





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Non-state general education and vocational education schools can be founded by legal and natural persons pursuant to the provisions of the Law on Education. Non-state funded schools are liquidated upon the founder’s decision or in other circumstances defined in law.

The founder must agree the regulations of a non-state school with the head of the education department of the municipality in the territory of which the school is founded.

The procedure for admission to a non-state school implementing formal education programmes is established by the founder, based on admission requirements defined for respective programmes by the Law on Education.

Non-state schools can work according to teaching plans and curricula recognized by foreign countries. Schools like that are maintained by the founder’s funds. The curriculum content and teaching methods must comply with the objectives established for schools by the Ministry of Education and Science and meet the needs of the public.

The fee payable for education, instruction or studies at a non-state school is determined by the founder of the school. The fee is paid on the basis of an agreement.

Funds for pupils’ baskets given to non-state schools are allocated from the part of the specially earmarked grant received from the state budget by the municipality in whose territory the school is located.



In 2010, the Minister of Education and Science confirmed the Conceptual Framework for Non-Traditional Education the aim of which is to provide the basics of non-traditional education, define its place in the Lithuanian education system and specify the status, mission and basic activities of education providers working according to the non-traditional pre-school, pre-primary preparatory, primary, basic, secondary and non-formal education curricula. In Lithuania, non-traditional education is a consistent part of the education system that is equivalent to traditional education and comprises formal (except for vocational training and higher education) and non-formal education of children.

Non-traditional education is implemented: in non-traditional schools; traditional schools according to the pre-school, pre-primary preparatory Priešmokyklinis ugdymas , primary, basic, secondary and (or) other non-formal education curricula if those schools have classes (groups) of non-traditional education or if non-traditional education methods are used in organising other non-formal education.

Teachers in both public and non-state run schools have discretion to apply alternative instruction methods and systems and design individual teaching programmes. For instance, educational institutions of national minorities may introduce additional ethnic elements or languages; schools run by religious organisations supplement their curriculum with the moral principles of Christianity and other subjects from the realm of religion. Music schools and other schools of aesthetic education focus on musical and artistic education.


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In the 2009-2010 school year, the country had the following schools of non-traditional education: the Christian School ‘The Word of Faith’; the Waldorf Secondary School; and four gymnasiums under subordination of municipalities. The activities of the schools applying the methods of Waldorf, M. Montessori and S. Suzuki as part of alternative (non-traditional) formal education are legitimised in Lithuania.

Lithuania has M. Montessori Method Centre implementing the Montessori methods in education. In four secondary schools there are classes run according to the M. Montessori approach.

In Kretinga, there is a Franciscan gymnasium and in some other towns there are Jesuit gymasiums integrating Christian values into their general education curricula. In 2000, the Vilnius Jesuit Gymnasium celebrated its 430 years. The Gymnasium provides both basic and secondary education based on the Jesuit key educational principles. In 2008, the Minister of Education and Science approved the ‘Understanding of Education Based on the Jesuit Pedagogical Teachings’.

The Christian School of the ‘Word of Faith’ that is run in Vilnius is the only Protestant school of basic education in Lithuania that, thanks to its faithful teaching staff, educates the pupils in the spirit of the Christian values. The pupils of the school are children from families that belong to various Christian communities. There are also several Catholic secondary schools.





Understanding of Education Based on Jesuit Pedagogical Teachings

5.21. Statistics

State and private general education schools (at the beginning of the school year)

2000 2003 2007 2008 2009 State and private general education schools

Number of pupils 787,347 810,445 737,754 718,856 689,395

Number of schools 2,521 2,078 1,602 1,544 1,488

Number of teachers 70,450 68,695 62,119 59,649 56,921

Private general education schools

Number of pupils 1,744 2,201 3,563 4,534 4,695

Number of schools 20 19 24 26 28

Number of teachers 405 374 579 648 514


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Basic and secondary education curricula in general education schools, 2009–2010 school year (except for adapted, special and adult education curricula)

Type of education curriculum Number of pupils

Basic education curriculum 219,956

Secondary education curriculum 70,124

International Baccalaureate curriculum 148

Basic and art education curriculum 346

Secondary and art education curriculum 157

Basic and fine arts education curriculum 445

Secondary and fine arts education curriculum 151

Basic and musical education curriculum 1,075

Secondary and musical education curriculum 516

Total number of pupils 292,918

Enrolment by the education level

2001–2002 2005–2006 2007–2008 2008–2009 2009–2010Basic education (level 2) 332,097 307,213 275,848 257,415 241,338

Basic general education 328,555 299,236 268,388 250,273 234,322

Basic vocational education 7,541 7,977 7,460 7,142 6,916

Secondary education (level 3) 100,957 116,641 112,733 112,800 113,538

Secondary general education 76,625 86,607 8,3122 83,047 82,130

Secondary vocational education 30,109 30,034 29,611 29,753 31,408

Non-tertiary post-secondary vocational education (level 4)

6,720 10,426 8,885 8,689 11,088

Number of schools providing basic and secondary education curricula and of pupils in them, 2009-2010 school year

Type of schools Number of schools Number of teachers Number of pupils

Secondary 325 13961 162684

Youth 19 255 1557

Conservatoires 4 212 722

Children socialisation centres 8 96 247

Basic 515 11513 112357

Gymnasiums 185 9395 115193

Fine arts gymnasiums 4 309 2101

Vocational 78 3882 47886

Pupils who have acquired a certain type of education

2006 2007 2008 2009

Basic 48,254 49,461 47,965 47,535

Secondary 44,172 44,502 43,551 46,527

Number of computers used in the process of learning per 100 pupils

2007 2008 2009

General education schools 7.2 8.5 9.3

Vocational schools 9.9 12.8 12.91


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Enrolment of foreign pupils in Lithuanian state- and municipality-run schools of general education at the beginning of the 2009–2010 school year

Total enrolment of foreign pupils

Grades

Total Out of which, girls

Grades 5-10 and I-II in gymnasiums 368 185

Grades 11-12 and III-IV in gymnasiums 124 72

Total 492 257

Number of foreign pupils who completed grade 12 or gymnasium grade IV in 2009 and acquired a secondary education

39 19

Further statistical information about basic education is available in 5.21.1, about secondary education in 5.21.2. and about vocational education and training in 5.21.3..


Basic education enrolment ratio

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Gross 104.7 103.7 103.5 103.4 102.9

Net 96.0 95.9 95.5 94.9 94.7

Basic schools

2007–2008 2008–2009 2009–2010 Basic schools

Number of schools 387 366 325

Number of pupils 227,404 200,113 164,537

Youth schools


Number of pupils 1,795 1,773 1,557


Secondary education enrolment ratio

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Gross 104,1 107,5 108,2 107,3 107,6

Net 75,9 77,6 77,7 78,4 80,0


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Secondary schools and gymnasiums

2007–2008 2008–2009 2009–2010 Secondary schools


Number of pupils 227,404 200,113 164,537

Gymnasiums


Number of pupils 99,050 106,308 115,797

Percentage of pupils in post-secondary education, compared with the total number of school-leavers in the years indicated below

2007 2008 2009 Colleges 27,0 24,8 23,6

Vocational schools 6,8 5,2 6,7

Universities 47,2 53,8 50,5

Total 81,0 83,8 80,8


Post-secondary non-tertiary vocational education enrolment ratio

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Gross 9.2 9.3 8.7 8.2 8.3

Net 5.7 5.1 4.7 3.7 3.2

State and private vocational schools (at the beginning of the school year)

2000–2001 2003–2004 2007–2008 2008–2009 2009–2010State vocational schools

Number of pupils 47,005 44,403 43,880 43,818 47,886


Number of teachers 4,922 4,659 4,587 3,908 3,882

Private vocational schools

Number of pupils 42 38 48 47 77


Number of teachers 8 26 10 11 18

Percentage of pupils in post-vocational education, compared with the total number of school-leavers in the years indicated below

2007 2008 2009 Colleges 4.7 6.0 3.8

Vocational schools 4.1 1.1 1.,3

Universities 1.0 1.0 1.2

Total 9.8 8.1 6.3


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Vocational school pupils by the areas of studies (at the beginning of the school year)

Total enrolment Completed schooling Areas of studies (LEC 1999) 2007–2008 2008–2009 2007 2008

Total 43880 43818 12565 12718

General curriculum 25 268 - 23

Fine arts 1271 1437 344 320

Computer studies 124 172 45 46

Business and administration 10301 10242 3131 3017

Engineering and engineering-related professions 9568 9839 2835 2844

Manufacturing and processing 4426 3167 1665 1315

Architecture and construction 7951 7956 1676 2206

Agriculture, forestry and fishery 1079 1122 231 289

Health 252 218 70 120

Social services 327 245 160 138

Personal services 7228 7836 1939 2099

Transport services 837 879 285 258

Security services 491 437 184 43

Vocational school pupils who receive grants

2005–2006 2007–2008 2008–2009

Total enrolment 46,334 43,880 43,818

Those who receive grants 31,501 28,051 31,892

Percentage. 68.0 63.9 72.8

Sources: Statistics Lithuania, EMIS [Education Management Information System], AIKOS [Open Information, Counselling and Career Guidance System]



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6. Tertiary Education O r g a n i s a t i o n o f t h e e d u c a t i o n s y s t e m i n L i t h u a n i a , 2 0 0 9 / 1 0

41 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 2710

LOPŠELIS-DARŽELIS

DARŽELIS

GIMNAZIJAKOLEGIJA

















Source: Eurydice.

The higher education system comprises university and non-university study programmes, which are provided by state and non-state higher education institutions – universities and colleges Kolegija . Normally, university level study programmes are offered by universities and non-university level programmes are delivered at colleges.

Persons in higher education can follow a consecutive curriculum developed by higher education institutions that leads to the attainment of higher education and a qualification or can study in a non-consecutive mode by registering for a particular separate subject or a group-of-subjects programme to further develop their vocational or general education. Entrants pursuing consecutive study programmes enjoy the status of a student and are issued a Lithuanian student ID card of an established form (which grants them certain privileges) while those following non-consecutive programmes obtain the status of auditing students.

University higher education is organized in three cycles: the first (basic/undergraduate studies), the second (Master’s studies, specialized professional studies, integrated studies (covering the first and the second cycles), and the third cycle (doctoral studies, post-graduate art studies and residency studies). Non-university higher education is not broken down into cycles.

Depending on the study cycle, university graduates are awarded the following qualifications:

- Bachelor’s degree and/or a professional qualification – on completion of the first cycle of study;


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- Master’s degree and/or a professional qualification – on completion of the Master’s study programmes or integrated study programmes;

- Professional qualification – on completion of integrated, specialized professional or residency study programmes;

- Art Licentiate degree Meno aspirantūra – on completion of post-graduate art study programmes;

- Doctoral degree – on completion of doctoral study programmes.

On completion of non-university study programmes, students are awarded a professional Baccalaureate degree.

According to LEC, higher education (both, university and non-university) belongs to educational level 6 (according to ISCED 97, university higher education belongs to level 5A and non-university higher education belongs to level 5B).

The state research and higher education policy is shaped by the Seimas.


Lietuvos švietimo klasifikacija. Sritys ir posričiai. Vartotojo vadovas (informacinis leidinys)


The origin of higher education in Lithuania can be traced back to the establishment in 1579 of the Academy and University of Vilnius (Alma academia et universitas Vilnensis societatis Iesu), the first in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and in Eastern Europe. The University started with two faculties – Theology and Philosophy, followed, in 1644, by the Faculty of Law. The Academy had its own library and the printing-house. Among its students were the children of noblemen and townspeople from all over the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and from foreign countries. In the middle of the 17th century it reached the peak of its scientific activity and in 1773 the joint education institution of Lithuania and Poland, the Education Commission, delegated to Vilnius Academy – University supervision of all the schools in Lithuania. It was originally directed by the Jesuits until in 1781 it was secularized and renamed the Principal School of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Schola Princeps Magni Ducatus Lithuaniae).

In 1795, after the fall of the Polish-Lithuanian st ate, the university was subordinated to the Vilnius Education Curator residing in Peteburg. In 1803, on the order of the Russian tsar it was significantly expanded and received the new title of the Imperial University of Vilnius. However, in 1832 the University was closed by the tsarist government. In its place, the colleges of Theology and Medicine were established, which were transferred to Russia in 1842. With no higher education establishments left in Lithuania, the young people of the country obtained advanced education in the universities of Russia, Poland and Western Europe. For about a century there were no higher education institutions in Lithuania.

After Lithuania declared its independence in 1918, there were plans to open Vilnius University without delay. However, the Red Army having occupied Vilnius, the plans fell through. The bolshevik government passed a decree on the establishment of a university, yet due to the Polish army seizing Vilnius, the decree was not


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enforced either; the university in operation in Vilnius during the years of Polish occupation was the Polish Stephen Bator University.

With Vilnius occupied by Poland, efforts were undertaken to establish a higher education institution in Kaunas, the provisional capital of Lithuania and in 1920, the first higher education institution – the Courses of Higher Learning supervised by the Lithuanian scholars’ organization, the Society of Advanced Sciences, started operating there. The Courses of Higher Learning had six departments: Humanities, Law, Physics and Mathematics, Natural sciences, Medicine, and Technical Studies. It ran its programmes following the regulations and curricula of universities. In 1922 the Courses were reorganized into the University of Lithuania (re-named Vytautas Magnus University in 1930). Later, on the basis of some faculties of the university the Agricultural Academy (1924) and the Veterinary Academy (1936) were established.

In 1939, when Vilnius was returned to Lithuania and Vilnius University was re-opened, three faculties of Vytautas Magnus University were moved to Vilnius thus forming the basis for further development of Vilnius University.

Apart from the above higher education institutions, there were the following HEI operating in Lithuania in the period of 1918–1940: the Kaunas School of Fine Arts, the Vytautas Magnus Higher Military School, the Kaunas Conservatoire, the Institute of Commerce, the Higher Courses of Physical Training, the Pedagogical Institute and the Jewish Rabbi Higher School. As few students received grants, access to higher education for those from a disadvantaged background was not easy.

The German occupational administration was ill disposed toward the activities of Lithuanian higher education institutions and closed down both universities (Vytautas Magnus University and Vilnius University) in 1943. At the time (1943-1944), Higher Technical Courses (or Higher Technical Department), were functioning, semi-legally, in Kaunas.

During the years of Soviet occupation Lithuania followed the Soviet model of higher education, maintaining Lithuanian as the language of instruction. In 1950, upon closing down of Vytautas Magnus University, specialized HEI – the Kaunas Medical Institute and the Kaunas Polytechnical Institute were opened on the basis of its faculties: Besides, several new HEIs were established: the Vilnius Fine Arts Institute, the Lithuanian Physical Training Institute, the Lithuanian Conservatoire, the Vilnius Civil Engineering Institute.

In soviet times the number of faculties, specialities and students increased, particularly of those in civil engineering, medicine, agriculture and other applied sciences; evening and extra-mural departments were opened. In 1980, there were over 70 thousand students enrolled in higher education.

Upon the restoration of Lithuania’s independence in 1990, higher education institutions themselves started introducing a reform in the system of studies and research, the main provisions of which are legitimated in the Law on Science and Studies, adopted in 1991. The Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, adopted in 1992, reaffirmed the autonomy of higher education institutions and guaranteed free higher education in state HEIs for well-performing students. By 1995, HEIs had redesigned the majority of their study programmes into university programmes, the curricula had been updated, obligatory modules in the humanities and social sciences had been introduced and a three-cycle university education system developed. In 1995 the Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education was founded to organize expert assessment of study programmes provided by science and study institutions, of research carried out by them and qualifications related to higher education. In 1996 the National Examination Centre was established, whose functions include organizing evaluation of learning achievements in basic and secondary education curricula subjects, credits and final examinations. These examinations are recognized by all higher education institutions of Lithuania as entrance examinations.


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In 1999 the first non-state-funded HEIs were opened.

The system of higher education saw significant changes in the year 2000, when the Law on Higher Education was adopted. Taking into account the West European post secondary education experience, a binary higher education system was developed consisting of universities and colleges, the rules and procedures of founding HEIs were established, the Councils of HEIs were legitimized, the right of the decisive voice of student representation in all HEI self-governance and governance bodies was defined, a system of study fees was introduced and the forms of financial support for students were determined. In the same year the first colleges were established. In 2005 the Lithuanian Higher Education Development Plan 2006-2010 was developed and its implementation started. During the first stage of its implementation (2006-2007), the Support Fund of Education Exchange to administer European programmes designed for the development of international cooperation and the Research and Higher Education Monitoring and Analysis Centre, which monitors the system of research and studies, analyzes its condition, and, taking due account of international trends and the needs of the society and the state, submits recommendations concerning the improvement of the research and studies policy, were established. At the same time, a draft law on research and studies was prepared merging the Law on Higher Education and the Law on Science and Studies, which is to create legal preconditions for the reform of higher education in line with the European Area for Higher Education principles. Lithuania undertook to adhere to these principles as far back as 1999 by signing, among the first, the Bologna Declaration and joining the Bologna process together with the other 28 European countries.

In May 2008, the Government of the Republic of Lithuania approved the Programme for the Improvement of the Research and Higher Education System, the purpose of which is to improve the quality of research and higher education, to enhance their competitiveness, to strengthen research and higher education infrastructure, to improve students’ living conditions and to substantiate the need for the improvement of the system. The Programme is in line with the provisions of the National Education Strategy 2003-2012 seeking to ensure a quality of education which corresponds to the needs of an individual living in an open civil society under market economy conditions, and the universal needs of society of the modern world, as well as with the provisions of the Lisbon Strategy Implementation Programme related to the development of research and higher education.

The implementation of the Ministry of Education and Science’s goal to optimize research and higher education was started by launching the higher education reform, an important stage of which was adoption of the Law on Research and Higher Education (April 30, 2009) and approval of the provisions of the National Lisbon Strategy Implementation Programme, which provided a legal basis for the reform.

Among the measures undertaken in 2009 were planning and distribution of state budgetary funds allocated to higher education institutions, approval of the Studies Foundation to cover the cost of state-funded studies of first year students, establishment of the cost of state-funded studies, admission to HEIs, selection of credit institutions providing state-supported loans to students, allocation of funds for student loans, increased focus on the quality of studies, initiating changes in HE internal governance and its legal status, approval of the lists of study areas and study fields as well as the lists of qualification degrees.

Svarbiausi Bolonijos proceso dokumentai (Bolonijos-Bergeno laikotarpis 1995-2005 m.)



Vilnius University


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Vytautas Magnus University




National Lisbon Strategy Implementation Programme for 2008-2010


The new needs and challenges the Lithuanian society faces today encourage the academic community of the country, employers, politicians and students to actively participate in the debate on the necessity for a change in higher education that would enable it to keep up with the society that is becoming increasingly modernized, and to accomplish its mission – to ensure the competitiveness of the country and to meet the needs of its citizens.

Discussions on the HE reform have largely focused on its separate aspects, e.g. the change in the governance of HEIs, the most favourable terms for student bank loans, tuition fees etc. However, the fundamental objective of the reform is to create the best possible conditions for the advancement of both students and researchers, and the entire system of higher education should be geared toward it.

The Ministry of Education and Science invites organizations representing the student community to continue active cooperation in improving the quality of higher education provision. Financial support is available for students to analyse and compare the material conditions offered by HEIs of the country, the incentive grants and student grievances policies.

The Ministry of Education and Science has submitted 84 legislative proposals to the Government, some of which are still being discussed by the stakeholders and the public at large.


The key legislation regulating research and higher education includes the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, stipulating autonomy of higher education institutions; the Law on Education of the Republic of Lithuania establishing the mission and the objectives of education, the guiding principles of the system of education, the framework of its structure, educational activities, educational relationships and the state’s obligations in the field of education and the Republic of Lithuania Law on Higher education and Research. This law stipulates:

1) state regulation of higher education and research;

2) principles of quality assurance in higher education and research;

3) legal basis of establishment, termination and restructuring of higher education and research institutions;

4) awarding and recognition of higher education qualifications and scientific degrees;

5) management of higher education and research institutions, organization and supervision of their activities;


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6) rights and duties of the academic staff, research staff and students of higher education and research institutions;

7) funding of higher education and research;

8) principles of management, use and disposal of the assets of state higher education institutions.

Exceptions to the law apply to the General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania and theological seminaries.

The statute of a HEI is a founding document and in their activities HEIs must comply with its provisions. The statute of a public university is endorsed by the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, while the statute of a public college is endorsed by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania.

State regulation of HEI activities is carried out by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania and the Ministry of Education and Science.

The key legal acts adopted by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania establish:

● The methodology for computation of state budget funds and their allocation to research and higher education institutions and the terms for the remuneration of their staff (heads of departments, deputy heads, scientific secretaries, research fellows, other researchers and academic staff); ● The procedures for the allocation of state budgetary funds to research and higher education institutions for the development of scientific research, experimental (social, cultural) and artistic activities; ● The rules and procedures for the allocation of state budgetary funds to cover the cost of state-funded slots in higher education or for their partial repayment to the Republic of Lithuania’s budget; ● The rules and procedures for establishing the scope of budgetary appropriations designed to finance the studies of students who have changed the study programme, and the re-distribution of said appropriations among higher education institutions; ● The minimum qualification requirements for the job positions of scientific workers, other researchers and the academic staff of research and higher education institutions; ● The classification of the fields and areas of consecutive university and non-university studies provided at higher education Institutions of Lithuania as well as the list of qualifications awarded on completion of the studies thereof, and the classification of research fields, areas and branches; ● The peculiarities of organizing the third cycle of higher education – doctoral studies, postgraduate art studies and residency training. ● The rules and procedures for granting state financial support (grants and loans) to students in all stages of higher education.

The key legal acts passed by the Ministry of Science and Education establish:

● General requirements for study programmes (study field regulations for basic study programmes), the rules and procedures for assessment and accreditation of study programmes; ● Methods and guidelines for the use of funding from the EU Structural Funds allocated for the period of 2007-2013 to improve the efficiency of higher education system; ● The rules of admission to Lithuanian HEIs of emigrants and foreign nationals of Lithuanian descent; ● Standard tuition fees; ● Rules and procedures for different forms of studies; ● The preliminary number of state-funded places in the first cycle and integrated study programmes (annually); ● Targeted budgetary allocations for state-funded higher education places; ● Classification of the types of study grants and benefits etc.



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General Requirements for Study Programmes





The mission of higher education and research is to help ensure the country’s public, cultural and economic prosperity, provide support and impetus for a full – fledged life of every citizen of the Republic of Lithuania, and satisfy the natural thirst for knowledge. The Lithuanian policy on higher education and research guarantees the quality of higher education and research, equal access to higher education for all citizens and favourable conditions for the best of them to carry out research and to seek academic and creative perfection. The said policy ensures that the system of higher education and research satisfies the demands of society and the economy, promotes its openness and integration into international higher education and research space. A cohesive system of higher education and research is the basis for the development of knowledge society and knowledge-based economy as well as for the sustainable development of the country. It is essential for a dynamic and competitive national economy, for social and economic well-being; such a system cultivates a creative, educated, dignified, morally responsible, public-spirited, independent and entrepreneurial personality; it fosters the civilizational identity of Lithuania and supports, develops and creates national and global cultural traditions.

Research in Lithuania is based on the following principles:

1) freedom of creation and research;

2) academic ethics;

3) priority for Lithuanian philology studies;

4) publicity regarding research results;

5) integration in the life of the State and society;

6) orientation towards international quality standards;

7) fair competition;

8) Intellectual property rights insurance;

9) participation in the international and European research area;

Higher education is based on the following principles:

1) academic freedom and autonomy;

2) openness and responsibility to the public;

3) cooperation among the members of academic community;

4) personal interest of students;


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5) commitment to develop public responsibility of the academic community;

6) fair competition among higher education institutions and students;

7) priority for Lithuanian philology studies;

8) European humanistic and democratic tradition;

9) conformity with the European Higher Education Area provisions;

10) striving for lifelong learning;

11) integration in the life of the State and society.

The State gives strategic priority to Lithuanian philology research and studies devoted to performing the essential tasks of preserving, enhancing and developing national identity. Higher education and research institutions, to the extent they participate in the implementation of this priority, are considered to be carrying out activities of strategic importance.

More information on universities can be found in 6.4.1., on colleges in 6.4.2.

6.4.1. University

The main objectives of the university are the following:

1) to deliver programmes providing university higher education, which are based on research and correspond to the modern level of cognition and technologies and a higher education qualification, to develop a thoroughly educated, morally responsible, creative and entrepreneurial person;

2) to harmoniously develop scientific cognition of various fields, to conduct high-level research and facilitate experimental (social, cultural) development, to train scientists, to promote cooperation with national and foreign partners in the field of research;

3) when cooperating with public and economic partners, to promote the development of regions and the whole country through research, educational, artistic and other cultural activities;

4) to develop education and culture receptive society, able to make effective use of scientific achievements and compete in the market of high-level technologies, products and services;

6.4.2. College

The main objectives of the college Kolegija are the following:

1) to deliver study programmes providing higher college education and higher education qualification which meet the needs of the state of Lithuania, its society and economy and are in keeping with the contemporary level of science and latest technologies;

2) to develop applied research necessary for the region, to provide counselling to local authorities and economic operators;

3) to create conditions for upgrading acquired knowledge and skills;


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4) to develop education and culture receptive society, capable of acting under the conditions of rapidly changing technologies.

6.5. Types of Higher Education Institutions

There are two groups of higher education and research establishments: higher education institutions and scientific research institutes.

Higher education is delivered in two types of institutions: universities and colleges Kolegija , which can be public (state-run) and non state-run establishments.

HEIs organize and deliver study programmes, award higher education qualifications, carry out research, pursue experimental (social, cultural) development and/or artistic activity, apply in their provision the results of research and experimental (social, cultural) development, accumulate scientific knowledge, promote creative and cultural activities, foster the values and traditions of the academic community.

A higher education institution can establish and run sub-divisions necessary for its operation such as faculties, departments, institutes, laboratories, production units and others.

More information on universities can be found in 6.5.1., on colleges in 6.5.2..

6.5.1. University

The university provides university-level study programmes, conducts research, pursues experimental (social, cultural) development and/or high-level professional art. The name of a higher education establishment must contain a word ‘’university’’ or ‘’academy’’, or ‘’seminary’’.

More than half of the university academic staff must be researchers and/or recognized artists.

At present, there are in Lithuania 15 state-run universities: the General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania, Kaunas University of Medicine, Kaunas University of Technology, Klaipėda University, Lithuanian Academy of Physical Education, Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, Lithuanian Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Agriculture, Mykolas Romeris University, Šiauliai University, Vilnius Academy of Fine Arts, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Vilnius Pedagogical University, Vilnius University, Vytautas Magnus University.

Among higher education institutions there are 8 non-state universities: European Humanities University, ISM University of Management and Economics, LCC International University, Bishop Vincentas Borisevičius Seminary in Telšiai, Vilnius Saint Joseph Catholic Seminary, International Business School at Vilnius University, Vilnius Business Law Academy and Business and Management Academy.

Higher education studies are also provided by the non-state branch of the Bialystok university - the Faculty of Economics and Informatics.

ISM University of Management and Economics

Kaunas University of Medicine

Kaunas University of Technology


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Klaipėda University

Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre

Lithuanian Academy of Physical Education

Lithuanian University of Agriculture

Lithuanian Veterinary Academy

Mykolas Romeris University

The General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania

Vilnius Academy of Arts

Vilnius Gediminas Technical University

Vilnius Pedagogical University

Vilnius University


Šiauliai University

6.5.2. College

The college Kolegija provides college-level study programmes, develops applied research and/or professional art. The title of a higher education institution which carries out these activities must contain the words ‘’college’’ or ‘’higher education institution’’.

More than half of the college academic staff must have at least a three-year practical work experience in the field of the subject taught. In-service training in the relevant field is regulated by the procedures established by the college. Subjects that must be taught by scientific degree holders are set out in the study field, study field group or study area descriptions.

Colleges train specialists-practitioners to meet the needs of the country in the economy, education, culture and other sectors. College study programmes may include programmes (modules) that correspond to the university undergraduate studies and are coordinated with universities. Colleges can conclude agreements with universities concerning joint study and research programmes, academic staff exchange programmes etc.

Compared to university level study programmes, non-university study programmes are more geared toward preparation for practical activities.

In 2010 there are 13 state colleges and 10 non-state colleges operating in Lithuania.


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6.6. Admission Requirements

The establishment of the National Examination Centre in 1996 and the introduction of the state Matura examination system were instrumental in the initiation (2003) and development of joint admissions to undergraduate and integrated study programmes. Conditions were created for the majority of entrance examinations to be discontinued. Joint admission enabled entrants to apply for several different degree programmes. Having formed an Association of Lithuanian Higher Education Institutions for Joint Admission (LAMA BPO), individual universities retained the specificity of their admission rules.

Since 2009 admission to all higher education institutions (colleges and universities) is conducted in two stages: HEIs participate in the joint admissions exercise (LAMA BPO) and also conduct their own additional admission (according to the admission rules approved by the head of the institution).

All state-run universities, 6 nonstate-run universities and all 23 colleges participate in joint admission to undergraduate and integrated study programmes.

With the new Law on Research and Higher Education coming into force, joint admission became instrumental in implementing the new principles of higher education funding.

The 2009 admission was regulated by the 2009 General Framework of Joint Admissions to the First Cycle and Integrated Study Programmes Provided by Higher Education Institutions of Lithuania, approved by the president of LAMA BPO.

The total number of admissions to state-run higher education establishments (universities and colleges, broken down in accordance with the stages, forms of studies and the modes of financing, is approved by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, with due regard to the demand of specialists and the funds allocated to the establishment from the state budget. Admission plans for each higher education establishment – the overall number of places financed from the state budget (according to study fields) and the fee paying places must be approved by the Minister of Education and Science. The Guidelines for Higher Education Study Fields grants the right to every higher education establishment to determine the number of state-funded places according to the study programmes indicated in the admission rules and the number of fee-paying places according to study fields and study forms (part-time, distance studies).

Applicants are admitted to study programmes. The list of programmes offered through joint admission is placed on the LAMA BPO webpage. There is one application form for joint admission, common for all HEIs. The line-up of school leavers with the best secondary school graduation results and the list of accepted applicants are compiled separately for universities and colleges, and at different times, so that those who were not admitted to a university could still enroll in a college programme.

To be eligible for admission to a first cycle or an integrated study programme, a person must have attained at least a secondary education. Admission is carried out by way of competition of applicants, whereby account is taken of secondary school achievement results, entrance examinations or other criteria established by the HEI. A list of competitive subjects according to study fields and the principles of compounding a competitive grade, the lowest passing entrance grade and other criteria are set, upon the evaluation by the students’ representation, by higher education institutions and are notified not later than two years prior to the beginning of an appropriate academic year.

The competitive grade comprises results of competitive subjects and no more than two special skills exams (tests) of the same study programme. If a Matura examination in a learning subject is organized and


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administered by the National Examination Centre, higher education establishments do not administer an examination (test) in the same subject. In compounding the competitive grade, the weight of the end-of-the-year and Matura examinations grades as well as of entrance examinations (tests) grades is determined by the HEI, in accordance with the weighted factors scale that is common to all state-run higher education institutions.

Applicants who are prepared to pay a tuition fee established by a public HEI and approved by the Ministry of Education and Science are admitted, by way of competition, to distance or part-time study programmes. Such study forms are usually chosen by working persons who want to improve or change their qualifications. In the third study cycle all tuition expenses are covered from the state budget. However, those who want to enroll as students paying the full cost of third study cycle programmes are also admitted.

The number of students to be admitted to non-state financed HEI is determined and the competition-based selection of entrants is conducted at the discretion of individual institutions themselves.

The Ministry of Education and Science establishes annual admission quotas to study programmes fully financed by the state for persons who have acquired their education abroad. The admission procedures for such entrants and the preferential admission rules for the children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren of emigrants and of foreigners of Lithuanian descent.

The citizens of the European Union and the European Economic Area member states as well as other foreign citizens who have been granted permanent residence in the Republic of Lithuania are subject to the same admission rules and procedures as the Lithuanian nationals.

Other persons who have attained an education abroad granting them the right to enroll in study programmes of respective levels can be admitted as fee-paying students in accordance with the rules and procedures established by the HEI.

To be eligible for admission, all persons who have acquired their education abroad are required to submit a document issued by the Ministry of Education and Science affirming recognition of the education acquired abroad.

There is no admission fee for the entrants to the General Jonas Žemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania.

In the case of an equal number of competitive scores, priority is determined taking into account the grade score of maturity and entrance (if scheduled) examinations and the place of the relevant programme on the preference list indicated in the application.

Persons with a higher education qualification are admitted to the second cycle study programmes in accordance with the procedures set by the HEI. Those having a Professional Bachelor degree are eligible for the second cycle programmes if they meet the minimum requirements approved by the Ministry of Education and Science.

Persons who want to enroll in non-formal education programmes or take separate course subjects (groups of subjects) are admitted in conformity with the procedures established by the HEI.

Selection of successful candidates to the Master’s degree studies, specialized professional studies, residency and doctoral study programmes as well as to postgraduate art study programmes is conducted by individual universities themselves.


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6.7. Tuition Fees

The standard study cost of a respective study field or a set of study programmes is calculated in accordance with the procedures established by the Government. Standard costs is the indicative maximum annual amount of funds that can be allocated from the state budget to cover the cost of a state-financed study place. They are reviewed and approved annually by the Ministry of Education and Science and publicised before 1st of January. Specific costs are within the competence of each higher education institution. State-run HEIs can set lower costs than the standard costs established by the State.

Standard study costs are computed taking into consideration the requirements for the qualifications of the academic staff, teacher/student ratio, study-related goods and services costs. According to cost levels, both university and college study programmes are broken down into 7 groups. The major part of the cost, about 70-80 percent of the ‘study basket’ is designated to academic staff salaries. Study costs also include study-related goods and services expenses and incentive funding of students.

Priority for admission to first cycle and integrated programmes is given to entrants according to their school performance and Matura examination results and their special competences. The succession list of persons with best secondary school results is drawn up in conformity with the procedure established by the Ministry of Education and Science.

Every year, not later than by 16th of February, the Ministry of Education and Science communicates the preliminary number of state-funded places in first cycle and integrated programmes of each study area or each set of fields.

The final number of state-funded places in first cycle and integrated study programmes and their distribution among higher education institutions and study areas is approved by the Ministry of Education and Science after the admission results had come in and study contracts had been signed.

Persons enrolled in higher education institution state-funded programmes are not subject to any fees directly linked to study programme implementation, except those provided by the law.

Individuals who have chosen a part-time or distance mode of basic and cycle 2 studies are required to cover the full cost of studies themselves. This mode of studies is usually chosen by those willing to upgrade or change their qualification. Cycle 3 study programmes are financed from the state budget; however, full tuition fee-paying individuals can also be admitted. Persons enrolling for a second higher education study programme are required to cover the total cost of it. Those who have enrolled for two concurrent programmes are required to cover the cost of one of them (of their own choice) in full.

The cost of studies for full fee-paying students is established by the HEI in coordination with the Ministry of Education and Science and is indicated in the admission rules.


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According to the procedures laid down in the Law on Research and Higher Education, the right to state-funded places or to study cost compensation is not granted to:

● Persons who are repeatedly enrolled in the same or a lower stage programme if the cost of more than half credits of the programme had been covered from the state budget. ● Persons enrolled in two or more concurrent degree or non-degree programmes of the same cycle if at least one of the programmes is covered from the state budget (they are charged a tuition fee for the second and subsequent programmes). ● Foreign citizens, except for those of Lithuanian descent (with reservations) as well as citizens of EU and EEA member states if the international agreements of the Republic of Lithuania or other legal acts do not provide otherwise; ● In other cases set down by the Government.

Pursuant to the procedure and amounts laid down by the Government, students in fee-paying first cycle or integrated study programmes who have demonstrated the best achievements during the first two years of studies (half study programme in the case of part-time studies) and during the rest of the study time are eligible for reimbursement of the tuition fees paid for the appropriate period (part of the fee not exceeding the standard study cost).

Persons enrolled in non-formal education programmes and those repeating separate academic subjects of a study programme are charged the cost of studies proportionate to the scope of the subject (module).

On applying for admission to public higher education institutions, entrants are required to pay a registration fee, which, in the case of failure to be admitted to the HEI chosen, is not paid back. Full orphans, persons raised in care homes and those with group 1 disabilities are exempt from registration fees.

The cost of studies at private schools is established by agreement.

More information on universities can be found in 6.7.1., on colleges in 6.7.2..


6.7.1. University

In 2009, 51,016 thousand Litas (about 14,787 thousand euro) were distributed, out of which 50,595 Litas (14,665 thousand euro) were allocated to cover the cost of first year state-funded study places, scholarships and part of administration and maintenance expenses; 331 thousand Litas (about 95 thousand euro) were assigned to cover the cost of first year state-funded places in non state-run HEIs.

The tuition fee system is not applied in the third cycle programmes at state-financed universities. The studies of doctoral, residency and postgraduate art students, except those following extramural study programmes, are covered from the state budget.

The size of university tuition fee which students covering the full cost of studies are charged depends on the stage of study and the programme chosen.

In 2009 university admissions comprised 42% state-funded (48% in 2008) and 58% fee-paying (52% in 2008) first year places in all study cycles

Students of non-state-funded universities cover the cost of studies themselves. The amount of fees is determined by the HEI.


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6.7.2. College

According to the admission regulations approved by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, tuition fees are covered by the state according to the study achievements (the entrance results in the first semester). Whether the student is to pay for the studies or is exempt from such payment is determined by his/her study achievements (the entrance results in the first semester).

The admission of 2009 comprised 55% state-funded (43% In 2008) and 45% fee-paying (57% in 2008) first-year study places.

The amount of tuition fees in non-state-run colleges Kolegija can vary.

6.8. Financial support for Students

The state financial support system for students in higher education comprises state loans, state-supported loans, study grants and other kinds of financial assistance. Orphans and persons with disabilities are granted additional support. Besides, the citizens of Lithuania can make use of the income tax incentive provided to students and/or their parents and recover part of the tuition fee money. Financial support for students in higher education is regulated by the Law on Higher Education; its implementation is regulated by the resolutions of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania.

For more details on the forms of support see 6.8.1., 6.8.2., 6.8.3., 6.8.4., 6.8.5.


6.8.1. Loans

The procedure for granting state or state-supported loans, their administration and repayment is established by the Government. In 2009 the ‘Description of the Rules and Procedures for Granting State and State-Supported Loans to Students, Their Administration and Repayment’ was approved by the resolution of the Government. The state loans and state-supported loans are administered by the State Studies Foundation.

State budget appropriations allocated to the State Studies Foundation, funds accumulated from the repayment of loans, interest on loans and delinquency charges, as well as funds of private economic entities and other funds designated for this purpose may be used to award state loans or state-supported loans and to cover the expenses related to administration thereof.

Students can be awarded state loans (to cover tuition fee, awarded from the state budget following the procedure prescribed by the Description) or state-supported loans (government-guaranteed loans awarded from the funds of a credit institution, following the procedure prescribed by the Description): to pay the tuition fee; to cover the subsistence expenses; to pay for partial studies pursuant to international (interdepartamental) agreements. The total amount of loans received (interest not included) cannot exceed 385 basic social benefits.

All students, upon submission of an application, are eligible for a loan. Loans to help pay living expenses are available to both, state and private university students. They are awarded in accordance with the


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competition based lists of HEI students. Priority is given to students from economically disadvantaged families, orphans and disabled students. Both types of loans can be granted at the same time. Persons who have taken out a loan to cover the tuition fee must start making repayments and paying interest on the loan not later than two years after graduation or termination of their studies. The loan must be paid back in full within the period that is not longer than three times the length of the studies to cover the tuition fee of which the loan was received. The term of repayment of loans to off-set living expenses and loans to cover partial studies is related to the monthly income of the person who had received it; it cannot, however, be longer than 15 years. The loan can be repaid from the budget of enterprises, organizations, institutions or by natural persons. Depending on the person’s social status, the health condition and other important circumstances, the loan repayment can be deferred or cancelled.

To award state loans, to cover the interest on state-supported loans, to honour government-guaranteed and other state obligations, the state budgetary funds allocated for this purpose to the State Studies Foundation and funds accumulated from repaid loans, interest on loans and delinquency charges as well as other funds designated for the purpose can be used.

In 2009 the government allocated LTL 100 million for state-guaranteed student loans (the amount of LTL 150 million expected in 2010); 4583 students signed loan contracts with 5 selected banks for 22.5 million Litas.


Description of the Rules and Procedures for Granting State and State-Supported Loans to Students of Higher Education Institutions, their Administration and Repayment

6.8.2. Scholarship grants

Students are eligible for academic, social and incentive scholarships. Social scholarships from the state budget funds may be granted, in the manner prescribed by the Government, to students of the first cycle, the second cycle and the integrated studies programmes.

Social scholarships will be paid to students who are entitled to them according to the Law on Financial Social Assistance to Low-Income Families and Single Persons. Persons who have been awarded 45% or lower capacity for work level or those with a moderate or severe disability and orphans in state care until they come of age or whose parents are dead are also eligible for social scholarships.

In December 2009 the government of the Republic of Lithuania approved the new Rules and Procedures for Awarding and Administration of Social Scholarships to Students Pursuing Higher Education. These rules and procedures provide that beginning with 2010, students of all higher education institutions, both state-run and non-state, following state-funded or fee paying first and second cycle study programmes as well as integrated study programmes will be eligible for social scholarships in the amount of 3 basic social benefits (LTL 390).

Incentive scholarships to the best performing students can be awarded from the funds of higher education institutions or other funds taking into consideration their study results or other academic achievements.

The funds for incentive scholarships are included in the study cost, i.e. they amount to 2.5 basic social benefits in the study basket (LTL 325). The procedures of awarding incentive scholarships are laid down by the higher education institutions.


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The scholarship fund allocated to each HEI is administered by the HEI itself, while the distribution of scholarships according to their types and the procedure of granting them are subject to the Regulations on Awarding Scholarships, which must be approved by the University senate (the academic council of a college) in coordination with the student representation. Generally, a major part of the scholarship fund is spent on scholarships awarded on the basis of academic achievements.

Students of higher education institutions are also eligible for other kinds of state-funded support, which is granted in accordance with the procedures laid down by the Government.

Merit-based scholarships named after some eminent persons (e.g. President of Lithuania Aleksandras Stulginskis scholarship), Lithuanian Foundation scholarships and other special scholarships can be awarded to students boasting outstanding achievements in academic and public life.

Business companies can also offer tripartite agreement - based scholarships,

One-off grants are awarded for exceptional results in public life, sports or arts.

Higher education institutions can allow the tuition fee to be paid in several installments.

All students following third cycle full-time degree programmes at state universities (doctoral students and postgraduate art students) are awarded scholarships: LTL 1079 (approx. EUR 313) per month in their first year of study and LTL 1248 (EUR 362) in all subsequent years of studies. Residency students receive scholarships in the amount of LTL 1248 (EUR 362) per month. These scholarships are paid from the university scholarship fund. Doctoral students who carry out extensive research are eligible for an additional scholarship paid from the Lithuanian State Studies Foundation.

Students in full-time basic, integrated, Master and doctoral study programmes going, under international treaties and agreements, to research or higher education institutions abroad to follow partial study programmes, traineeships, on study visits, or to do a language and culture summer course are awarded, by way of competition, state scholarships, which are administered by the Education Exchange Support Foundation.

Education Exchanges Support Foundation




6.8.3. Support for orphaned students

Full-time students not holding a job who had been in state care until they came of age or got married, also, full-time students not holding a job whose both parents (or the single parent they had) are dead, who are seeking a Bachelor’s or a Master’s degree or a professional qualification for the first time are awarded, during their time of studies and until they reach the age of 24, a monthly foster care benefit of LTL 520 (EUR 150) (earlier called an "orphan’s allowance"). However, if an orphan or a student who had lost parental care has been awarded an orphan’s pension, he/she is entitled to a foster care benefit the size of which equals the difference between the established size of the benefit and the size of the orphan’s pension. The benefits are


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paid out by municipalities. Besides, students of this group qualify for a scholarship awarded on the basis of academic achievements. Financial support to orphaned students is coordinated by the Ministry of Social Security and Labour.


6.8.4. Support to disabled students

Disabled students seeking higher education, irrespective of the form of studies, for whom category I or II invalidity, or severe or average disability, or 45% or lower disability level has been established enjoy financial support provided they do not have any outstanding failures and no disciplinary penalties have been imposed on them. It is not granted to those who have enrolled in a study programme of the same stage for a second time. To meet the special needs of the students, they are awarded a monthly allowance of LTL 158 (approx. EUR 46) and, additionally, a targeted allowance of LTL 416 (approx. EUR 120) per semester to help cover part of the study cost.

Provision of this kind of support is coordinated by the Department for the Affairs of the Disabled under the Ministry of Social Security and Labour; the allowances are awarded by the administration of HEIs.


Procedure for Provision of Financial Support to Students with Disabilities in Higher Education

6.8.5. Income tax privilege

The Republic of Lithuania Law on Personal Income Tax stipulates that permanent residents of Lithuania are entitled to deduction from the annual taxable income, of the tuition fee paid in a fiscal period, i.e. a calendar year, for a study programme upon completion of which a higher education diploma and (or) a relevant qualification are awarded. The same tax credit applies to the fees paid for doctoral and post graduate art study programmes in Lithuanian or foreign higher education institutions.

6.9. Organization of the Academic Year

The academic year usually starts on 1 September and ends on 31 August and is broken down into autumn and spring semesters, and holiday periods (students are granted at least a month of unbroken holidays in summer). The academic calendar is not regulated by any legal acts as the autonomy of higher education institutions entitles them to establishing the rules and procedures independently. Studies are organized in accordance with the regulations approved by the Senate (in universities) or the academic council (in colleges) of each HEI.

The academic calendars of students in university and non-university higher education have many similarities. They differ in that students of the third stage study programmes (residency, doctoral and postgraduate art students) begin their studies at universities at different times as admission to these programmes is conducted in June-December.

For more information on universities please refer to 6.9.1., on colleges to 6.9.2..


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6.9.1. University

The academic year in universities is broken down into two semesters: the autumn semester and the spring semester. Each semester usually lasts 20 weeks. At the end of the semester a special time is allocated to the examination session, during which students do not have any classes; they prepare to account for the academic subjects covered. If the academic subject courses are delivered during a semester as consecutive courses and are not given alongside each other, students account for the course after it has been completed and then there is no examination session. In most universities the last four weeks of the term are designated for the examination session. In some universities semesters can be longer (up to 22 weeks) or shorter (up to 17 weeks). The spring term usually begins in February. There is a week’s break for Easter.

All universities have Christmas holidays, which last from December 25 to the beginning of January. Winter holidays begin right after the winter examination session and last one or two weeks. Summer holidays, which last up to two months at most (July–August), begin after the spring semester is over. Some students have their practice periods in summer if they are provided in the study programme.

There is no strict division of the academic year into semesters in the third stage study programmes. Doctoral and postgraduate art studies are more individualised, and residency programmes are delivered in cycles.

6.9.2. College

Studies in college Kolegija are organized in academic semesters. An academic year is divided into two semesters – the autumn semester and the spring semester. The duration and the time of semesters (contact hours, practice periods, examination sessions) and holidays are indicated in the study schedule, which is a composite part of every study programme.

The average length of the term in daytime studies is 20 weeks (the scope of the studies is, on average, 20 credits) out of which two/three weeks are assigned to the examination session. The number of contact hours a week must not exceed 28 academic hours.

The councils of faculties/study centers can determine other than the indicated above time and length of terms and examinations in daytime studies if it is required by the specificity of study programmes. All the changes are subject to the approval of the director of the college.

Students are entitled to several periods of holidays: Christmas and the New Year holiday from December 24 to January 1, winter holiday – one week after the examination session, Easter holiday – one week before (after) Easter, and summer holiday from July 1 to August 31.

The timetable of the examination session is drawn up taking into account the understanding between the lecturing staff and students and is subject to the approval of the deputy dean/deputy heads. Students must not be set more than six examinations at one examination session.

Practical training periods can be scheduled for summer time.

6.10. Study Fields, Specialization

Lithuanian higher education institutions deliver programmes in 63 study fields, which are grouped into 6 study areas: the humanities, arts, social, physical, biomedical and technological sciences.


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The system of studies comprises consecutive university and non-university studies at higher educational institutions according to study programmes entered, in line with the prescribed procedure, into the Register of Study and Teaching Programmes, and also non-consecutive studies. The classification of the university and non-university study areas and fields, according to which consecutive studies are provided, is subject to the Government approval. This classification also includes the list of qualifications that are awarded on completing study programmes in the approved study fields.

Students in higher education can follow a full-time continual or an extended form of studies, the description of which are subject to the approval of the Minister of Education and Science. On completion of either form of studies, graduates obtain equivalent education.

The usual scope of one-year full-time continual study programmes is 60 credits (and not less than 45 credits). The scope of a one-year extended study programme must not exceed 45 credits and the total duration of extended study programmes can be not more than 1.5 times longer than the 60-credit full-time study programmes.

The scope of first cycle college and university study programmes is at least 180 credits and not more than 240 credits.

The scope of integrated study programmes is at least 300 credits and not more than 360 credits. The first part of an integrated study programme (240 credits) is assigned to the first study cycle and the remaining part to the second study cycle.

The scope of Master’s degree study programmes is no less than 90 credits and not more than 120 credits. The duration of doctoral studies is not longer than four years and postgraduate art programmes last no longer than two years. The scope (duration) of programmes awarding a dual qualification degree is established by the Ministry of Education and Science.

The scope of non-degree study programmes (except for residency studies) is at least 30 credits and no more than 120 credits. The scope (duration) of residency studies is established by the Government.

A higher education institution is required to have academic and professional staff, classrooms, laboratories, a library, teaching, research and information aids and means necessary for the implementation of respective programmes.

The key requirements for the composition of programmes in a certain field of studies and for their execution, the scope, duration and forms of study as well as the results aimed at are established in the study field regulation, which is subject to the approval of the Ministry of Education and Science.

More information on universities in 6.10.1., on colleges in 6.10.2.


General Classification of Study Areas and Fields According to Which Consecutive University and Non-University Study Programmes Are Delivered at Lithuanian Higher Education Institutions and the List of Classifications Awarded on Completion of Programmes in These Fields


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6.10.1. University

In 2009-2010 academic year universities offered 460 undergraduate programmes, which were delivered in full-time (day), part-time (evening) and extramural study forms. Their duration can vary between 3.5 and 5 years. The usual length is four years in full-time studies and 5 years in extramural studies.

In the same academic year universities provided:

15 integrated study programmes delivered in full-time, part-time (only one programme) and extramural modes, the duration of which is 5-6 years;

26 special professional study programmes in full-time, part-time and extramural forms, with their duration varying between 1 and 2 years;

In 2009-2010 universities offered 860 Master’s programmes in full-time, part-time and extramural forms. The usual delivery form is full-time programmes with the duration of 2 years; however, there are programmes the completion of which takes 1.5, 2.5 or 3 years.

245 full-time residency programmes were provided in the fields of medicine, veterinary medicine and odontology. The duration of the programmes varies between1 to 6 years.

In classical universities (e.g. Vilnius University, Vytautas Magnus University) humanities, physical and social sciences prevail , other universities (e.g. Kaunas University of Medicine, Vilnius Academy of Arts, Lithuanian Veterinary Academy) specialize in a certain area only. The majority of study programmes offered belong to the area of social sciences (management and business administration, economics, social work fields).

Doctoral study programmes are run in five areas of science: the humanities, social sciences, physical sciences, biomedicine sciences and technological sciences.

Kaunas University of Medicine

Lithuanian Veterinary Academy

Vilnius Academy of Arts

Vilnius University


6.10.2. College

According to the content of studies and the qualifications awarded, all undergraduate study programmes in colleges Kolegija fall into six areas of study: the humanities, art, social, physical, biomedicine, and technological sciences, which offer programmes in 36 study fields.

In 2009-2010 academic year colleges offered 359 study programmes in full-time, part-time (less frequent) and extramural forms of delivery. The usual duration of the programmes is 3, 3.5, 4 or 4.5 years; there are several 5-year programmes.


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6.11. Study Programmes

Studies at higher education institutions are carried out according to study programmes which award a degree and study programmes which do not award a degree. There are two types - university and college - study programmes.

Higher education studies are broken down into three cycles:

The first cycle – Professional Bachelor’s, Bachelor’s level

The second cycle – Master’s level

The third cycle – Doctoral level

Consecutive studies in the higher education institutions of Lithuania follow the study programmes entered into the Register of Studies and Teaching Programmes, which is administered by the Ministry of Education and Science. Individual and non-consecutive study programmes are not included in the Register. Higher education institutions may not offer programmes, which have not been registered (except for individual programmes).

General and special requirements (study field, group of study fields, study area descriptions) for the first cycle, integrated and Master’s study programmes are subject to the approval of the Minister of Education and Science.

Study programmes of the first cycle are designed to foster general erudition of students, to provide them the theoretical basis of a study field and to develop their professional competences necessary for independent work. University study programmes focus more on universal general education, theoretical knowledge and professional competences of the highest level, while college study programmes are more oriented towards preparation for professional activities.

HEIs can deliver only accredited programmes, the external evaluation of which is carried out by the Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education or another quality assessment in higher education agency entered into the European Quality Assurance Register in Higher Education. Study programmes are accredited by an institution authorized by the Ministry of Education and Science, in accordance with the procedure established by the Ministry. Accredited study programmes are entered in the Register of Studies and Teaching Programmes for a fixed period of time.

Study programmes must undergo accreditation at least once every 6 years. A programme that has not been accredited or a programme the accreditation period of which has expired is removed from the Register of Study and Training Programmes. In the cases where there are students who have studied under the programme which is being removed from the Register, but have not completed the said programme, the Minister of Education and Science determines possibilities for their further studies.

The rules and procedures of external evaluation and accreditation of study programmes are approved by the Minister of Education and Science.

Retraining programmes as well as non-degree programmes can be delivered by universities and colleges in accordance with the procedures established by legal acts.


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Higher education institutions can deliver joint study programmes on completion of which a joint qualification degree or a dual qualification degree is awarded. The general requirements for these programmes are laid down by the Ministry of Education and Science.

The Law on Higher Education and Research stipulates that the language of instruction at higher education institutions of the Republic of Lithuania shall be the Lithuanian language. Instruction can be carried out in other languages if the content of a study programme is related to another language, if lectures are delivered or other kinds of academic activities are conducted by the academic staff members from abroad, if studies are carried out pursuant to joint study programmes or study programmes on completion of which a dual qualification degree is awarded and part of these programmes are delivered in other countries, non-state higher education institutions where the language of instruction is not Lithuanian; studies are carried out in pursuance of study programmes intended for studies of foreign nationals or in the case of study exchange programmes. Recently the number of modules provided in foreign languages has been increasing.

In most higher education institutions it is mandatory to take at least one foreign language during the first two years of undergraduate studies. In the second and the third stages, even if the programme is delivered in Lithuanian, students often refer to literature in foreign languages. Besides, both in undergraduate and Master degree programmes, a graduation thesis must contain an abstract in a foreign language.

For more information on universities see 6.11.1., on colleges 6.10.2..



General Requirements for Study Programmes


6.11.1. University

The first cycle Bachelor degree study programmes and the second cycle degree-awarding programmes may be provided by universities. Doctoral studies can be delivered by universities or universities in conjunction with scientific research institutes. University degree-awarding programmes can be integrated, comprising the first and the second study cycles, if this is provided for by other legal acts.

University study programmes are subject to the approval of the Senate.

Undergraduate and integrated study programmes must be in line with the regulations of a relevant study field. The qualification acquired on completion of studies at a higher education institution is indicated in the respective study programme. Undergraduate study programmes aim to provide the theoretical basis of a profession pursued and to develop the professional competences necessary for independent work. Master’s degree programmes aim at preparing students for independent research or artistic work or any other work the performance of which requires more comprehensive knowledge and analytical competence. Study programmes leading to a Master’s degree are provided at universities in which research (artistic) activities corresponding to the study field of the programme are carried out. General requirements for Master’s degree programmes are approved by the Ministry of Education and Science.

The third study cycle comprises doctoral studies in sciences, humanities and arts.


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The purpose of doctoral studies in sciences and humanities is to train scientists who would be able to independently do research and experimental (social, cultural) development work and to solve scientific problems. Granting universities the right to provide doctoral programmes falls within the competence of the Ministry of Education and Science. The Regulations of Doctoral Studies are approved by the Government on the recommendation of the Research Council of Lithuania.

A study programme consists of a list of taught subjects. According to their content the subjects are broken down into subjects of general university education, the fundamentals of the study porgramme, and special education subjects.

According to their role, subjects in a study programme are divided into mandatory, approved electives whereby a student can choose a subject from the list provided in the programme plan, and free electives. At least 5% of the scope of the programme must be reserved to free electives, which can belong to another field of science or art. The main planning unit is a study module (a study subject or its part taught in one semester). A study module may subsume different study forms and their combinations: lectures, laboratory work, workshops, individual work, research, designing. The main study module unit, and, at the same time, the unit of measurement of the scope of the study plan, is a credit. One credit equals forty conditional weekly hours of student work, which includes lectures, seminars, laboratory, individual work etc.

Study programmes include information and requirements indicating how students can design their individual study plans that would help them acquire academic knowledge and develop the necessary skills and competences. They also provide sets of mandatory, alternative and elective modules for each semester as well as rules and recommendations on their choice.

General education subjects normally occupy no less than 7-8% of university study programmes. The scope of the fundamentals in a field programme is no less than 60 credits and the part relating to special subjects must be allotted no less than 25% of the study programme. Periods of professional practice must be assigned no less than 10 credits. At least 8 credits must be allocated to the preparation and defence of graduation theses and graduation examinations (if they are required).



6.11.2. College

College Kolegija study programmes are subject to approval by the Ministry of Education and Science on the proposal of the academic council of the college.

Unless otherwise established by the study field guidelines, the general education part in non-university higher education programmes must cover not less than 6% of its scope; the field fundamentals must be assigned no less than 40 credits, and the specialism (professional) part no less than 40% of the scope of the study programme. The programme must meet the requirements for the professional qualification awarded upon completion of the programme laid down in the vocational education standards and other normative acts. Practice periods and other ways of practical training must be allocated not less than one third of the scope of the programme. The scope of practice periods (instructional, professional skills development, cognitive) must be at least 20 credits. Professional practice periods require most skills and knowledge indicated in the objectives of study programmes; their total scope in art studies is not less than 12 credits and in other programmes not less than 16 credits. The final professional practice placement must be in line with the graduation thesis and similar to the future possible work place of the graduate.


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Not less than 6 credits must be allocated to the preparation and the defence of a graduation thesis.

Upon coordination with universities, college study programmes may include programmes (modules) corresponding to university undergraduate studies.


6.12. Teaching Methods

Study forms include contact hours, individual work and practical training. Various forms of delivery are applied: lectures, seminars, laboratory work, project design, students’ independent work, work in the library, group tasks, research work etc. as well as a combination of these forms. Higher education can be pursued in the form of distance studies, too. Class work (contact hours) is organized in groups. Consultations may be given on an individual basis. The duration of class work is measured by the academic hour (45 minutes). The teaching staff in HEI may apply various methods in their work. The materials delivered during lectures, or a lecture conspectus are often available on the Internet. ITs are widely employed in the process of studies.

Some higher education establishments have centres (research, publishing, professional development, computing, innovation implementation, etc.), institutes, gymnasia Gimnazija in their structure; they also provide various services (perform research, develop software, carry out analysis of materials, etc.).

Students carry out research in applied and fundamental sciences and take part in local and international research programmes. In higher art schools, apart from research, artistic activities of academic staff and students are developed, directed toward promoting unity of higher education and creative work as well as educating society at large.

All students have access to the Network of Lithuanian Academic Libraries (LABT), which integrates the libraries of universities, colleges, public research institutions, the Academy of Sciences into a Lithuanian virtual library. Special attention in Lithuania is devoted to the development of e-learning. The Lithuanian Distance Education Network (LieDM) was set up, the activities of which embrace. The development and provision of distance education based modules and programmes, creating and sustaining interactive and virtual learning environment, audio and video teaching tools, developing the system of video conferencing and coordinating related activities.

Students buy textbooks and other teaching aids, or avail themselves of the HEI library funds.

An open best textbook competition is held every year, the winners of which are awarded prizes by the Minister of Education and Science. The selection process is organized by the Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education. The textbooks and their developers are nominated for awards by the Commission for the Selection of Textbooks for Higher Education. Besides, there is the Commission on the Publishing of Basic Textbooks for Higher Education Institutions operating under the Lithuanian Science Council, which is responsible for the selection and financing the publishing of textbooks to be used in more than one HEI of Lithuania.




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6.13. Student Assessment

Students’ assessment is carried out in the manner prescribed by the study regulations of each individual higher education institution. The rules and procedures can vary between different HEIs. However, there are some key principles and modes of assessment that must be followed.

A study programme is completed by assessing the competence acquired. The form of assessment can be the defense of a graduation project and/or final exams. In colleges, students are examined and their progress is assessed in accordance with the Regulations on the Design of Non-University Study Subject Examinations and the Evaluation of the Results.

The main form of progress assessment is an examination. In many HEIs the number of examinations given in one examination session is limited. Achievement in some subjects may be assessed by giving students graded or non-graded credit tests. Examinations and credit tests are conducted in writing or both orally and in writing. In some higher education establishments, the method of cumulative assessment is employed. The rules and procedures of the cumulative assessment as well as the preparation of tasks is the responsibility of the subject teacher. A student can accumulate part of the assessment grade during semester and add this part to the grade earned during the examination.

The results of examinations and graded credit tests are assessed by assigning students grade points from 1 to 10, the results of credit tests are assessed by assigning a "pass/ fail" grade. HEIs can lay down other principles of assessment, too. The methodology of assessing study results provides also for other methods to be used in assessing students’ achievements.

A ten-point assessment scale is used to assess students’ achievements. The grade indicates the level of performance (a percentage of the subject scope specified in the programme). A ten-point assessment scale is applied to examinations, projects, homework, tests and other assignments. All grades awarded for students’ performance are entered into students’ assessment sheets but only ‘pass’ grades are entered into student’s record book.

An examination qualifies as passed if the results are assessed with the grades of: 10 (excellent 92%), 9 (very good, 82–91%), 8 (good, 74–81%), 7 (highly satisfactory, 66–73%), 6 (satisfactory, 58–65%), 5 (sufficient, 50–57%). An examination qualifies as failed if the results are assessed with 4 (insufficient, 40–49%), 3 (highly insufficient, 30–39%), 2 (poor 20–29%), very poor (0–19%).

Students’ learning outcomes are assessed by the subject teachers or a commission, which is composed of specialists in the given study area and the subject teacher who had supervised the study process. If a commission is necessary to assess the results achieved in certain subjects, these subjects are indicated in the study programmes. A commission to assess the results of studies can also be set up on a motivated request of students. In exceptional cases, another teacher appointed by the Dean or the head of the department can give examinations. Through the mediation of a teacher, an undergraduate or graduate student can be granted the Dean’s permission to follow an individual study schedule. Students of Bachelor and Master levels, doctoral students and "auditing" students can take an equivalency module examination without having attended lectures on condition that they have completed all the practical tasks assigned.

If the final form of assessment is an examination, the learning outcomes of full-time and part-time students are assessed during the examination session; if it is a graded or a non-graded credit, the assessment is done before the examination session. Examinations must be taken in keeping with the examination schedule. If because of an illness or some other reasonable adverse circumstances a student is unable to sit an


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examination (credit) at the appointed time, he can be granted postponement, within the examination timetable, of the assigned exam, or extension of the examination session, subject to the Dean’s (head of section’s) permission.

Assessment of the results of extramural, distance or external studies can be given outside of the examination session. The results of complementary studies are assessed in the manner established by their providers.

6.14. Progression of Students

HEIs are granted the right to establish the rules and procedures themselves; therefore, progression of students as well as their assessment is administered in accordance with the guidelines (regulations) of each individual higher education institution. As a rule, at the end of each semester students take credit tests and account for their practical work. Each study subject is completed with an exam or the assessment of a project carried out by the student independently. Some higher education establishments require that students present a term paper (project) at the end of the study course.

Students who have not passed an examination/credit test or have otherwise failed to account for the subjects in the study programme are granted the right to re-sit the examination/credit test free of charge in compliance with the procedure established by the HEI, which takes due account of the recommendations of the students representations. This provision does not apply in the HEIs that have introduced, with the approval of the students’ representation, a cumulative assessment system. In the case of failing to meet the requirements of the study programme, students can be expelled from the higher education institution.

Students in consecutive study programmes (of all three cycles) who because of an illness or pregnancy/child care are unable to continue their studies are granted, upon submission of the necessary documents proving the case, an academic leave of absence.

To be registered for a higher semester a student must have accumulated not less than 20 credits and accounted for all the study modules indicated in the study plan. Otherwise, he/she can repeatedly (but not more than twice) register for the same semester. Having accumulated 40 credits during a study year, a student secures direct admission to a higher year of study.

Not more than two semesters can be repeated in Bachelor studies and only one semester in the Master studies. Only students paying a full price of studies are allowed to repeat more semesters or take courses in the same semester for the third time.

Failed credits and exams not passed during the scheduled or extended examination session are deemed student’s academic arrears. Students are allowed to clear them within the time established by the HEI. On the expiration of the term for re-take exams (credits), the Dean of the faculty can grant permission for a student in one or two academic arrears to repeat the course in respective subjects and continue in the programme, in which case the re-taking of arrears examinations is postponed for one year. Faculty councils decide upon academic subjects the study of which cannot be followed repeatedly. Students repeating a subject course are deemed to be in arrears and have to pay for the studies of courses taken repeatedly and the new courses they have to take due to the differences between the programmes. The time given to re-sit arrear examinations (credits) having expired, students with more than two academic arrears, also students having one or two academic arrears who were not granted permission to repeat the course are expelled from the university.


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Students are granted permission to defend their graduation thesis and/or sit their final examination only after they have met all the other requirements of the study programme. Graduation theses are defended and final examinations are taken during the winter or spring examination session. A special commission is set up on the order of the Dean of the faculty, which is subject to Rector’s (college director’s) approval.

Students who have failed, without good reason, to submit their graduation thesis within the established time as well as students who have failed to appear at the time and place of the scheduled thesis defense or examination, as well as students who have failed the examination or the graduation thesis may be allowed, on the order of the faculty dean/head of the study centre a re-sit of the examination or a repeat of a defense not earlier than one year after the first sitting/defense.

To ensure their steady progress, doctoral students undergo an annual review. In the case of an unsatisfactory review, they can be dismissed from the doctoral programme. If doctoral students do not meet the deadlines for the preparation or defense of theses Disertacija, they can do it externally.


6.15. Certification

On completion of first cycle, second cycle and integrated study programmes, graduates are issued a person is issued a diploma Diplomas attesting to the education acquired and a diploma supplement. On completion of a doctoral study programme and successful defence of a doctoral thesis a person is awarded a diploma certifying a scientific (artistic) degree obtained. The diploma supplement is an integral part of a higher education diploma providing a description of the nature, level and content of studies that were successfully completed by the individual named on the diploma.

The diploma contains information identifying the qualification obtained according to the list of qualifications indicated in the General Classification of Study Fields and Areas comprising consecutive university and non-university studies provided in Lithuanian higher education institutions. The said list is subject to Government’s approval.

Since 2006, all HEI graduates, except doctoral and art postgraduate students, are issued with a diploma supplement, which follows the model developed by the European Commission, the Council of Europe and UNESCO/CEPES. Diploma supplements are issued free of charge in two languages – Lithuanian and English. If a higher education institution student has taken only separate subjects or a set of subjects, a certificate attesting to the fact and indicating all the subjects taken, their scope and the results gained is issued, in accordance with the procedure established by the HEI.

On completing non-degree study programmes, students are issued certificates attesting to the fact of their completion.

Education as well as qualifications obtained in higher education institutions abroad are assessed and recognized in accordance with the rules and procedures established by the Government.

For more information on universities see 6.15.1., on colleges 6.15.2..


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6.15.1. University

On successful completion of first cycle university study programmes, graduates are awarded a Bachelor’s degree in a respective study field (fields) or a Bachelor’s degree and a professional qualification.

A person is deemed to have completed a university education after s/he has satisfied all the requirements of the consecutive programme chosen. Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctorate degree studies are concluded with the defense of a Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral theses. A Bachelor’s thesis is prepared during one or two final years of the programme while the work on the preparation of a Master’s and Doctoral theses continues throughout the entire respective programme. Graduation theses are defended in front of a special commission, usually the same for all the Bachelor and Master theses of the same study programme. However, a separate council is set up for the defence of each individual doctoral dissertation. The commission for the defence of Bachelor’s and Master’s theses is comprised of researchers and scientists working in the related study area or field, most of them from the HEI concerned (recent regulations on study fields have brought about certain changes – a requirement has been introduced to have among the members of the commission representatives of social partners from relevant fields of activity (science) and from other higher education institutions). The doctoral theses Disertacija defence council must include leading scientists from other Lithuanian or foreign higher education and research institutions. The doctoral theses defence is a public viva voce event; its time and place are publicized through the media in advance.

Persons who have completed the above first or second cycle study programmes or integrated study programmes (medicine, veterinary medicine, law) and have obtained only professional qualification are conferred a higher education diploma.

On the completion of Master’s degree studies and the defence of a Master’s graduation thesis students are awarded a Master’s qualification degree in a respective field. Universities can also award a relevant professional qualification. Persons who have obtained a Master’s qualification degree or a Master’s qualification degree and a professional qualification are issued with a Master’s diploma.

Persons who have completed a prescribed Master’s study programme are awarded a Master’s degree in a respective field of study. Persons who have completed a second cycle programme in theology can be awarded, in agreement with the leadership of the Catholic Church, the Licentiate of Theology degree.

Persons who have completed doctoral study programmes and have submitted and defended a doctoral thesis are awarded a Doctor’s degree and a doctoral diploma.

Persons who have completed art postgraduate study programmes and have obtained the art licentiate qualification degree are awarded an art licentiate diploma.

Persons who have completed their study programmes demonstrating high standards of excellence and whose graduation thesis (project) received very high evaluation can be awarded a diploma with distinction.

6.15.2. College

Persons who have successfully completed college study programmes are awarded the Professional Bachelor’s degree or the Professional Bachelor’s degree and a professional qualification in a relevant field of study.

Students who have satisfied all programme specific requirements and defended their graduation thesis/project (in certain cases, they are required both to defend the graduation thesis and to pass a final


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examination) qualify as graduates of college Kolegija. On graduation, they are awarded a Professional Bachelor’s qualification degree, a professional qualification and a professional bachelor’s diploma. See 6.2.

The achievement results are assessed and qualifications as well as qualification degrees are awarded by the qualification commission set up on the college director’s order. More than half of the qualification commission members must be external to the college. The chairperson of the commission is also appointed from among non-staff members. Students are allowed to sit their graduation examinations and defend their projects only after they have completed all programme specific requirements.

A Diploma of Higher Education with Distinction is conferred on students whose final grade average of the subjects taught is not lower than 9 (very good), the final subject grades are not lower than 8 (good) and the final study results are awarded the 10 (excellent) or 9 (very good) grades.

Holders of professional bachelor’s degrees are eligible for university second cycle study programmes, following the procedures established by the Ministry of Education and Science.

6.16. Educational/Vocational Guidance, Education/Employment Links

Vocational guidance is among priority objectives of the Lithuanian education system. In 2004-2006, with the support of EU structural funds, normative documents, training programmes and methodologies designed for vocational guidance specialists were drawn up, trainings for specialists were organized, vocational information points were set up and supplied with the necessary equipment, the database of Open Information, Counseling and Guidance System (AIKOS) was upgraded etc.

Lithuania is a member of Euroguidance network, which unites Euroguidance centres in the European area countries. In its assessment of the activities of European Euroguidance Centres in 2008, the European Commission emphasized the excellent achievements of the Lithuanian Euroguidance in implementing the European dimension in the sphere of vocational guidance, in consolidating its career guidance system and international cooperation.

Most major universities and colleges have vocational guidance and career centres, which consult prospective students on the choice of profession, provide information to students, graduates and to local and foreign companies on career opportunities, offer counseling on the planning, staff management, organization of young specialists’ practice placements, and employment issues, follow the graduates’ professional careers, provide consultations on the job-search strategy and tactics. Among them are Vilnius University Career Centre, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University Career and Integration Centre, ISM Career Centre (in Vilnius and in Kaunas), Kaunas Technological University Career Centre, LCC International University Career Centre, Klaipėda College of Social Sciences Career Centre, Šiauliai University Career Centre, Šiauliai College Career Centre.

The Lithuanian Labour Exchange provides information on marketable professions, offers counseling on the choice of career and employment issues, refers its clients for psychological consultations to the territorial labour exchange training services. Vocational guidance and information services within the system of Lithuanian Labour Exchange are provided by the Vocational Information Centre in Vilnius and by territorial labour centres, youth labour centres, information and counseling centres.


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Youth Labour Centres, established at the city and regional labour exchanges, offer open information, counseling, vocational information and guidance services to young people, establish relations with the labour market and social partners, develop youth employment initiative projects, organize various events (occupational clubs, vocational guidance events, trainings) and prepare informative-methodological materials.

Another sphere of activities aimed at two objectives is promoting cooperation between HEIs and employers by including employers in the governance bodies (councils) of HEIs and by encouraging their more active involvement in the process of quality assurance, both internal and external. Recently, the representatives of industrialists and employers have more often undertaken initiative to influence the development of specialists in higher education institutions expecting a result they need, i.e. not only training of specialists in a certain field but also a high quality training. Consolidated in higher education strategic documents, this tendency deserves encouragement as involvement of employers into the system of higher education, apart from other advantages, may prove to be an additional alternative source of funding higher education. HEIs, too, seek orientation toward the needs of the labour market and, in developing new study programmes, they take into consideration the lack of specialists in certain fields or the changing demands of the labour market. The demand of certain specialists increasing in the labour market, the Ministry may approve targeted study programmes, e.g. a programme for the preparation of aviation specialists and upgrading of the training base in 2008-2013 has been approved. Also, a 2009-2013 programme for enhancing the quality of highly qualified interpreter/translator training and promotion of its development is underway.

It is not infrequent that students in marketable study programmes know in advance what their future job placement is going to be or they start their working career before completing their higher education.

In preparing specialists, colleges Kolegijos orientate their programmes to the needs of the labour market and to practical application of the knowledge acquired. In the course of studies special attention is devoted to practice placements and the links with the world of work.

Colleges are members of various associations; they cooperate with other institutions of higher education and maintain relations with social partners.



National Programme for Career Guidance in Education

6.17. Private Higher Education Institutions

The activities of private higher education institutions (colleges and universities) are regulated by the same laws, Government resolutions, Minister of Education and Science’s orders and other legal acts of the Republic of Lithuania as the activities of State-run higher education establishments. The only difference is in certain provisions of the above legal acts that regulate the establishment, funding and admission to higher education institutions. A non-State HEI is a public or private legal entity and the founder has full discretion as to the legal form of its activities. The statute of a non-State HEI is adopted in a manner prescribed by its founder and any amendments are passed in compliance with its statute. The autonomy as well as governance and management rules and procedures of a non-State higher education institution are established in its statute.


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A non-State higher education institution or a branch of a foreign HEI may only be established by a legal person (except State HEIs of the Republic of Lithuania) having material facilities necessary to ensure the quality of higher education activities and permission, obtained in accordance with the procedure prescribed by the Government, authorizing provision of higher education programmes. The Ministry of Education and Science, following an established procedure, submits to the Government its conclusion on granting permission to found a HEI or informs the applicants of the relevant reasons for taking the negative decision.

Non-State HEIs receive no funding from the State budget. Their admission rules and tuition fees are not regulated by any government entity. The Ministry can conclude agreements with private HEIs under which the latter would offer programmes in certain fields of study, funded from the State budget, if state-run HEIs do not prepare specialists of this field, or if the number of specialists they prepare is not sufficient.

The decisions concerning the structure and purpose of the funds of a non-state HEI come within the competence of its founder. The rules and procedures of funding and the use of funds in private higher education institutions are laid down in the laws and the statutes of private HEIs.


6.18. Organisational Variations, Alternative Structures

Developing information society is an objective of the utmost strategic importance to Lithuania. The infrastructure, adjusted to the requirements of information society, the methods and tools of work must be continually enhanced and developed. Individual educational needs are best met by distance education studies, taking full advantage of modern technologies..

The Lithuanian Distance Education Network (LieDM) was launched in 1998 in implementing the state investment programme “On Distance Education Development in Lithuania”. The network was developed in carrying out the EU structural funds project “Development of ICT-based Distance Learning Network in Lithuania” (2005-2007). At present, the network is further developed under the programme “Lithuanian Virtual University“ (2007-2012). The programme is comprised of four closely related objectives: “Promotion of E-learning Processes in Virtual Environment“ (EMSaS), “Development of Lithuanian E-learning Infrastructure” (LieDM), “Development of Lithuanian Research and Higher Education Integrated Information Environment”(LABT)“, and „Development of Planning, Management and Self-service Infrastructure for Lithuanian Research and Higher Education”(LieMSIS).

The key objective of LieDM (Lithuanian Distance Education Network) is to create and coordinate ITT-based higher and continuous education system, which would work toward fulfilling Lithuania’s aspiration of developing information society qualities.

LieDM priorities are:

● Partnership of higher education institutions in developing distance teaching/learning; ● Modern ITC-based higher education studies; ● Virtual universities and e-learning development; ● Equitable membership of LieDM network in European and global distance learning networks LieDM activities include the following: ● Strategic development of distance education system


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● User needs analysis and distance education market research ● Development and delivery of distance studies modules and programmes ● Development and support of interactive virtual learning environments ● Development and coordination of video conference network ● Development of audio and video teaching aids.

Currently LieDM network

● Provides 10 Master degree programmes, with 640 students enrolled ● Provides more than 1070 distance learning courses ● Has more than 46 000 registered participants ● Holds about 780 video conferences annually ● Has accumulated over 1000 hours of video recordings of lectures and events designed for learning.

The key objective of LABT (Lithuanian Academic Library Network) is to create Lithuanian virtual library through automation of libraries, unification of search and access to information sources and virtual services. LABT currently links together libraries of 16 universities, 20 colleges, the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences and 39 state scientific research institutions.

The key objective of LieMSIS (Lithuanian Research and Higher Education Information System) is to undertake quality reorganisation, standardisation and integration of information systems of research and higher education institutions, of institutions regulating and assessing research and higher education and of other relevant organizations. The LieMSIS project covers 101 research and higher education institutions and organizations of Lithuania.

6.19. Statistics

At the beginning of the academic year 2009–2010 there were 46 higher education institutions operating in Lithuania. The total number of students amounted to 201,005, which is by 9,395 less than at the beginning of 2008. Working at HEIs were 13,197 academic staff.

Standard study cost for higher education entrants in 2009

Regular (continual) study form Extended study form Colleges from LTL 3,361 to LTL 15,504 First cycle

Universities from LTL 4,031 to LTL 18,854

up to LTL 12,569

Master‘s studies from LTL 7,615 to LTL 22,438 up to LTL14,959

Doctoral studies up to LTL 29, 391 up to LTL19,594

Residency studies from LTL 24,578 to LTL 27,752 Note: the sums indicated refer to annual allocations


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Enrolment in higher education changes

2008 2009* Number of students admitted State-funded

studies Fee-paying

students State-funded

studies Fee-paying

students

Total 31,397 36,446 25,793 30,708

Total college enrolment 9,025 12,083 9,287 7,706

In state colleges 9,005 6,010 8,421 4,854

In non-state colleges 20 6,073 866 2,852

Total university enolment 22,372 24,363 16,506

In state universities 22,372 21,310 16,390 20,512

In non-state universities - 3,053 116 2,490 * preliminary data

Higher education coverage in percent (at the beginning of academic year)

2000 2005 2006 2007 2008 Higher education (ISCED 5A, 5B levels)

Gross 34.1 61.7 61.0 61.9 64.1

Net 22.2 40.0 40.4 42.5 44.2

Doctoral studies (ISCED 6)

Gross 1.1 1.6 1.6 1.5 1.5

Net 0.5 0.8 0.8 0.7 0.7

For more statistical data on universities see in 6.19.1., on colleges in 6.19.2..

6.19.1. University

State and non-state universities

2000–2001 2006–2007 2007–2008 2008–2009 2009-2010Universities 19 22 22 22 23

of which non-state 4 7 7 7 8

Students 95,593 143,204 144,336 149,017 144,301

of which in non- state universities 722 5,690 7,131 8,057 8,027

Academic staff 9,049 9,640 9,895 9,864 9,275

of which in non- state universities 127 385 606 557 463


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University students by study cycles at the beginning of the academic year

All study cycles

1st study cycle

(undergraduate) 2nd study cycle

(Master‘s and special professional

studies)

3d study cycle (residency, doctoral

and art postgraduate studies)

2007-2008

2008-2009

2007-2008 2008-2009 2007-2008

2008-2009 2007-2008 2008-2009

Total number of students

144,336 149,017 112,624 114,528 27,795 30,379 3,917 4,110

Out of which females (%)

60.2 59.8 59.2 58.6 64.2 64.1 63.0 63.6

Admitted students

46,918 49,545 32,308 34,327 13,352 13,826 1,258 1,392

Out of which females (%)

58.0 55.8 55.3 52.2 63.6 63.7 65.2 65.9

University students by mode of studies (at the beginning of academic year 2008–2009)

Total Full-time (day) studies

Part-time (evening) studies

Extramural studies

Total number of students 149,017 85,706 9,167 54,144

Bachelor‘s and professional studies

108,439 62,208 7,001 39,230

Integrated studies 7,820 6,363 - 1,457

Special professional studies 352 115 32 205

Master‘s studies 28,296 13,169 2,134 12,993

Residency studies 1,515 1,515 - -

Doctoral and art postgraduate studies

2,595 2,336 - 259

In 2008, among 30,535 university students who successfully fulfilled programme specific requirements and were awarded a qualification, a qualification or academic degree 20,462 graduated from first cycle (Bachelor) studies, 7,715 from second cycle (Master’s), 2,052 acquired a professional qualification and 306 were awarded a doctorate or art licentiate degree.

At the end of 2008, the majority of students in first cycle programmes were 20-21-year olds The average age of students was 23.5 years. The average age of students enrolled in the second cycle programmes was 26.6 years and in the third cycle study programmes – 29.2 years.

Full-time students receiving scholarships (at the beginning of academic year)

2005-2006 2006-2007 2007-2008 2008-2009 Receiving study scholarship* 27,958 27,176 25,921 27,053

Share in % 45 44 43 47

Receiving social scholarship 4,750 2,088 2,425 1,976

Receiving enterprise/organization scolarship

193 123 384 555

* except fee-paying students


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According to the field of studies the majority of students in first cycle studies were registered for business and administration (19.5%), teacher training and pedagogy (13.9%), engineering and engineering-related (10.8%), and social and behavioral sciences (11.2 %) programmes. In the second cycle (Master’s and equivalent) programmes students gave preference to business and administration (31.5%), social and behavioural sciences (11.2%), engineering and engineering-related professions (7.9%), teacher training and pedagogy (6.5%).

The majority of doctoral students (ISCED 6) pursued social sciences (33.2%) and technological sciences (20.6%) programmes.

Changes in the number of university students (2007-2008 academic year)

Total Of which

Full-time (day) studies


Extramural studies

Total number of students in 2007-2008

153,666 86,129 10,845 56,692

Dropped out during the academic year

19,993 8,015 2,345 9,633

Share compared to total enrolment, %

13 9.3 21.6 17

Of which due to academic failure

9,600 4,158 1,065 4,377

Share compared to all drop-outs, %

48 51.9 45.4 45.4

6.19.2. College

State and non- state colleges (at the beginning of academic year)

2000–2001 2006–2007 2007–2008 2008–2009 2009-2010Colleges 7 28 28 27 23

of which non-state 3 12 12 12 10

Number of students 3,547 56,297 60,096 61,383 56,704

of which in non-state 575 12,813 16,445 17,471 15,659

Number of academic staff 398 3,605 4,791 4,484 3,922

of which in non-state 119 763 1,225 1,455 1,101

College students by forms of study (at the beginning of academic year)

Study form Number of colleges providing different forms of studies Total number of students

2006–2007 2007–2008 2008–2009 2006–2007 2007–2008 2008–2009

Full-time (day) studies 27 27 26 26,560 26,719 25,997

Part-time (evening) studies 8 7 8 1,847 2,927 2,900

Extramural studies 28 27 26 27,542 30,450 32,486


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Students receiving scholarships (at the beginning of academic year)

2005-2006 2007-2008 2008-2009

Total % Total % Total %

Receiving study scholarship* 14,172 65 11,661 55 12,210 60

Receiving social scholarship 3,993 3,761 872 *except fee-paying students

In 2008-2009 the most popular programmes included business and administration (47.8%), 10.2% were enrolled in engineering and engineering-related programmes, 6.3% followed programmes in architecture; 6% took law, 5.8.5% were registered in health care, and 5.9% in teacher training and pedagogy study programmes.

Changes in the number of college students (2007-2008 academic year)

Total Of which

Full-time (day) studies


Extramural studies

Total number of students in 2007-2008

62,617 27,286 3,061 32,270

Dropped out during the academic year

9,119 3,652 591 4,876

Share compared to total enrolment, %

14.6 13.4 19.3 15.1

Of which due to academic failure

5,734 2,346 394 2,994

Share compared to all drop-outs, %

62.9 64.2 66.7 61.4

Sources: Ministry of Education and Science; Department of Statistics to the Government of the Republic of Lithuania (Statistics Lithuania)




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7. Continuing Education and Training for Young School Leavers and Adults

Against the background of rapid economic, social and political changes currently undergoing in Lithuania, the country has clearly declared the policy of promoting lifelong learning as a top priority of its educational development.

The planning and implementation of the Lithuanian policy on the development of lifelong learning is based on the Strategy for Ensuring Lifelong Learning adopted in 2004 and amended in 2008. The Strategy is aimed at planning and defining the main directions for the development of lifelong learning and measures for its implementation focusing on the areas of vocational training and continuing adult education.

Lifelong learning comprises all learning activities that people undertake throughout their lives in pursuit of improving the competencies of personal and professional development as well as enhancing social inclusion and active citizenship.

Formal adult education includes general education, vocational education and training, and higher education. Adult education and training is provided in educational institutions. It is purposeful, organised and has the fixed length of studies, curriculum, learner evaluation system, official terms of admission and registration, education content, teaching methods and resources. Upon completion of studies, learners are granted officially recognised Diplomas and professional qualifications.

The purpose of non-formal adult education is to provide an individual with conditions for lifelong learning, meet the needs of cognition, upgrade the qualification already acquired and acquire additional qualifications. It can be provided by educational institutions, companies, public organisations and various individuals. No officially recognised certification is granted.

Self-education (informal learning) is a natural daily self-directed process of learning which may not necessarily be premeditated; it is less organised and structured and may be driven by personal motives or professional and family circumstances. As a result, it may not be recognised even by those individuals who are improving their competences. It is based on meeting personal, social and family needs.



The first schools in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania go back to the beginning of the eighteenth century. The development of education in Lithuania was greatly influenced by Vilnius University, founded in 1579.

The process of adult education in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania developed on the basis of popular pedagogy. Purposeful adult education activities started in the mid-nineteenth century, alongside the movements of book-smugglers, organised by Lithuanian cultural figures, clandestine schools, i.e. clandestine evening courses of the Lithuanian language for adult learners, and temperance movement.

During the period of the Independent Republic of Lithuania (1918–1940), considerable attention was given to the foundation of educational institutions, promotion of adult literacy and development of educational


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services. Adult education content was marked by contrastive diversity and ranged from elementary instruction in reading and writing to social, legal and philosophical reflections. The main forms of adult education were evening courses for adults, adult schools and the so-called folk universities.

In 1918–1926, the main means of adult education was provision of evening courses for adults at primary schools. In addition to evening courses, there were Sunday courses where, in addition to rudimentary knowledge, participants were also given training in some specific field. Adults were taught Lithuanian, arithmetic, natural sciences, history, hygiene, farming, animal breeding and veterinary.

In early 1920, the Department of Primary Education was established at the Ministry of Education and Science. The Department included the Adult Education Division the purpose of which was to take care of adult education. Soon a uniform curriculum for adult courses was developed. Those evening courses for adults helped to eliminate illiteracy and decreased the number of those who could hardly read or write. The courses were run without prior practice, experience and specially trained teachers and the participants were given only the basic elements – they were taught to read and introduced the basic skills of writing.

The year of 1921 marked the beginning of special schools for adult education which were brought about by the necessity to train people who could work as clerks, teachers and occupy other posts. Those schools received financing from the budgets of the municipalities and the Ministry of Education and Science. At adult schools, the subjects were taught more intensely than at other secondary schools, and adults had to pay tuition fees. In 1922, there were six pre-gymnasiums for adult learners. All adults schools established in Lithuania during 1921–1924 were financed from the funds of charity organisations, with the Ministry of Education and Science allocating only part of the necessary funds.

The main objectives of adult education during the period were the following:

● training of the illiterate and their further education; ● specialist training and upgrading of their qualifications; ● cultural education of the population.

In 1919–1926, Lithuania had adult evening courses and adult secondary schools operating in the country but the problem of nationwide education was still acute. According to the population census of 1923, 32.6% of people over ten years of age were illiterate. Therefore, decreasing the level of illiteracy and raising the general level of education among the country’s population was the main objective of adult education that had to be accomplished through folk universities that started appearing at that time.

The first folk universities were established by groups of teachers and riflemen, special educational societies and youth unions. The basic principle of folk universities was a step-by-step involvement of all adults – without exclusion of those who had not even completed primary education – into the process of learning. The essential feature of such teaching was to provide the participants with a course of lectures sustained by their independent work. Participants of folk universities were free to choose what lectures to attend, they could also express their requests regarding the curriculum and choose a more convenient time. Attempts were made to provide people with both theoretical and practical knowledge that would be of use in their daily lives.

Public organisations, of which in 1939 there were 789, were especially active in promoting the training of specialists and improving their qualifications. Charity and cultural societies in particular showed special interest in this kind of work and provided financial support.


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Private and state-owned vocational schools and temporary courses were the most popular forms of adult education and in-service training. As a rule, vocational schools were non-state institutions funded by a public organisation. In all, there were 15 such schools, with some 700 adult learners. The major part of the vocational schools catered for the needs of young persons.

The period of the independent Republic of Lithuania (1918–1940) saw the laying of the foundations of its adult education system, which was further developed and evolved into an ideological structure during the Soviet rule (1940–1990).

The processes of political, economic and social transformation that started in 1990 also had an impact on adult education. The importance of lifelong learning was clearly understood from the very start of the education reform. The period of 1992–1993 saw the creation of prerequisites for dynamic processes in the field of adult education. Units dealing with adult education and training of specialists (andragogues) were set up in the Ministry of Education and Science, Ministry of Social Security and Labour and universities. The network of institutions providing adult education was reformed. The General Concept of Education in Lithuania (1992) laid down the key provisions relating to lifelong learning and a general outline of adult education. The reform of adult education in Lithuania started with due regard to the Lithuanian traditions and the global economic, cultural and education processes: transition from the centrally planned economy to market economy, European integration and the development of information technologies.

Non-government organisations started playing an active role in the development of adult education.

1992 saw the establishment of the Lithuanian Adult Education Association (LAEA), which co-operates with various Lithuanian and foreign institutions and individual educators of adults and rallies them to support the development of opportunities for continuing learning and the promotion of the public’s awareness of the importance of lifelong learning. Since 1993, the LAEA has been a member of the European Adult Education Association (EAEA).

One of the main aims of the Provisions of the National Education Strategy 2003–2012 is defined as development of a system of continuing education ensuring lifelong learning, accessibility and social justice. To ensure accessibility, continuity and social justice of the education development process, the Strategy envisages the following instruments for creation of lifelong learning opportunities:

● An area of integrated lifelong education is created. To achieve the purpose, the efforts and resources of the Ministry of Education and Science and other ministries are brought together, the learning environment to match the different needs of individuals created and diversity of the forms of education developed. ● Financial lifelong learning capabilities are expanded. The national and regional continuing education development programmes are developed and implemented. ● In all stages of education, favourable learning and study conditions are offered to all Lithuanian adult residents seeking basic, secondary or higher education.

The planning and implementation of the Lithuanian policy on the development of lifelong learning is based on the Strategy for Ensuring Lifelong Learning and the Action Plan for its Implementation approved on 26 March 2004. The Strategy was designed to ensure lifelong learning opportunities for people irrespective of their social position, place of residence or age by combining formal and non-formal education, vocational and labour market education and training, providing conditions for people to learn in convenient environments – educational institutions, at work or at leisure – and involving stakeholders into the system of adult education.


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The Action Plan approved for the implementation of the Strategy includes a number of very important contextual measures, such as drafting of new legal framework (e.g. designing of mechanisms for the assessment and recognition of competences acquired by way of non-formal and self-directed learning), expansion of access to education (for instance, ensuring access to ‘second chance’ education for every adult who may have left school without completing basic or secondary education) and development of infrastructure (renovation and construction of buildings, upgrading of technical facilities, expansion of the information system), improved coordination of educators’ competences and the lifelong learning system, etc.

The goals laid down in the upgraded Lisbon strategy are directly integrated in the development of the national policy on education. The drive to implement the provisions of the Lisbon Strategy finds reflection in the major education policy documents of the Republic of Lithuania, including the Single Programming Document of Lithuania for the period of 2004–2006, Law on Education of the Republic of Lithuania, Provisions of the National Education Strategy 2003–2012, Strategy for Ensuring Lifelong Learning and Action Plan for its Implementation.

In 2008, the Strategy for Ensuring Lifelong Learning was revised and approved by the Ministers of Education and Science and Social Security and Labour. The process of revising the Strategy for Ensuring Lifelong Learning and developing the adult education policy in Lithuania was conducted in line with the provisions and goals raised in the European Commission Communication ‘Adult Learning: It is Always a Good Time to Learn’ and the Action Plan for the implementation of this Communication.

The Strategy focuses on lifelong learning, non-formal non-vocational training, vocational training and social networking.

Institutions engaged in the implementation of the Strategy include the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Social Security and Labour, other ministries and Government agencies, the Qualification Service at the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, Lithuanian Labour Market Training Authority and institutions under its subordination, Lithuanian Labour Exchange and institutions under its subordination, Lithuanian Centre for Adult Education and Information, Qualifications and Vocational Education and Training Development Centre, Education Development Centre, Education Exchange Support Foundation, Lithuanian Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education, Lithuanian Centre for Pupil Information and Technical Creation, Centre of Information Technologies of Education and other institutions subordinate to the Ministry of Education and Science, municipal and county governors’ administrations, adult education centres, schools, general education schools with adult education classes, vocational schools, institutions of higher education and other social partners.

The Strategy echoes the strategic priorities specified in the Draft Long-Term Strategy for the Lithuanian economic development until the year 2020. Formulation of economic policies is focused on the growth of high-quality employment and investment in human resources, development of physical, financial and social infrastructure, science, technology and innovation as well as securing the country's macro-economic stability.

The scale of Lithuanian public participation in continuing education has recently decreased. In 2009, only 4.5% of residents aged 25-64 years participated in lifelong learning in the country. Lithuania seeks to increase the percentage of adults involved in learning activities up to 15% by 2012. One of the main goals of the Human Resource Development Action Programme is to increase the opportunities for Lithuanian people to learn throughout life, which is planned to be achieved through improvement and strengthening of the lifelong learning institutional system, enhancement of the quality of lifelong learning provision and expanding its availability.


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As part of the improvement of education facilities in 2009, new educational services and links of the education system were being developed, the network of educational services offered further streamlined and access to education taken care of. Responsibility of the local government for provision of educational services in compliance with the local population needs is being strengthened and provision of non-formal adult education services in municipalities developed.





Lithuanian Association of Adult Education (LAAE)







European Commission Communication: Adult education: It is never too late to learn






The current debate is focused on the perspective related to drafting of a new version of the Law on Non-formal Adult Education. Regulations specifying discrete aspects of adult learning (such as modular, extramural, distance and self-education) are amended in order to introduce more flexible forms, increase access to education and improve its quality.

A number of pilot projects have been launched in the field of development of appropriate systems for recognition of education acquired in a non-formal way. The need to recognise competences acquired by way


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of formal, non-formal and/or self-directed education is stated as a specific objective in the Strategy for Ensuring Lifelong Learning.

Effort is made to mobilise and involve in the ongoing debate a wide range of social partners, representatives of different social groups and stakeholders, first and above all, non-government organisations and institutions of higher education providing adult education. Social partnership facilitates the building up of conditions necessary for carrying out a high quality adult education policy that meets the needs of the general public.

Dissemination of information, seminars and conferences organised by the Ministry of Education involve regional policy-makers in discussion of issues related to the national development of the state, help in highlighting important regional issues and identifying problems that need to be solved and expand the audience involved in ongoing debates thus contributing to the improved quality of the strategy implementation.

Implementation of the national adult education projects is carried out by means of funded interdisciplinary trainings aimed at the development of basic competencies. The scope of trainings like that is being expanded. Each year, national competitions for non-formal adult education in which much attention is paid to enhancing competencies of active citizenship are organised. The projects are implemented throughout Lithuania. The Education Exchange Support Foundation has been consistently supporting the development of cultural awareness and expression (Comenius, Grundtvig projects, etc.). Development of programmes that focus on the expansion of the key interdisciplinary expertise is expected to continue. The number of learners will be further increased.

Once the upgrade of the Strategy for Ensuring Lifelong Learning and integration of the Action Plan for its Implementation into the measures planned by the European Commission is complete, the policy for the development of lifelong learning will become more targeted. In order to make access to education available to people of different needs and age groups, to ensure the necessary service quality and create more favourable and safer learning conditions (through provision of more flexible, adult-centred programmes (relating not only to formal education), methodology and motivation systems), the Programme for Renovation of Teacher and Adult Education Centres and their Equipment with Modern Teaching Aids was designed. It is an important first document in the field of adult education providing for the development of universal multipurpose centres. These measures are expected to increase the number of adult learners. Given the growing needs of the general public to learn, a model for adult education in educational institutions is being designed and non-formal adult education initiatives supported. An important role in addressing these issues lies with the support provided by the European Social Fund (ESF).



Programme for the Renovation of the Teachers' and Adult Education Centres and their Equipment with Modern Teaching Aids



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The direction towards lifelong learning in the educational system of the Republic of Lithuania is specified in the following documents on education:

● The Law on Education (2003). It defines that the purpose of non-formal adult education is to provide an individual with conditions for lifelong learning, meet his/her needs of cognition, upgrade the qualification acquired and obtain additional qualifications. ● The Long Term Development Strategy of the State (2002) which provides for building up, by 2015, an efficient, coherent, universally accessible continuing education system, creating conditions for lifelong learning, translating into action the concept of continuing learning and developing a modern adult educational system. ● The Single Programming Document of Lithuania (SPD) for the period of 2004–2006 (2004). The Document stipulates the promotion of human resources development in order to ensure better compliance of the labour force with the changing needs of the job market and creation of the right preconditions for fostering a culture of lifelong learning. ● Provisions of the National Education Strategy for 2003–2012 (2003). To ensure the development of a continuing, accessible and socially just system of education providing lifelong learning, the Strategy envisages instruments for creation of lifelong learning opportunities, including development of an integrated area of lifelong education, creation of a learning environment to match the different needs of individuals, development of diverse forms of education, expansion of financial lifelong learning capabilities and provision of favourable learning and study conditions in all stages of education for all Lithuanian adult residents seeking basic, secondary or higher education. ● Implementation Programme for the Provisions of the National Education Strategy 2003–2012 (2005). The major institution in charge of the organisation and coordination of implementing this Programme is the Ministry of Education and Science. The Programme provides a list of adult education monitoring indicators and benchmarks aligned to the educational guidelines of the European Union. ● The measures for the implementation of the Lithuanian Government Programme for 2006–2008 include arrangements – undertaken for the first time – that are directly related to the development of lifelong learning. They aim at creating a model for provision of non-formal education services in municipalities, launching a programme for the renovation of the existing teachers’ and adult education centres and supplying them with modern teaching resources and upgrading the Strategy for Ensuring Lifelong Learning. ● 2007 saw the approval of the Human Resources Development Action Programme. One of the main goals of this Programme is to enhance the opportunities for Lithuanian people to achieve lifelong learning by way of creating the necessary conditions for the development of the dynamic knowledge society. Achievement of the goal will be sought through improvement and strengthening of the lifelong learning institutional system, enhancement of the quality of lifelong learning provision and expanding its availability. ● In 2007, the School Improvement Programme Plus was launched. Under this Programme, funds to be allocated to the project ‘Upgrading of Institutions for Adult Education through Creation of Multifunctional Centres’ for the renovation of adult education institutions and supplying them with modern teaching aids amount to nearly 10 million Litas. ● The Programme for the Development of Resources for Practical Vocational Education and Training singles out a group of activities identified as Provision of General Competences to Learners, which will contribute to the development of general competences in adults and adaptation of the teaching aids to their needs and will strengthen the interaction among adult education institutions. ● The Strategy for Ensuring Lifelong Learning (2008) is a full-scale document defining the main directions for the development of lifelong learning and measures for its implementation and focusing on the areas of vocational training and continuing adult education as those represent: a) the priority areas of the EU educational policy, and b) the areas of lifelong learning which offer most space for improvement in Lithuania.


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● In 2007, the Programme for the Renovation of the Existing Teachers’ and Adult Education Centres and Supplying them with Modern Teaching Aids was approved. It aims at renovating teachers’ and adult education centres and supplying them with modern teaching resources.

The following documents are also related to adult education:

● The General Concept of Education in Lithuania (1992) which states (in an article describing the objectives of general education) that "at this period of education young people are provided general education in conformity with modern standards, with a special emphasis on fostering their awareness of the importance of lifelong learning". ● The Law on Non-formal Adult Education (1998) which regulates the system of non-formal adult education by laying down the basic principles of its structure, activities and management. ● The Law on Vocational Education and Training (2007) created legal preconditions for the development of the National Qualifications System and foundation of the Qualifications Authority, an institution at the Government of the Republic of Lithuania. It also enabled a person to have his/her non-formally and/or informally acquired competences – necessary to obtain a certain qualification – assessed and validated. The Law specifies the institution in charge of the qualifications administration and the principles based on which qualifications are structured, assessed and recognised. The National Qualifications System should strengthen the linkage between qualifications acquired at different education levels and eliminate part of obstacles, constraining or aggravating lifelong learning. ● The Law on Higher Education and Research (2009). ● The Strategy for Vocational Guidance (2003). The goals set out in this strategy are also important from the point of view of continuing adult education. Those goals include strengthening of institutional competences, development of continuing vocational education and training, lifelong learning and ability to get adjusted to the changing market conditions, improvement of employability skills of young people and adults, encouragement of their enterprise qualities and persistent thirst for knowledge and also development of their social activity and responsibility for their own professional careers to avoid unemployment. ● The Strategy for the Development of Economic Literacy and Enterprise. Modern democracies are based on the system of a market economy. In this context, economic education and development of business insights are of particular importance. The focus is on the development of human resources, the content of education and teaching materials. ● The Strategy for Implementation of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in Lithuanian Education in 2005–2007 and the respective programme (2004). Integration of Information and Communication Technologies in schools is the corner stone of the ongoing education reform. The successful completion of this process will have a great impact on the success of the education reform and the progress of the country’s social and economic development.

Certain individual orders of the Lithuanian Minister of Education and Science regulate the organisation procedures of learning activities in adult centres (in secondary schools) 5.3., selection of curricula, procedure for acquiring the right to provide non-formal adult education, procedures of financing non-formal education, organising vocational education and training, issuing licenses, registration of education and study programmes, levels of vocational education and training, etc.

Approved in 2007, the Procedures for Modular, Extramural and Independent Studies provide opportunities for adult persons to study by selecting acceptable flexible study forms and give them a chance to follow distance learning programmes.

In Lithuania, the functions of forming, executing and coordinating the policy on continuing and adult education are performed by the Ministries of Education and Science and Social Security and Labour, institutions subordinate to the two ministries and also other ministries and municipalities.


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In the area of continuing and adult education, institutions subordinate to the Ministry of Education and Science include the Education Development Centre, Lithuanian Centre for Adult Education and Information, Qualifications and Vocational Education and Training Development Centre, Lithuanian Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education, the Education Exchange Support Foundation, etc.






Action Programme for Human Resources Development






Law on Vocational Education and Training of the Republic of Lithuania


Measures for the Implementation of the Lithuanian Government Programme for 2006-2008

Practical Training Resource Development Programme

Procedure for Extramural Studies


Procedure for Modular Studies


Programme for the Renovation of the Teachers' and Adult Education Centres and their Equipment with Modern Teaching Aids



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Strategy for Implementation of Information and Communication Technologies in Lithuania Education in 2005-2007


In Lithuania, continuing and adult education is based on the same general principles of humanism, democracy, rationality and renewal that are outlined as the guiding principles of education in the Provisions of the National Education Strategy 2003–2012.

The Provisions of National Education Strategy 2003–2012, which cover all levels of education, set some measurable targets to be achieved in the development of the Lithuanian educational system by the year 2012, in particular, the need to ensure that:

● the most necessary social conditions for learning and studies should be created for all those in need of them; ● no less than 95% of schoolchildren who acquired basic education should continue studies and acquire either secondary education or a vocational qualification in demand on the job market; ● all children and young people with special educational needs should have a possibility to learn in favourable learning environments at all types of schools providing formal and non-formal education programmes; ● every citizen of Lithuania should have an opportunity to study in a higher school by the chosen mode of study (distance, extramural, etc.), and more than 60% of Lithuanian young people should acquire higher university or non-university education; ● all residents of Lithuania, first and foremost young boys and girls who failed to acquire basic and secondary education or vocational qualification, should be invited and encouraged to continue their education; the percentage of early school-leavers and drop-outs (i.e. young people of 18–24 years of age who have completed only basic or secondary school and are not continuing their education or vocational training) should not exceed 9%; the percentage of young people with at least secondary education in the age group of 25-59 years should exceed 80%; ● residents of Lithuania should have real access to lifelong learning and continuous upgrading and development of their skills; at least 15% of the employable/working age adult population should be enrolled in training every year; ● no less than 85 per cent of the Lithuanian employable/working age population should have real access to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and acquire adequate ICT skills; ● the number of young people and adults involved in the activities of non-government and public organisations should increase at least twofold.

The general objectives of adult education are set out in the Strategy for Ensuring Lifelong Learning (2008). The Strategy specifies that initial and continuing vocational education and training are the major building blocks of lifelong learning designed to maximise the value of the country‘s main asset – its people.

The Strategy for Ensuring Lifelong Learning sets out the following principal goals for the development of lifelong learning:


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● to enhance the effect of vocational education and training (VET) and lifelong learning on the employment strategy; ● to increase access to learning, in particular for individuals who have least benefited from the educational system; create ‘second chance’ opportunities for the people who failed to acquire basic education by the age of 16; ● to develop the educational infrastructure by consistently increasing investments in the technical upgrading of the institutions that provide education, vocational information, guidance and counselling services; ● to improve the coordination of lifelong learning through a better cooperation in this sphere; ● to increase spending for lifelong learning by setting up special funds and involving both employers and employees; ● to improve the qualifications of staff engaged in vocational training and counselling; ● to differentiate between the regional lifelong learning frameworks, taking account of the social and economic needs of the regions; ● to build up a system for monitoring the quality of education and establish the indicators and benchmarks for the quality of teaching.

The upgraded Strategy for Ensuring Lifelong Learning provides for the realisation of the following tasks by 2012:

● to develop a well-rounded, seamless and cost-effective system of lifelong learning in line with the strategic goals of the State and meeting the needs of individual learners in the context of globalisation; ● to create conditions for persons with different needs and competences to acquire, improve and change qualifications and competences that assist people in positioning themselves in the labour market and ensure the progress, competitiveness and sustainable development of the national economy; ● to ensure compliance of qualifications with the needs of the national economy, their transparency and comparability, continuity of education as well as occupational and territorial mobility by way of building up a comprehensive and transparent qualifications system covering all levels of qualifications; ● to enhance the life quality of individuals and their integration in contemporary society and gradually develop non-formal non-vocational and informal adult education in all types of adult education and culture institutions throughout the country; ● to provide ‘a second chance’ for adult persons to acquire primary, basic and secondary education, develop general competences and increase availability of lifelong learning services to different social groups of our society; ● to create conditions for the teaching staff working with adults to enhance their qualifications and ensure the high quality of services provided to adult learners; ● to use the EU support to upgrade the regional lifelong learning infrastructure and ensure availability of the same high-level quality services to all learners in all types of institutions throughout the country; ● to sustain a balance in financing the fields of continuing and adult education seeking to meet the different educational needs of the country’s population and increase the funding to those fields of education that lack it most badly;

● to provide more information and counselling to the population of the country on lifelong learning opportunities available to them on the national and regional levels, develop their competences related to career management, diversify ways of disseminating information in order to enhance people’s motivation for and competences of lifelong learning and improve the forms of monitoring its outcomes.

The major objectives of non-formal adult education is to assist individuals in meeting their self-education needs, developing their cultural interests, expanding their creative powers and abilities, helping the individual to become an active citizen of democratic society, creating conditions for acquisition of theoretical knowledge and practical skills necessary for vocational activity as well as upgrading of qualifications.


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The main principles and aims of formal adult general education are as follows:

● to acquire general primary, basic and secondary education or part of it by applying flexible forms of learning; ● to supplement and upgrade the acquired general education and meet the needs of self-education.

The objectives of vocational adult training are the following:

● to create conditions for persons to acquire vocational skills in accordance with the requirements defined in the Register of Studies and Training Programmes, ● to create conditions for the development of vocational qualifications or retraining so that the person could meet the changing demands on the labour market and adapt to them.



7.5. Types of Institutions

In Lithuania, adult education institutions may be formal and non-formal. For information on formal and non-formal adult education institutions, see 7.5.1. and 7.5.2..

7.5.1. Formal Adult Education

In Lithuania, adults can follow formal education programmes in several types of institutions, including general education schools, adult education centres, schools of vocational education and training, colleges and universities. Those institutions (except for general education schools) offer qualification upgrading and retraining courses that also make an integral part of adult education.

In line with the final provisions of the Law on Education, enrolment for curricula of post-secondary advanced vocational studies continued until the 2003–2004 school year. In 2006, the reorganisation of into vocational schools was completed, and schools of this type no longer exist in Lithuania.

Formal education adult schools (education centres) belong to the secondary school type within the group of general education schools.

Adult general education schools provide adult primary, basic and secondary curricula. Studies according to these education programmes may also be organised in adult classes set up in general education schools. Adult general education schools may organise adult education according to adapted secondary education curricula admission to which is available to adults from 21 years of age. Schools create conditions for learners to study certain compulsory and elective or additional and non-formal subjects in a modular way. It is also possible for learners to choose the extramural form of learning.

Adult schools in possession of the necessary material facilities and programmes for vocational training may provide vocational education and training and create conditions for pupils to acquire a vocational qualification.

Vocational education and training is provided at state, municipal and private institutions of vocational education and training and also at industrial enterprises. In Lithuania, there are vocational schools providing theoretical and practical vocational training alongside general education; vocational training centres and institutions offering vocational education and training; and specialised vocational training institutions for


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persons with special educational needs. Institutions of vocational education and training may also provide continuing education.

Another part of the formal adult education system is the labour market vocational training. The system of the labour market vocational training tackles an important specific task of softening the mismatch between demand and supply on the labour market and bringing the supply of qualifications closer to the rapidly changing demand. Alongside the labour market vocational training programmes, the network of vocational training centres offer some other formal and non-formal adult vocational education courses. They are mainly intended for persons from the age of eighteen.

Vocational training centres offer training at both levels to persons who so far have not acquired any qualifications or have acquired qualifications which are not in demand at present. Practical training takes into consideration the work activity of the trainees and their skills. Such training may be fully or in parts provided at enterprises, organisations, and special vocational training centres, or may be offered by vocational training institutions in possession of a licence to provide practical vocational training.

Under the Law on Higher Education and Research (2009), study programmes aimed at retraining, which do not award a degree, may be carried out by universities and colleges in accordance with the procedure laid down by legal acts.

Within the system of non-consecutive education, adults choose the form of evening, extramural or distance studies at colleges and universities.

Colleges provide non-university studies for the training of practical specialists able to work on their own in the fields of education, culture, business and other spheres. In addition to other objectives, colleges seek to create conditions for continuing learning, assist businesses in providing upgrading of qualification skills and retraining. Study programmes (or their modules) corresponding to the basic university studies may be included, after agreement with universities, in the college study programmes. Based on agreements with universities, college graduates may be enrolled in a senior university course to continue their studies. This is a significant contribution to the task specified in the Strategy for Ensuring of Lifelong Learning to remove any restrictions to persons seeking to acquire professions that are in demand and upgrade their qualification skills.

Institutions of higher education are open to putting into practice the basic principles of lifelong learning: they offer adapted study programmes and non-consecutive studies and develop links between university and non-university higher studies.




7.5.2. Non-Formal Adult Education

Non-formal adult education is provided in accordance with the Law on Non-formal Adult Education (1998), the Procedure for Acquiring the Right to Provide Non-formal Adult Education (1999), the Law on Education (2003), Strategy for Ensuring Lifelong Education (2008) and other legal acts.


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Non-formal adult education may be provided by institutions of non-formal adult education, adult education centres, higher schools, institutions for upgrading the qualification skills, businesses, non-government organisations, private individuals, etc. According to the data provided in 2008, there were about 700 public and private institutions engaged in provision of non-formal adult education. Adult education organised by employers to meet the needs of their business is conducted at the workplace. In Lithuania, the number of companies that are potential users or providers of education services amount approximately to 60 thousand.

Teacher education centres offer programmes for upgrading the qualification skills of teachers and various other non-formal education programmes. The Lithuanian Association of Adult Education (LAAE), founded in 1992, in cooperation with Lithuanian and foreign adult educators and institutions, promotes an approach of lifelong learning among the general public and the development of opportunities for continuing education. LAAE assists in creating the network of cooperating adult education institutions, exchanging information and programmes, developing joint projects and upgrading the andragogic qualification skills of its members.

Lithuanian Centre for Adult Education and Information implements national adult education and continuing education programmes and projects, collects data on adult education opportunities, institutions and programmes providing the said services, designs and maintains online repository of learning programmes and objects, provides information to the general public, conducts research on the state and needs of adult education and carries out projects related to the development of adult education opportunities.

The Lithuanian Association of Heads of Adult Education Centres is engaged in shaping the national policy on adult education. It promotes collaboration between institutions of formal and non-formal education and organises various qualifications improvement related events to the staff of adult education centres.

Non-formal education of senior citizens is organised by the University of the Third Age that has affiliates in several towns of the country. The activities of this public organisation contribute to the integration of people of different age groups in society and cater for their needs for continuous education. The University offers various schemes that help improve people’s health and quality of life.

Non-formal vocational education and training is organised by the Lithuanian Labour Market Training Authority, labour market vocational training institutions and enterprises. Education at the Lithuanian Labour Market Training Authority centres is provided in accordance with the labour market vocational formal and non-formal study programmes.

Non-formal education is implemented by those labour market vocational training institutions and organisations that have included such activities in their regulations or have licences issued by the Ministry of Education and Science to provide such training.

Currently, the Lithuanian Labour Market Training Authority has ten regional labour market training centres and seven territorial labour market training and consulting services. This organisation is engaged in the development and provision of general services in support of employment, such as professional training, guidance and counselling of adult persons. The services provided are aimed at increasing the chances of unemployed persons and those who belong to risk groups to find employment and also at developing the skills of unemployed people to make them competitive on the labour market.

The centres offer formal and non-formal labour market vocational training programmes. Upon completion of a training programme, learners have to take examinations. The maximum duration of the labour market training programmes is one year. The length of training depends on the training programme chosen.


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Other ministries of the country, such as the Ministry of National Defence, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Transport and Communications, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Culture, have their own in-house structures of non-formal adult education where specialists of the respective fields improve their professional qualifications.







In 2010, the country had 106 institutions of education and training the purpose (or at least one of the purposes) of which was adult education. Those institutions included adult education centres, labour market training centres, youth and adult schools, secondary schools, education centres, pedagogical and psychological assistance centres, vocational training centres, basic schools, gymnasiums, colleges and other schools. They operated in 42 municipalities. Institutions of this type, however, are concentrated in towns. Most of them are situated in the capital. According to the data provided by Statistics Lithuania, there is no provision of adult education in rural areas.

In 2010, there were 36 educational institutions belonging to the type of non-formal adult education schools. 25 of them are located in Vilnius.

The country has 54 institutions in 19 municipalities that offer retraining programmes. Institutions of this type can be found in all Lithuanian regions.

Units of the Lithuanian Labour Market Training Authority (LLMTA) established in the largest urban centres of Lithuania offer services for the residents of the entire country. The Authority controls seven territorial labour market training and consulting services and ten regional labour market training centres. The territorial services are located in the largest towns and some of them have sub-divisions in smaller towns. The labour market training centres have branches or sub-divisions in other towns. The territorial distribution of the LLMTA units ensures effective provision of services across the country.

In order to increase the attractiveness of vocational training and make access to higher education more readily available to Lithuanian people, a network of state colleges has been created on the regional principle. State-run and private universities are also located in all regions of Lithuania. As part of the process to optimise the network of institutions for vocational training, regional vocational training centres providing initial and continuing training are set up. These centres also contribute to the development of partnership in the regions.

Regionally, availability is fully assured as different types of educational institutions engaged in continuing adult education are located in all regions of Lithuania and, in the geographical sense, are within easy reach of those who want to study.


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7.7. Admission Requirements

Persons are admitted to adult general education schools (education centres) from the age of eighteen. At the founder’s proposal, schools may also enrol persons within the 16–18 age group who are not able to attend general education schools for social or personal reasons.

Admission to study according to adult primary and/or basic education curriculum is granted to 18 year-old and older persons seeking to acquire primary and/or basic education, as well as persons who have completed primary education and wish to repeatedly follow the course in some subjects or their modules according to the Procedure for Self-Learning and the Procedure for Modular Learning.

Admission to study according to adult secondary education curriculum is granted to persons seeking to acquire secondary education, as well as persons who have completed secondary education and wish to repeatedly follow the course in some subjects or their modules according to the Procedure for Self-Learning and the Procedure for Modular Learning.

In 2005, the Minister of Education and Science issued an order by which education levels attested by certificates of seven-year, incomplete secondary or eight-year education, certificates granted in 1993–1994 or certificates of basic education granted in 1995–1999 were recognised as corresponding to the basic general education programme and attesting to the completion of basic education. Persons with the above mentioned education level may continue learning according to the secondary education curriculum. The decision to recognise those education levels as general education is in line with the objectives of the Provisions of the National Education Strategy 2003–2012 and the Strategy for Ensuring Lifelong Learning to expand the services provided by general education and vocational training schools to adults seeking formal education.

That move also firmly established the drive for equality of opportunities in education. Previously, holders of the above mentioned certificates had to undergo a check of their learning achievements, which is not applicable to other persons upon completion of the basic education curriculum. It also reduced the length of studies as pupils no longer have to study in the levelling class to get ready for the check of their learning achievements and then carry on with their secondary education.

Vocational schools, colleges and universities admit persons according to the procedure established by the Ministry of Education and Science. See 6.6.1., 6.6.2..

According to the Procedure for the Labour Market Vocational Training (2007), labour market vocational training is open to persons from the age of 18. In exceptional cases, it may be open to younger persons in compliance with the order established by the Ministers of Education and Science and Social Security and Labour. Centres of labour market vocational training admit applicants who were sent there by their employers or labour exchange offices and also persons who apply on their own.

In Lithuania, the Law on Education states that an individual is free to pursue non-formal education programmes and self-education. No admission requirements are imposed on participants of non-formal adult education. Any adult person (normally 18 years of age and older) can participate in non-formal adult education. As a rule, no requirements with regard to previous general and vocational education are applied.


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Persons applying for studies in universities and colleges according to non-formal education programmes or individual subjects (their groups) are admitted in an order established by the higher schools.




7.8. Registration and/or Tuition Fees

Adult primary, basic and secondary general education is financed fully from the budgets of the State and municipalities. Lithuania is gradually phasing into the model of financing its education system in accordance with a more efficient per capita formula based on the number of learners and students. The new formula for financing educational institutions − the pupil’s basket − was first introduced in 2002. Since 2005, this methodology has been applied in state, municipal and non-state-funded general education schools. The implementation of the new financing model ensures a more efficient and rational use of the funding allocated to education and allows schools to enjoy wider benefits. Part of the pupil‘s basket is also allocated to extra-curricular education. Adults engaged in formal education are entitled to selecting certain subjects of extra-curricular education offered by the school, including drama, dancing, English or development of computer literacy. At adult education centres, people may choose various project activities that are often targeted at non-formal education.

Basic vocational training is financed from the State and municipal budgets and other funds. The new version of the Law on Vocational Training contains a provision specifying the legal basis for promoting employers implementing in-service training of their employees and participating in the process of vocational training.

Persons who are studying in higher schools according to non-formal education programmes, as well as those repeating individual subjects of their study programme pay for the cost of studies in proportion to the scope of the subject (module).

Non-formal adult education is most often financed by the participants of the study programmes or by the legal or natural stakeholders, except for the programmes commissioned by the State or municipalities, which are financed from the respective budget. Non-formal adult education programmes and target projects commissioned by the State or municipalities are financed from the budgets of the State and municipalities. Adult schools, education centres and other educational institutions may receive part of the funding earmarked for carrying out specific non-formal education target programmes.

In most cases, government agencies provide funds to non-formal adult education programmes either via special grants or via selected projects. Generally, a greater emphasis is placed on non-formal adult training to meet the needs of the labour market but non-vocational non-formal adult education is also supported.

With the use of project selection mechanisms, the Ministry of Education and Science has been giving funding for projects developed by various organisations (research and educational institutions, NGOs, etc.) in the field of non-formal education that contribute to the implementation of measures outlined in the Strategy for Ensuring Lifelong Learning in the country’s regions. The purposefulness of such projects is determined in accordance with criteria that are closely related to the context within the country. In the years to come, an increasing support for various organisations under the coordination of the Ministry of Education and Science


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in the field of non-formal vocational adult education is intended to be expanded both via direct funding and via extension of social partnership among state and municipal institutions, NGOs, businesses, etc.

The costs of examinations for assessing the qualifications or skills of a qualified worker are covered by the examinee himself/herself provided the individual has applied on his/her own initiative; by the employer provided the examinee is one of the employees he/she has sent to be examined; or by the respective territorial labour exchange office provided the examinee is an unemployed person or an individual facing redundancy who the labour exchange office has sent to be examined.

Amounts paid by companies for in-service training of their employees are not treated as employees’ earnings and no income tax of individuals is charged on them. No social contributions are charged on the amounts paid by companies for training their employees, either. In Lithuania, subsidies are applied for vocational training and retraining of people in regions where the unemployment level is higher than the country’s average.

The labour market vocational training is financed from the Employment Fund, the State budget, employers’ funds, pupils’ funds and other sources. The order of financing vocational training to unemployed persons is laid down in the Law on Supporting Employment and legal acts accompanying this Law. The private sector is involved in the financing of adult education through its contributions to the Employment Fund, financing of private education institutions and support given to vocational or continuing training of the staff.


Methodology for Calculating the Pupil's "Basket" and the Number of Notional Pupils


7.9. Financial Support for Learners

State support to adult education is rendered along the following lines:

● direct funding of educational institutions; ● financing of discrete state, municipal, individual and group educational projects and programmes; ● granting of favourable conditions for the lease of state-owned premises and of tax incentives; ● support to charity and education through the tax system; ● full or partial coverage of education-linked expenses incurred by socially deprived persons; ● support to the participants in adult education through subsidies (stipends); ● granting of free access to information and publications at state-funded libraries; ● funding of adult education needs analysis.

Participants in non-formal adult education programmes and target projects commissioned on the initiative of the State, ministries, Government agencies and county governors’ administrations can be financed in full or in part in accordance with the Procedure for Financing Non-formal Adult Education.

Training courses for the unemployed, including those persons who are willing to start their own business, also for other job seekers wishing to change their occupation or learn a new trade are commissioned by territorial labour exchanges and financed from the Employment Fund in the manner prescribed by the Law on the Support for the Unemployed.


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Non-formal education of individuals and groups of persons eligible for social support is financed by the State.

Improvement of financial support for learners is included in the Implementation Programme for the Provisions of the National Education Strategy 2003–2012 as one of the priorities. Attention will be focused on the promotion of socially fair education opportunities, development of individual assistance to learners and organisation of material, psychological and other assistance to schools. The legal acts of the Republic of Lithuania specify provision of concessions to certain categories of learners.

In accordance with the amendments to the Law on Income Tax of Individuals, from 2008, expenses incurred during the tax period by a resident of Lithuania for vocational education and training or studies (the completion of which results in attaining higher education and/or certain qualifications, including doctoral or art post-graduate study programmes) may be deducted from his/her income earned. Where payment for vocational education and training or studies is made with borrowed funds (by taking out a loan from a credit institution), the part of the loan refunded during the tax period may be deducted from income. In special cases, when the student is unable to make use of this right, it can be extended to one of the members of his/her family.

According to the amendment to the Law on Income Tax of Individuals adopted in June 2004, residents who purchased computer equipment or gained access to the internet in 2004–2009 may get a refund of one third of the payment made for the computer after completing the tax return. This tax relief creates conditions for people of various age groups to enhance their computer literacy and develop distance learning.

The Lithuanian Law on Value Added Tax (2002) specified tax exemptions on provision of certain types of education services, including pre-school and pre-primary education, education according to primary, basic and secondary education programmes, higher studies and granting of qualifications, non-formal education for children, primary and continuing vocational education and training in cases when those services were provided by legal persons with a licence acquired according to the order established by law.

The Labour Code of the Republic of Lithuania provides targeted educational leave schemes:

● employees are entitled to a paid leave to get ready for and to take entrance examinations to higher schools – three days for every examination; ● employees learning at general education schools or higher schools registered according to the established procedure are entitled to a paid leave in the following cases: to get ready for and to take examinations – three days for every examination; to get ready for and to take credit tests – two days for every credit test; to perform laboratory tests and get counselling – as many days as are scheduled in the teaching plans and syllabuses; to complete and defend the final (bachelor or master) thesis – thirty calendar days; to get ready for and to take final examinations – six days for every examination.


7.10. Main Areas of Specialisation

The main areas of adult specialisation currently available in Lithuania are as follows: formal adult general education, continuing education at colleges, universities (evening and extramural departments) and non-formal adult education.


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For information concerning formal adult general education, refer to 7.10.1.. For information concerning adult vocational education and training, refer to 7.10.2.. For information concerning non-formal adult education, refer to 7.10.3..

7.10.1. Formal Adult General Education

At the beginning of the 2009–2010 school year, the number of pupils at 33 adult education schools (including adult secondary schools, adult education centres, youth and adult schools and training centres) amounted to 11,895 learners, or about 2.6% of the total number of pupils in general education schools. The downward trend in the number of the country‘s pupils did not bypass adult education as their numbers in adult schools have been steadily declining since 2005.

The curriculum of formal adult general education is predetermined by the State-regulated level of knowledge and skills, i.e. the basic and secondary education standard. The standard is defined by the Ministry of Education and Science, the institution responsible for the implementation of adult general education policy. The standard sets down a list of compulsory and optional subjects, and the compulsory part of the programme. Adult schools implement adult primary, basic, secondary or adapted secondary education curricula. Education may be consecutive or modular, and pupils may choose correspondence, distance or independent study forms.

In 2009–2011, the General Teaching Plans for the basic and secondary education regulate the implementation of the basic and secondary curricula as well as the curriculum tailored for the needs of learners with special educational needs, adult primary education and non-formal children education programmes in educational institutions. The General Teaching Plans and other legal acts are used to draw up school teaching plans.

Consecutive education at adult schools, education centres and classes is organised according to the Procedure for Consecutive Education and differs from education provided at other general education schools only in the reduced number of weekly lessons set out in the General Teaching Plans. Adults are provided an opportunity to attend classes in the evening thus enabling them to coordinate studies with their job and/or family related commitments.

Modular studies are organised in accordance with the Procedure for Modular Studies (2007). Schools, education centres and adult classes create conditions for studying a discrete curriculum or subject modules and for covering the course over a shorter duration, for a repeated study of certain subjects or getting ready for a retake of certain examinations and also for studying elective subjects. Learners may choose a modular way to study a single subject, several or all subjects of the primary, basic or secondary curriculum. The minimum number of classes per week is 10 in the event of the modular study of the primary curriculum, and 19 in the event of the modular study of the basic or secondary curricula. The learner is provided with an opportunity to participate in developing his/her individual teaching plan. The Ministry of Education and Science regulates the general framework of discrete subjects or their modules that make up the school course of studies at every education level. The duration of the school year for modular studies and the number of hours are set out in the General Teaching Plans. Persons choosing modular studies and wishing to study certain subjects repeatedly or those who have not completed the secondary education curriculum and seek to make up for what they missed or those who study elected subjects are charged a tuition fee of one MSL (minimum subsistence level) for every school year of modular studies irrespective of the scope of the education curriculum and the number of subjects chosen.

Extramural (correspondence) studies are organised in accordance with the Procedure for Extramural Studies (2007, amended in 2010). Studies are provided by way of consultations and credit tests. By and large, pupils


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study on their own, with consultations being provided to them either individually or as a group. The knowledge thus gained by students is assessed through credit tests. The number of consultations and credit tests is indicated in the General Teaching Plans. Part of consultations to extramural or independent learners may be provided at a distance with interaction between learners and teachers being enabled through the use of information communications technology. Distance learning consultations are provided through the use of online learning environments, e-mail and internet telephony applications. At the request of persons with disabilities, all guidance and counseling accorded to them in the course of extramural studies may be provided via distance consultations. Correspondence pupils following the secondary curriculum are given up to 8 weekly lessons over two school years for individual consultations in the curriculum-related subjects. For group consultations, correspondence pupils are given up to 11 lessons per week. Pupils studying by correspondence take credit tests in all subjects included in their individual education plans. Pupils studying subjects of the secondary curriculum take credits in all subjects included in their individual education plan. The number of credits is set for a period of two school years and depends on the number of lessons allocated for the study of the subject concerned, but there can be no less than two credit tests during the school year. If students learn the subject matter under an extended programme course, there can be no less than eight credit tests over two school years.

Independent adult studies are organised in accordance with the upgraded Procedure for Independent Studies (2007). A person is free to choose any education programme or subject he/she wants to study, the frequency of accounting for them and consultations. Learners who have independently completed secondary education and wish to study certain subjects repeatedly and those who have not completed the secondary education curriculum and seek to make up for what they missed are charged a tuition fee of one MSL (minimum subsistence level) for every school year of independent studies irrespective of the number of consultations or the scope of the education curriculum. Learners are provided a possibility to get half of all consultations during their independent studies through the distance learning channels. In that way, learners are provided with opportunities to complete the course and take examinations in subjects that were not included in their previous education programmes, such as information and communications technology and foreign languages, and also to study at home because of illness or other reasons.

Flexible forms of learning create favourable conditions for adult learners to choose the suitable time for learning and the necessary scope of the curriculum, individually contribute to planning their education and develop the right attitude to lifelong learning.

The learning process for adult learners following the primary, basic and secondary curricula begins on 1 September and lasts for 35 weeks for pupils of grades 1–11 and 34 weeks for pupils of grade 12. In adult schools, training centres and mainstream general education schools with adult classes, classes may be gathered several times during the school year.

For adults who do not know the official language but want to continue learning in Lithuanian general education schools, education is organised in accordance with the procedure for the teaching of foreigners and citizens of the Republic of Lithuania who came or returned to live and work in the Republic of Lithuania in leveling classes and leveling mobile groups for children or adults (2005).

In adult schools, training centres and adult classes of mainstream general education schools, non-formal education hours may be allocated to selected programmes of self-expression, including the development of pupils’ artistic, linguistic, sporting, scientific, technological, social, communications technology and other skills, health education, consultation and non-formal education.

18 year-old and older pupils of adult schools, training centres and schools of general education classes for adult students following the primary and basic education curricula may be exempt from studying the arts


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and physical education subjects. Learners following the first part of the basic education curriculum (grades 5–8) may not study the subject of technologies. Instead of technological subjects specified in the General Curriculum Framework for learners following the second part of the basic education curriculum (grades 9–10), schools may allow their pupils to choose from other technology modules that meet the needs of the learners as well as integrated technology modules or the like subjects.

18 year-old and older pupils following the secondary education curriculum may reject physical training. In this case, the minimum number of subjects entered in the Matura Certificate is reduced to 8. In grade 11, learners choose one subject from the arts, technologies or integrated arts and technologies. In grade 11, learners choose the compulsory foreign language on their own.

Adult schools, training centres and adult classes of mainstream general education schools may include vocational training modules in the secondary education curriculum. Pupils study part of the secondary education curriculum individually. The number of hours allocated to general and advanced courses of subjects included in the adult secondary education curriculum is comparable to the number of hours allocated to general and advanced courses of subjects included in the secondary education curriculum, as set out in the Description of the Secondary Education Curriculum. In line with the recommendations of the Ministry of Education and Science, pupils’ vocational guidance is carried out using the funds allocated for that purpose in the pupil’s basket.

Schools and education centres with the necessary material facilities and vocational education programmes recorded with the Register of Studies and Training Programmes, may provide vocational education and create conditions for pupils to acquire a vocational qualification.

In the framework of formal adult education, schools do their best to adapt to the needs of learners in terms of forms of study and the scheduling of classes. The form of teaching is established on a mutual agreement between the learners and the schools. Learners can change their forms of study depending on their needs and possibilities.



Procedure for Extramural Studies



7.10.2. Adult Vocational Education and Training

Formal adult vocational education and training programmes are recorded in the Register of Studies and Training Programmes. Providers of information for the Register are higher and vocational schools, the Lithuanian Labour Market Training Authority at the Ministry of Social Security and Labour and the Ministry of Education and Science. In 2010, 1,122 vocational study programmes were recorded in the Register of Studies and Training Programmes, out of which 554 were designed for acquisition of adult qualifications. In, Another 28 vocational training programmes were recorded for acquisition of additional qualifications.

In the Register of Studies and Training Programmes, those who want to study may find information about the mode, duration and scope of studies, education level to be obtained, qualification degree, vocational


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qualification or a work permit to be granted to perform a certain type of work and also the name and code of the vocational training standard or regulation of the study field/area.

The training at vocational training centres is oriented towards the first two levels of vocational education. Level 1 vocational education and training comprises training leading to a first level qualification in a simple occupation and also training in the areas of engineering and technology that are regulated by bylaws of individual ministries and agencies. Level 2 vocational education and training is based on the labour market vocational training programmes and leads to a second level vocational qualification. The duration of training for persons with completed general education is at least three months.

The labour market vocational training system offers both formal and non-formal training programmes designed for acquisition of qualifications, retraining and improvement of qualifications. The formal labour market vocational training programmes leading to the first level qualifications last 412 weeks. Upon successful completion of the training course, the trainee is granted a right to perform the work according to the profession acquired.

The labour market vocational training programmes leading to the second level qualifications last 1243 weeks. Certificates issued upon successful completion of training courses according to the second level programmes testify to the acquisition of relating professional qualifications. All formal labour market vocational education and training programmes are entered into the Register of Studies and Training Programmes.

Non-formal labour market vocational training programmes lead to acquisition of certain competences to carry out discrete types of work or help to develop or upgrade the qualifications obtained earlier. Information about non-formal training programmes is accumulated in the dossier of non-formal training programmes.

In order to expand the opportunities for training and integration into the labour market, arrangements are made to provide all types of programmes, including those adapted for the needs of specific groups of learners, i.e. persons who have been unemployed for a long-term, handicapped people, Roma people (gypsies), and also distance learning and modular programmes and discrete training modules.




7.10.3. Non-Formal Adult Education

Non-formal adult education programmes are designed and implemented by educational institutions and other legal persons and individuals in accordance with the Law on Non-formal Adult Education and the Procedure for Acquiring the Right to Provide Non-Formal Adult Education. New non-formal education programmes developed at the request of employers may be used for non-formal vocational education and training. Those programmes are registered by territorial labour market training services and information about them is provided to the Lithuanian Labour Market Training Authority.

Providers of non-formal adult education must ensure the quality of the education programmes, they must develop, upgrade and implement programmes taking into account the requirements of the participants, founders and sponsors of non-formal adult education.


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Ministries, other institutions of the Government, county governors’ administrations and municipalities commission and finance non-formal adult education programmes and targeted projects. They can also support non-formal adult education programmes of other institutions and organisations taking into account their quality and importance.

Surveys conducted during the recent years show a great need for non-formal non-vocational adult education. Programmes designed for in-service training, foreign language teaching, development of computer and legal literacy and also entrepreneurship skills have gained a particular popularity. The supply of non-formal adult education programmes is steadily increasing.

Essential improvement in the accessibility, scope and quality of non-formal adult education was driven forward by the assistance from the European Social Fund that came to be widely used for the purpose starting from 2005. In 2008, in cooperation with the Lithuanian Centre for Adult Education and Information and Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, the Ministry of Education and Science completed the project entitled ‘Development of Adult Educational Institutions for the Provision of Modern Competences in the Regions’. In the course of the project, approximately 100 andragogues and 800 adult learners in adult education centres of ten regions in Lithuania participated in innovative training and acquired the relevant competences in English, entrepreneurship, computer and legal literacy, andragogue’s profession and management.

The forms of professional development, qualifications upgrading and retraining are predetermined by a number of factors, including the constant improvement of qualifications promoted and organised by the management in-service training of the staff in compliance with the interests of the state and the needs of institutions, organisations and private initiative and also retraining. The choice of educational institutions depends on the aims and forms of learning. Permanent professional development is promoted through seminars, courses, self-education, etc. The Ministry of Social Security and Labour organises vocational training for low-skilled employees with no formal qualifications awarded.

The content and programmes of non-formal education are determined by educational institutions, which have to take into consideration the requests of their founders and trainees. The content of education is only limited by legislation in force. The State may commission State education programmes for non-formal education bodies. Non-formal education programmes are not directly linked to programmes set out in the general education standard or the State Register of Occupations. The content of education and the programmes are tailored to meet the needs of the individual, community and society at large.

Non-formal education may take the forms of organised purposive self-education, day, evening, continued, short-term courses, seminars, lectures, extramural (distance) education and educational programmes conveyed through the mass media.

The Strategy for Ensuring Lifelong Learning, stresses the fact that the situation of the recent years calls for a stronger focus on one of the important areas of adult education, which is non-formal non-vocational adult education. The latter plays a significant role not only in promoting employment and achieving economic wellbeing but also in developing social cohesion, active citizenship and a personal sense of wellbeing in individuals.




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7.10.4. Foreign Language Teaching to Adults

At adult schools, adult education centres and adult classes of general education schools, pupils must study two foreign languages. Depending on the level of the pupils’ knowledge and the decision of the school’s administration, the time allocated to the teaching of foreign languages may vary from 2 to 4 hours per week. 5.13.1., 5.13.2..

At vocational schools, pupils must study at least one foreign language up to grade 10. Those continuing secondary education according to the technological profile continue studying the foreign language in grades 11 and 12. English remains the most popular foreign language, with German following after it but the choice of French is significantly reducing.

Adults’ interest in foreign languages and their wish to learn them is steadily growing. Most attention is attracted by the teaching of English, although the offer of foreign languages for studies at school or outside it (at language study centres, foreign language institutes, etc.) is much more varied.

The Lithuanian Government agencies have been interested in promotion of adult education in the field of foreign language teaching for a long time now. So far, however, these efforts have been restricted by the lack of the necessary financial resources. Starting with 2004–2005, new opportunities related to the growing contribution of the EU Structural Funds to the teaching of foreign languages emerged. Across Lithuania, several hundreds of projects directly connected with the teaching and learning of foreign languages (mostly English) were developed. Judging by data provided by business entities and public organisations, currently the greatest demand is for employees’ general competences, including – in addition to computer literacy and management skills – a good command of foreign languages.

Given a significant growth in financing and a comparatively high motivation for learning foreign languages, the level of fluency in Western European languages is likely to increase.

In Lithuania, immigrants are entitled to education in Lithuanian, the official language of the State, and a possibility of learning it. The teaching of Lithuanian is organised with regard to peculiarities of different age groups. Programmes for teaching Lithuanian to adult learners are oriented to the needs of their future employment.

Adult foreigners who have been granted refuge in Lithuania are given a course of the official state language according to the requirements leading to the first category of command of the language. People wishing to acquire a better command of the language are offered courses of Lithuanian according to the requirements leading to the second category of command of the official state language. Those who have already acquired a relative command of the language are given an introductory course on Lithuanian society.

After being granted the refugee status, adult foreigners who have passed exams in the official state language leading to the first and second category of achievement in Lithuanian are entitled to get enrolled, in the manner established by the legal acts of the Republic of Lithuania, in adult general education or higher schools.


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The first category of achievement in the state language corresponds to the midway level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The second category of achievement in the state language corresponds to the competence descriptors of the CEFR threshold level.


7.11. Teaching Methods

The adult education system applies new learning methods that facilitate the acquisition of new knowledge, abilities and skills, formation of values and development of competences and enhance the chances of an individual to adapt to the rapidly changing working environment and social relations.

Instructors working in adult schools and adult education centres develop individual teaching programmes or select them from the existing ones and choose textbooks from among those that have been approved. In line with the needs of discrete groups taught, teachers are free to choose teaching methods and forms adapted to adults. The teaching methods are selected with regard to the mode of learning chosen by pupils: consecutive or modular. Teachers assist in choosing various methods of independent studies by those learners who study by correspondence.

Major methods used when working with adults are essentially the same both in formal and non-formal adult education and training and are based on andragogic principles. Those methods should assist in making learners aware of the experience they have, relate it to the new material taught, plan the expected positive outcomes of teaching, encourage learners to feel responsible for their learning activities, assist them in the practical application of the knowledge gained and unfold adults’ internal motivation for improvement. Therefore, active methods of teaching and learning are recommended.

Interactive teaching methods, such as group work, brainstorming, case studies, may be used for introducing new material. Traditional teaching methods, such as lecturing, explanation (quite often with the help of computer technologies), are also used.

Consolidation of the material taught is achieved through group discussions, group studies, role play, case analysis and discussion, group revision of the material and other interactive methods, such as shared drawing of pictures to sum up the subject discussed and in-depth discussion of a specific aspect of the problem.

Tests, individual tasks and individual or group development of projects help teachers in checking how well the material was acquired. Presentation of projects to other members of the group promote exchange of experience, improve discussion skills, critical thinking and develop learners’ general competences.

As everywhere else in Europe, continuing in-service vocational training (in particular, its interactive or targeted forms) and modular training are gaining ground in Lithuania. At labour market education centres, a wide use is made of such methods as theoretical and practical teaching, laboratory work, distance learning that is gaining popularity and external studies.

Application of information communications technology in education allows to formulate new educational goals, objectives and activities and also communicate and collaborate, create social networks and cooperation groups.


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Recently, new opportunities have opened up for adults to engage in self-education and studies with the help of the internet, which is becoming more readily available not only in urban but also rural areas thanks to the implementation of the project ‘Libraries for Progress’. This project is intended for strengthening the capacities of public libraries and helping the Lithuanian population (particularly in rural areas, and also social risk groups) make a much better use of information technologies when working with information, or simply communicating.

In order to attract more adult and older people to libraries, special workshops and campaigns are organised to present e-services that can be easily applied in people’s daily life, such as electronic declaration, electronic banking, job search, distance learning, health care, etc. People who do not know how to use computers are taught computer literacy and internet basics in libraries.

The project will help many people who until now were unable to make use of information technologies for extracting and providing information and for communication and who could not use all that in their work and daily life. This is especially important for people living in rural areas who want to improve their education, increase the effectiveness of their working life, develop social interaction and make a better use of various services. This will significantly contribute to the integration of individuals from social risk groups and people with disabilities into the life of society.

7.12. Trainers

The Strategy for Ensuring Lifelong Learning includes a task to create favourable conditions for educational staff to acquire minimal pedagogic competence necessary for work with adults. The recent years have seen a growth in the number of teachers who have been granted the qualifications or have acquired the competences of adult teachers (andragogues). Courses on adult education as an academic discipline are offered at several Lithuanian universities at graduate and/or post-graduate levels and lead to corresponding academic degrees. Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas provides educology (andragogic) studies leading to Bachelor‘s degree and andragogic studies leading to Master‘s degree. Klaipėda University implements andragogic studies in educology leading to Bachelor‘s degree. Vilnius Pedagogical University offers a course of Master studies in educology (a branch of andragogic studies).

Adult education centres and schools apply the same qualification requirements (professional development, attestation, etc.) to teachers of general education subjects as those applied to teachers working in general education schools. See 8..

Teachers can choose non-formal professional qualification development programmes that are provided by the above mentioned universities or regional centres for the development of teachers’ qualifications. In addition, seminars on the professional development of andragogic skills designed for the teachers working in various regions of the country are organised by the country’s universities and non-government organisations.

The Lithuanian Association of the Heads of Adult Education Centres offers various qualification development seminars for managers and andragogues. At these seminars, different ways of how to use various teaching methods, improve programmes and perform self-assessment of the relating professional skills are analysed.

Certain projects currently underway at the Education Development Centre (EDC) are related to the teaching of the state language to adult learners. The teaching content includes the content and methods of teaching Lithuanian (the state language) as a second language to adult learners and also language teaching and/or learning in a multicultural environment. At the training courses, focus is placed on the social, cultural,


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integration-related and professional needs of the participants who are also introduced to the theory and practice of how to test adult learners’ command of Lithuanian (the state language) as a second language. Participants of the courses include teachers of adult education centres and centres for teaching Lithuanian (the state language) as a second language, pedagogues of education institutions with the language of instruction other than Lithuanian, heads of vocational and secondary schools and colleges, specialists teaching various subjects, employees of adult and teacher education centres, municipalities, educational and cultural institutions, other persons learning Lithuanian independently and partners in activities.

The Lithuanian Adult Education Association (LAEA) has developed a special programme for the training of teachers for adult education (andragogues). The programme is intended for teachers working with adult learners in vocational schools, adult education centres, labour market training centres and other institutions of adult education.

In 2008, LAEA completed implementation of the project ‘Development and Implementation of the Continuing Qualification Model for Andragogues-Practicians’ financed from the European Social Fund. As a result, 200 andragogues–practicians were trained.

In 2008, in cooperation with the partners from LAEA and the former Teacher Professional Development Centre (at present, the Education Development Centre), the Ministry of Education and Science completed implementation of the project ‘Development of Adult Education Opportunities: Portfolio of Andragogic Literature’. In the series ‘Adult Education’, 18 titles with a total run of 31 thousand copies were published. The publications were sent to various types of educational institutions providing continuing adult education services and to libraries. The literature is available to andragogues–practicians, students and teachers of higher schools and other teachers and learners.

Information about various in-service training courses and programmes intended for adult educators is available at regional teachers’ and adult education centres and also at the Lithuanian Centre for Adult Education and Information.

Vocational teachers of vocational training centres and courses (offering level 1 and 2 vocational education programmes), to be eligible for the above position, must have: 1) a specialist qualification corresponding to the vocational training programme offered that was acquired at an advanced VET school or a higher education establishment; 2) at least three years’ practical experience in the field of activity corresponding to the programme offered; 3) a vocational qualification and an adult learning-oriented educational qualification.

In Lithuania, there are over 400 people providing and ensuring the quality of the Lithuanian labour market teaching and counselling services across the country. They include vocational training specialists of management and psychological guidance, professional psychologists, teachers of vocational training and experts. The Lithuanian Labour Market Training Authority attests and trains teachers of vocational training, organises in-service training courses for heads and consultants of education centres and territorial offices, organises contests designed for upgrading of professional skills of teachers working at education centres and also offers seminars promoting the application of new working methods and forms, etc.





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7.13. Learner Assessment/Progression

Assessment of academic achievements of learners involved in formal education programmes (except for higher education) and application of assessment results is based on the respective regulations approved by the Minister of Education and Science and the Concept of Assessment of Learners’ Progress and Achievements approved by the Minister in 2004. 5.15.

The new concept of assessment was created with regard to the current trends in education development. One of the most important trends is transition from subject-related knowledge to the development of learner’s competence enabling the person to engage in meaningful activities and lifelong learning.

The progress of pupils in adult general education schools is measured by means of a 10-point system and credit tests. Accomplishment of each module of a programme or subject is assessed by way of marks or credit tests. Assessment of learners’ knowledge and academic achievements is based on the updated concept of assessment. Learners who have chosen the form of consecutive education study the same subjects as in other general education schools and take Matura examinations in the subjects chosen.

Adult schools provide opportunities for pupils to study in a modular way and by correspondence. Each module of the basic or secondary school course of studies is completed in a school level exam or a certain procedure for assessment of the knowledge gained. Exams are not compulsory to those learners who do not seek formal education.

A register is used to log group and individual consultations and also credit tests of an extramural class. Next to the assessment (in grades) of the subjects that pupils may study according to the appropriate level of the study programme chosen, the course is also indicated. The process of checking up the assessment of basic education academic achievements in general education schools as well as organisation and performance of Matura examinations is conducted by the National Examination Centre.

The knowledge and practical skills of vocational school learners are assessed within a 10-point system. In cases where a credit test does not call for a differentiated evaluation, assessment is made on a ‘pass’ or ‘fail’ basis. Practical assignments are assessed and recorded as ‘accomplished’ or ‘unaccomplished’ in the register. Students’ achievements in theoretical subjects are measured by way of a final differentiated credit test or an examination, as defined in the teaching plans.




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7.14. Certification

Certificates attesting to learning achievements in adult general education schools are issued according to the Procedure for Awarding Matura Attestations (2008).

The certificate of primary education is issued to a person who has completed the programme of adult primary education, while the certificate of basic education is issued to a person who has completed the programme of adult basic education.

The Matura Attestation is issued to a person who has completed the adult secondary education programme and has passed the Matura examinations. The Matura Attestation is issued by State-run, municipal, private general education and vocational schools. In the event that a person is already a holder of Matura Attestation or a Diploma testifying to the completion of a vocational school, he/she is granted a special Matura Attestation Supplement once he/she has further upgraded his/her knowledge in the subject and passed the corresponding Matura Examinations. Learners who completed a module of a subject or curriculum and a discrete curriculum or persons who have Matura Attestations are issued a document of a definite form in an order established by the Minister of Education and Science.

Learners who have not completed the adult basic curriculum receive a certificate attesting to their learning achievements. The certificate is issued by State-run, municipal, private general education and vocational schools. Marks to assess the progress and learning achievements of current learners or those who either pass from modular to consecutive learning or leave the school (centre) are recorded in their progress reports.

The manner of awarding adult vocational qualifications varies depending on the level of a vocational qualification awarded. The nationally recognised vocational qualification certificates include a qualification certificate and a Diplomas of a qualified worker. The content, form and procedure for issuing such certificates are determined by: 1) the Ministry of Education and Science for vocational training and 2) the Ministry of Social Security and Labour for labour market vocational training.

Initial vocational training is intended for gaining the first qualification. It is usually provided to those who have basic or secondary education, as well as those who studied according to special education curricula. Students can choose a training curriculum which would not only give them a chance to acquire professional qualifications, but also obtain basic or secondary education. In this case, after gaining the evaluation of the qualification obtained and (or) passing examinations, students obtain the initial professional qualifications and (or) basic/secondary education.

Continuing vocational training is provided for those who have the first qualification. Continuing vocational training is undertaken by those learners who wish to improve their existing qualification or acquire another one. Continuing vocational training includes both formal training (learning) and non-formal adult education. Qualification is gained on completion of the vocational training curriculum and (or) the passing of qualification examinations.

Level 1 labour market vocational training programmes lead to an initial qualification in a simple vocation. On completion of such a programme, a person is awarded a level 1 qualification certificate.

Persons who acquire a qualification (primary or as a result of retraining) by following a level 2 vocational education and training programme are issued a state-recognised certificate of qualification.


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A person who wishes to obtain a qualification certificate or a Diplomas of a qualified worker has a right to take external examinations and obtain the qualification provided he/she has at least one year’s work experience and is at least 18 years of age.

Upon completion of the labour market vocational training programmes included in the Register of Studies and Training Programmes learners are awarded a nationally recognised certificate attesting to a qualification obtained or ability to perform a certain type of work. Persons who completed programmes or modules of non-formal training receive a certificate of non-formal training attesting to the completion of the programme or module.

After passing the necessary examinations at the institutions of formal education, learning and studies, learners engaged in non-formal education have a right to obtain assessment of the knowledge obtained in the system of non-formal adult education and be awarded a State-recognised certification of their education, a discrete stage thereof or a certain part of the approved programme (module).

Persons who have successfully completed non-formal vocational training are awarded standard certificates issued by the Lithuanian Labour Market Training Authority testifying to the completion of a module or upgrading of a qualification. Persons who have not accomplished practical tasks defined in the programme or have not accounted for the theoretical part of the programme are issued a special kind of certificate attesting to their learning achievements. A certificate testifying to the completion of non-formal education serves as a basis for employees to recognise the professional competence of the holder of the respective certificate.



Procedure for Awarding Certificates and Matura Attestations

7.15. Education/Employment Links

Annually, approximately 25 thousand people complete study courses at the labour market education centres. Nearly half of them are unemployed persons who have been sent there by the local labour exchange offices. Every seventh applicant comes on his/her own initiative and one in four is sent by his/her employer. Specialists of the Lithuanian Labour Market Training Authority and territorial labour exchange offices provide applicants with access to a wide range of information on career-related matters, including the necessary information about vocational education and training, the choice of profession, the needs of the labour market and employment opportunities and also deliver advice and guidance on issues related to the choice of profession, job search, etc.

In the first quarter of 2010, through the combination of supply and demand for labour, labour exchange specialists helped to find jobs to 31.0 thousand job seekers, which is 48.2% more than last year (20.9 thousand). About 76% of those who were employed got a permanent job. Every fifth or sixth employee is a young person under 25 years of age. The part of unemployed people over 50 years of age who were employed comprised 14.8 percent. The number of women who got jobs is smaller than that of men (women account for 46% of the total employment). One out of ten persons employed was a long-term unemployed person (10.6% of the total employment). The number of unemployed persons who started operating under a business license in the first quarter amounted to 5.5 thousand, or 6.1% of the total number of registered unemployed persons.


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Seeking to achieve the effectiveness of the labour market vocational education and training, the main indicators of the labour market and changes in the workforce supply and demand are analysed and both surveys and research on the efficiency of education and counseling services assessment are conducted. For the purpose, the Ministry of Education and Science works in partnership with the Institute of Labour and Social Research, the Department of Statistics and the Lithuanian Labour Exchange. According to the results of respondents interviewed, labour market vocational training helped in finding employment to nearly 80% of people, out of whom 83% got employed according to the speciality obtained. Research showed that most of the people who made use of the careers advice and guidance assessed it as highly positive (78 of respondents) as the services not only helped them understand the labour market needs but also perceive their own wishes and possibilities. As a rule, for people who make use of consulting services the chances of getting employed faster are much greater than for those who do not seek the benefit of such consultations delivered free of charge.

The Lithuanian Labour Market Training Authority pays much attention to people who have stayed unemployed for a long time, also to people with special educational needs and handicapped people focusing on their psychological rehabilitation, vocational training and integration in the labour market. The Prisons Department is currently implementing two projects financed from the EU Structural Funds: ‘The Elect’ and ‘Preparation of Convicts to Self-supporting Life by Strengthening their Motivation to Get Integrated into Society and the Labour Market’. Convicts are taught the basics of computer literacy, communication skills, psychology and business. An important feature of these projects is the development of on-line databases that are accessible to every potential employee.

The Lithuanian Centre for Adult Education and Information is an institution of education assistance that helps adult learners in matters related to continuing education. The Centre organises the storage of information about providers of adult education services and programmes and makes this information available to the general public. It examines and analyses the state and needs of adult education in the country, plans and runs projects related to the development of adult education opportunities, participates in the process of drafting legal acts regulating the lifelong learning system, prepares methodological, teaching and learning materials and organises their publication.

The Lithuanian Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education is significant to continuing education of adult education as it performs the task of assessing study programmes for the purposes of their registration and accreditation and disseminates information about the quality of R&D and pedagogical activities and the practice of ensuring it. Adults continuing their studies according to higher education programmes can obtain information about the quality of the studies concerned. The activities of this Centre promote creation of conditions for free movement of persons: adults intending to study are enabled to choose study programmes more effectively and those who have acquired qualifications abroad can have them recognised in Lithuania and find a job according to the qualifications acquired.

The Council of Non-Formal Adult Education and the Council of Vocational Training are two other institutions operating under the auspices of the Ministry of Education and Science. In 2007, a Commission of Adult Education Experts was set up. It is designed for discussion of strategic and tactical issues of adult education and continuing training, organisation of the process of this type of education and other adult education-related issues.

The Ministry of Social Security and Labour is the main institution dealing with employment policy issues at the national level. The institutions under its subordination in the area of continuing adult education are the Lithuanian Labour Exchange and the Lithuanian Labour Market Training Authority. The Lithuanian Labour Exchange, with its 46 local labour exchange offices across Lithuania, implements measures in support of state employment, helps job seekers in finding jobs, provides employers with the necessary skilled labour


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force, involves registered job seekers into population employment programmes and pays them unemployment benefits. Tripartite commissions functioning on a voluntary basis are set up at the labour exchange offices. The commissions consist of representatives of trade unions, employers and public authorities who regularly consider issues concerning the population employment at the regional and national level.

The Council of Experts operating within the framework of the Lithuanian Labour Market Training Authority is a tripartite counseling and controlling institution set up in 1996. The main goal of the Council is to provide assistance in developing the Lithuanian labour market vocational training and guidance system, improve its functioning and interaction with the labour market partners and promote application of professionally high quality and socially expedient working methods.

The Lithuanian Labour Market Training Authority (LLMTA), in cooperation with its partners, is currently engaged in the European Social Fund (ESF) supported project ‘Development of Measures to Reduce Social Exclusion within the LLMTA System’. Its goal is to increase the opportunities for disabled people, women returning to the labour market after a long break and also older women and men to integrate into the labour market and improve the quality of professional services provided by LLMTA specialists.









In private schools, formal adult education programmes are implemented in a manner established by the Ministry of Education and Science.

The most significant private adult educational institution is the Lithuanian Association of Adult Education. It is a non-government not-for-profit independent association of individuals and organisations of various types having the status of a legal entity.

The dynamic character of the evolvement of Lithuanian adult education institutions is demonstrated by the newly established or re-oriented institutions of adult education (private information and communications technology or foreign language courses). The private sector is engaged in financing of adult education through its contributions to the Employment Fund, provision of funds to private educational institutions and support to vocational and continuing education and training of workers.


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The labour market vocational training programmes may also be offered by private companies, organisations and educational institutions licensed by the Ministry of Education and Science to provide such services.

Due to the liberal model applied in the country with regard to provision of non-formal education services, there is a large supply and variety of those programmes.


7.17. Statistics

Number of adults who acquired education in adult schools

Education level 2007 2008 2009 Basic 812 753 765

Secondary 3,472 2,796 2,636

Number of adults in general education (adult) schools

2004-2005 2005-2006 2006-2007 2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 Number of schools 29 30 30 31 32 33

Number of students 17,822 13,361 12,393 11,931 11,838 11,895

Number of learners following the adult general education curriculum

2008–2009 2009–2010

Basic education 3,935 4,334

Secondary education 11,304 10,688

College and university students (%) by mode of studies (at the beginning of the academic year)

2006-2007 2007–2008 2008–2009 Colleges

Evening courses 4.3 4.9 4.7

Extramural courses 48 50.7 53

Universities

Evening courses 6.6 6.4 6.2

Of which females (%) 50.5 49.8 49.2

Extramural courses 34.3 34.4 36.3

Of which females (%) 67.1 66.7 65.1


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Distance learning in Lithuanian higher schools

2005–2006

2006–2007

2008–2009

2005–2006

2006–2007

2008–2009

Number of schools with distance learning centres (classes)

7 9 9 8 10 12

Students who studied full programmes 158 508 1,443 697 2,604 738

Students who studied certain modules of the programmes 1,442 2,115 8,199 37,097 18,663 24,335

Courses for teachers 10 36 202 742 917 527

Courses for the general public 18 10 10 2,622 7,225 2,534

Qualification improvement and retraining courses at schools

2005–2006 2006–2007 2007–2008 Number of participants

Vocational schools 13,849 14,289 12,666

Colleges 18,277 6,490 13,425

Universities 34,181 44,840 38,383

Total 66,307 68,619 64,474

Number of those who completed the courses (percentage)

Vocational schools 13,000 93.9 13,327 93.3 13,343 105.3

Colleges 17,625 96.4 9,005 138.8 12,867 ..95.8

Universities 33,945 99.3 44,131 98.4 37,315 ..96.1

Total 64,570 97.4 66,463 96.9 63,525 ..98.5

Level of lifelong learning among residents in the age group 25–64 years (%)

2007 2008 2009

Total 5.3 4.9 4.5

In urban areas 6.4 5.6 5.5

In rural areas 2.6 3.4 2.3

Males 3.6 3.7 3.6

Females 6.8 6.1 5.4

Participation of population in all forms of education in 2006-2007

Total Females (%) Urban areas Rural areas

Total population aged 25-64, thous. 1,795.1 52.5 1,248.5 546.6

Studied 987.1 55.4 757.7 229.4

Did not study 808 49 490.8 317.2

Studied, compared to, total population aged 25-64, % 55 58.1 60.7 42

Entities operating in Lithuania that are mainly engaged in provision of non-formal adult education

2008 2008 2010 Public and private 699 1,097 1,145

Public 142 155 148

Private 557 942 997


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Sources: Statistics Lithuania; AIKOS [Open Information Counseling and Guidance System], EMIS [Education Management Information System]



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8. Teachers and Education Staff

The system of training of teachers and education staff is aimed at preparing, for the needs of the educational system, teachers and educational staff with an education and professional qualifications necessary to meet the challenges of today and at creating conditions for their development and, if necessary, retraining.

The teacher training process includes initial training, in-service training and retraining of teachers.

8.1. Initial Training of Teachers

The following categories of teachers are trained for the education system: teachers for pre-school education, teachers for primary, basic and secondary education, teachers for non-formal children education, specialists of vocational subjects, social teachers, special educational needs teachers, andragogues and education management specialists.

As set out in the Teacher Training Conception, the objective of teacher training is to create conditions for a person to acquire professional competence necessary for successful work at school in developing an individual who would place a high value on humanism, democracy, contemporary national identity and continuous renewal and building up of pupils’ competence necessary for members of modern society.

8.1.1. Historical Overview

In the period from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, the majority of teachers in Lithuania were clergymen. The secular teaching profession emerged at the end of the eighteenth century. In 1773, the education reform of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was initiated and a special institution – the Education Commission – was established for that purpose. One of its first documents deals with the necessity to raise the level of teachers’ professional competence and the prestige of their profession. In 1775, the Education Commission founded the first teacher training seminary in Vilnius. In the nineteenth century, after the tsarist prohibition was imposed on Lithuanian printing and schools, education in the Lithuanian language was carried on at clandestine schools. Their teachers, the so-called ’daraktoriai‘, usually had only primary education or had completed just a few grades of the gymnasium. 1905 saw the foundation of the Lithuanian Teachers’ Union which was in charge of teaching and education. In 1907, the Saulė Society initiated teacher training courses in Kaunas.

In the pre-war Lithuania, there were two categories of primary teachers: 1) graduates of teachers’ seminaries, those who completed four grades of the gymnasium or had an equivalent education and 2) teacher assistants with no less than primary education. Teachers were trained in teacher training courses and teacher seminaries. Teachers for the gymnasium were trained at Kaunas University. Teacher seminaries provided training for primary and secondary school teachers. In 1925, there were 10 (5 public and 5 private) teacher seminaries. In 1939, the Law on Teacher Seminaries was adopted. The Law specified that upon successful completion of the final examinations, graduates received a school leaving certificate and were granted a qualification of trainee teachers for primary schools. After two years of practice in primary schools, trainee teachers were entitled to become regular teachers of primary schools provided they successfully passed exams set by the Minister of Education. Following the occupation of Lithuania in 1940, those provisions became invalid but advanced vocational schools of the type – teacher seminaries – continued to operate for a definite period of time. Nine seminaries survived until 1949 when they were renamed ’pedagogical schools‘. Those schools trained pre-school teachers, music directors and primary school teachers. Admission


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was subject to completion of an eight-year junior secondary or upper secondary school. Training lasted 3 to 4 years or 2 to 3 years, respectively.

In 1935, a teacher training institute was established in Klaipėda to train primary schoolteachers. The Teachers’ Union was active from 1908 to 1940. The Teachers’ In-service Training Institute was founded in 1940.

In 1950, the National Pedagogical Office that operated during the post-war years was reorganised into the National Teachers’ In-service Training Institute. In 1990, after regaining of independence, the Institute was reorganised into the Lithuanian Teachers’ In-service Training Institute. In 1999, as part of the effort to decentralise qualifications development, the Institute was restructured into the Teachers’ Professional Development Centre (TPDC).

Under the Soviet regime, from 1944 to 1963, teachers were trained at higher and college-type educational institutions – teacher training institutes; teachers attended various in-service courses. There were a number of teacher community centres and clubs. The best achievers in the teaching profession were awarded the honorary title of the Distinguished Teacher of the LSSR or the honorary title of the People’s Teacher of the USSR or the People’s Teacher of the LSSR.

In the later years of the Soviet regime, teachers were trained at pedagogical (teacher training) institutes and pedagogical schools.

The education reform initiated in 1989, the new Law on Education adopted in 1992, the Concept of Education in Lithuania approved in 1992 and followed by new documents on curricula (General Curriculum Framework and Education Standards) as well as other legal acts laid down new requirements for teachers and established the basis for the teacher training reform. New teacher training structures – Bachelor, Master and Doctoral studies – were developed, the teaching plans and programmes were adjusted and advanced vocational schools of the educational profile were reorganised. Also, documents necessary for the evaluation of teachers (i.e. performance review or teacher appraisal) were prepared and their qualification categories legitimised.

The teacher training reform was facilitated by changes in the system of Lithuanian education as well as other internal and external factors. The changing social and cultural life, development of an information society, the process of globalisation and the country’s integration into the European and North Atlantic structures posed new challenges to Lithuanian education. Currently, the culture of teaching and learning is rapidly changing as new learning environments emerge and lifelong learning becomes the key paradigm of education.

In order to achieve the major goals of education development, the Provisions of the National Education Strategy 2003–2012 envisaged measures for education quality assurance aimed at upgrading of the initial teacher training and teachers’ performance. Those measures include the following: continuous assessment of the efficiency of the teacher training and professional development systems and also international expertise of study programmes; development of an integrated initial and in-service teacher training system focused on the changing role of teachers in the knowledge society and the new competencies and values that are necessary for a contemporary teacher; development of the teacher training standards and requirements for study plans and also provision of adequate financing for programmes aimed at initial teacher training, development of professional qualifications and acquisition of new qualifications in line with the needs of the education reform. 8.2.10.


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It was necessary to update the teacher training standards and in-service training opportunities bringing them into alignment with the present-day education goals and objectives, to train teachers for work with pupils of different abilities and needs in conditions of the knowledge society and also to ensure the adequate quality of education. In 2004, subject to the Provisions of the National Education Strategy 2003–2012, the Teacher Training Conception that outlined the main guidelines for improving the training of teachers was developed.

Restructuring of teacher training in Lithuania requires not only national-level initiatives, but also additional funds to finance its implementation. Those funds are to be made available from the European Union Structural Funds. Phasing in of new teacher training models started from 2008.

The debate going on in the Lithuanian public space has highlighted doubts about the competence of teachers to efficiently respond to very rapidly changing needs of society. As part of the efforts to improve teacher training in Lithuania, a new Regulation on Teacher Training was adopted. It will be applied in designing the new teacher training study programmes and updating the existing ones.





Regulation of Teachers' Training

8.1.2. Ongoing Debates and Future Developments

The importance of the teacher training reform is emphasised in the Programme of the 5th Lithuanian Government (2008), which plans to achieve that teachers and researchers in Lithuania acquire the status of advanced, creative and productive members of society who are adequately remunerated for their work and respected by their pupils and the general public. The aim, therefore, is to achieve that by the year 2012 the teacher’s profession should become more attractive and that motivated young people with in-depth knowledge of their profession and pedagogy should come to work in this area. For that purpose, the Government made a commitment to enable all Lithuanian higher education institutions offering study programmes of the eligible quality to compete for the training of teachers.


8.1.3. Specific Legislative Framework

Teacher training in Lithuania is regulated by the following legal acts:

- Republic of Lithuania Law on Education (versions adopted in 1991, 1998, 2003 and amended in 2004);

- Republic of Lithuania Law on Higher Education and Research (2009);

- The Lithuanian Government resolution ‘On Approval of the General Classification of Study Fields and Areas According to which Consecutive University and Non-University Study Programmes are Delivered at Higher


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Education Institutions of Lithuania and the List of Qualifications Awarded on their Completion’ (2001, as amended in 2003 and 2007);

- The National Programme for Restructuring of Teacher Training and Professional Development (2006), the purpose of which is to restructure the teacher training and professional development system and make it eligible to cater for the needs of the Lithuanian education system and society;

- The Regulations on Teacher Training approved by a ministerial order in 2010, which provides for ways of training teachers (except for higher education), general requirements for teacher training studies and their structure and requirements for both providers of teacher training studies and school practice. This ministerial order also abolished the Teacher Training Conception;

- The Specifications of Teachers’ Professional Competence approved by the Minister of Education and Science in 2007, which regulates the groups of competencies, expertise and abilities necessary for teachers working in accordance with the pre-school, pre-primary preparatory, primary, basic, secondary and the corresponding special education, vocational training and non-formal education curricula;

- The General Requirements for Study Programmes (2005);

- Regulations, statutes and other legal acts related with higher education studies, study programmes, admission of students, financing of studies, etc.

General Classification of Study Areas and Fields According to Which Consecutive University and Non-University Study Programmes Are Delivered at Lithuanian Higher Education Institutions and the List of Classifications Awarded on Completion of Programmes in These Fields


Law on Amendment of the Law on Education of the Republic of Lithuania (1998)



National Programme for the Restructuring of Initial Training and Professional Development of Teachers


8.1.4. Institutions, Level and Models of Training

The number of students to be trained for the teaching profession is determined by the Government on the proposal of the Ministry of Education and Science with due regard to the demand for teachers in the State.

In Lithuania, teachers are trained by educational-profile and some non-educational-profile universities and colleges Kolegija accredited by the Ministry of Education and Science. The right to train teachers may also be granted to individual faculties of other higher education institutions after the latter develop a new programme and have it accredited. The needs for subject teachers are researched and determined by the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Social Security and Labour, research institutions and teacher training institutions themselves.


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Teachers in Lithuania are trained at colleges (providing non-university study programmes of higher education) and universities (providing basic professional study programmes; Bachelor and Master study programmes and also specialised professional study programmes).

Vilnius Pedagogical University (VPU) is the main teacher training university-level higher education establishment in Lithuania. Its predecessor, the Klaipėda Pedagogical Institute (established in 1935, currently the Pedagogical Faculty of Klaipėda University), was moved to Vilnius in 1939 and renamed Vilnius Pedagogical Institute. In 1992, the Institute was granted a university status and the statute of the new University was endorsed. At present, the University has 8 faculties.

Teachers and educology specialists are also trained at Klaipėda University, Šiauliai University, Lithuanian Academy of Physical Education, Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, Vilnius University, Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas University of Technology, Mykolas Romeris University and Lithuanian University of Agriculture.

Teacher training in Lithuania follows two models: the concurrent model (when all components of the initial teacher training curriculum are combined from the outset) and consecutive model (when professional training, i.e. studies in educational subjects, methods of teaching and teaching practice in school, enabling students to qualify as teachers, follow academic studies). In some teacher training institutions, elements of modular or integrated models may be evidenced. Teachers for pre-school and primary education institutions and social teachers are trained only under the concurrent model.

In Lithuania, the teacher training model has several common curriculum components: studies offering educational programmes, academic studies in subjects and certain disciplines related to school education programmes, subject or integrated study course methodology and school practice.

Under the concurrent model, the study programme in the field chosen is combined with the programme of professional teacher training in the corresponding field. On completion of the programmes, graduates are awarded a Bachelor’s degree and the qualification of a teacher.

Specialised professional studies include two blocks of equal value: academic studies and school practice.

The studies at the University comprise three cycles. The first cycle offers basic (Bachelor degree) studies. The Bachelor degree studies last four years (five years in the event of extramural studies). Upon completion of those studies, students are awarded a Bachelor’s degree and/or professional qualifications. The second cycle offers Master degree studies. Upon completion of those studies, students are awarded a Master’s degree and a professional qualification of a gymnasium teacher. The duration of studies at that cycle is two years. The third stage embraces doctoral studies that last four years.

Full-time students are provided opportunities to seek a teacher’s qualification in some other subject by following evening or extramural study programmes. Teachers who work at schools without the necessary professional qualification or efficiency in the subjects they teach may acquire it through full-time, evening or extramural studies and also through distance learning upon acquisition of the necessary knowledge by following a specialised professional study programme and upon completion of a graduation paper (project). Their positively evaluated teaching-related work in an educational institution is recognised as their school practice.



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Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre

Lithuanian Academy of Physical Education

Lithuanian University of Agriculture




Vilnius University



8.1.5. Admission Requirements

Applicants to be admitted to the basic studies in universities and colleges are required to have completed a secondary education.

Enrolment in Master’s programmes requires a Bachelor’s degree or completion of any other equivalent higher education. In some study programmes, priority is given to applicants who have a work record in the speciality chosen and those teaching a programme-related subject at school. Applicants to music pedagogy studies must have music education.

A mandatory prerequisite for those who want to pursue doctoral studies is possession of a Master’s degree or an equivalent diploma Diplomas of higher education.

Rules for admission to higher education institutions are drawn up by their Senates in coordination with the Ministry of Education and Science. Admission to the second and third cycle studies is based on the applicants’ records of achievement in a lower or the same stage of studies and also on other criteria established by institutions of higher education.

Some doctoral study programmes give priority to applicants with more substantial input of research in the respective field of study.

The quotas for the number of students to be admitted to State-run higher education institutions (universities and colleges) by cycles, modes of studies and the way of funding are annually approved by the Government with due regard to the demand for specialists and the quality of specialists trained by a concrete higher education institution. The Minister of Education and Science determines the admission indicators for each HEI.

Admission to teacher training studies which do not award a degree is granted to persons with higher education qualifications seeking to become subject teachers or vocational trainers. Such persons may have


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certain subjects offset against the subjects previously studied and accounted for or school practice accomplished if their nature and scope corresponds to the requirements of the teacher training studies which do not award a degree.

For more information about the admission requirements to HEIs, see 6.6..


8.1.6. Curriculum, Special Skills, Specialisation

Regardless of the way of teacher training, the studies must ensure that graduates should have accumulated enough subject expertise and skills, developed the necessary system of values, have a good knowledge of educational phenomena and peculiarities of educational activities and be able to apply the obtained knowledge and skills in their professional careers and also acquire other competencies.

The teacher training process must enable the would-be teacher to acquire the kind of competence that is necessary to fulfil his/her new role of an education organiser, creative educator, developer of opportunities, coach, adviser, partner and mediator between the pupil and various modern information sources. The basic components of the teacher’s competence are general cultural competence, competence in the subject/subjects in which teachers are trained and professional competence. Teacher training is oriented to the development of competence that the teacher will need in his/her practical work.

Requirements for teachers’ competence are set out in the Regulations on Teacher Training and corresponding regulations of various areas of studies and also in the Specifications of Teachers’ Professional Competence.

Study programmes are registered in the Register of Studies and Training Programmes.

Teacher training studies are integrated into the university first cycle (Bachelor) or college programmes of study, the main objective of which is the training of teachers and which are registered as programmes of the study fields ‘Pedagogy’ or ‘Andragogy’. The teacher training studies may be also integrated into the Master study programmes.

The teacher training studies can be carried out as an elective module of the university first cycle (Bachelor) programme in the relating field where the training of teachers is not the main objective.

University basic study programmes must comply with the requirements laid down in the specifications for the relating study cycle and field and the programme of college studies must also comply with the vocational training standard.

The volume of teacher training must constitute not less than 40 credits. The teacher training studies embrace:

the theoretical part the volume of which is not less than 20 credits;

the school practice the volume of which is not less than 20 credits.


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The curriculum content of university basic studies embraces core subjects in the field of studies, special education subjects in the field of studies, elective subjects in the field of studies, optional subjects and practice.

Special education subjects in the field of studies are devoted to obtaining professional competencies. The main focus here is laid on the study of speciality-related subjects. The duration of school practice varies depending on the university and also on the model and level of studies.

The curriculum content of non-university studies embraces: 1) core subjects in the field of studies, 2) special education subjects in the field of studies and 3) a period for practicing professional activities (cognitive, exploratory and educational). The studies are completed with a graduation paper or an examination.

Higher education establishments develop their teacher training study programmes in line with the National Programme for the Restructuring of Initial Training and Professional Development of Teachers. The study programmes are approved by the council (senate) of the higher education establishment. Regulation of the basic principles for developing study programmes, the process of studies and the assurance of their quality and control is carried out pursuant to the Regulations of Studies approved by the Senate. The curriculum content and the scope of subjects offered in educology programmes are determined, upon approval of the Ministry of Education and Science, by the higher education institution.

The duration of university basic studies is four years in full-time (daytime) studies, four years in part-time (or evening) studies and 4–5 years in extramural (or distance) studies. Specialised professional studies last 1–1.5 or 2 years in full-time (daytime) studies, or 1–2 years or 1–1.5 or 2 years in part-time (or evening) studies. The duration of studies for a Master’s degree is 2 years (in full-time (daytime), part-time (evening) or extramural (distance) studies).

In college study programmes providing higher education, full-time (daytime) studies last 3.5–4 years and extramural (or distance) studies 3.5–4.5 years.

The purpose of school practice is to help future teachers acquire the necessary professional competencies and experience, perform practical educational activities working as a teacher for a definite period of time at a setting provided and performing various functions of the teacher’s professional activities under the guidance of a mentor and school practice supervisor. The rights and obligations of the higher educational institution, the base school and the student performing the school practice are specified in the tripartite agreement on practical training.



8.1.6.1. Training of Specialists for Pre-School Educational Institutions

The pre-school education teacher training study programmes are aimed at training specialists in compliance with the standard requirements designed for educators of children in the pre-school age group, i.e. educators with the necessary professional competencies to take care of and educate young children of the pre-school age group in various educational institutions.

University first cycle teacher training studies provide pre-school and primary education study programmes to train teachers or educators, Bachelors in pedagogy and educology. The volume of the study programme constitutes 160 credits. The teacher training studies are of two forms: continual/regular and extended. Early


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childhood education study programmes train educators who are Bachelors in pre-school education. The volume of this study programme constitutes 160 credits and the form is extended.

Master study programmes train educators who are Masters in educology. The volume of the study programme constitutes 80 credits.

In pre-school education teacher training programmes of college studies providing higher education, students are awarded a professional Bachelor’s degree in educology, a professional Bachelor’s degree in pre-school education pedagogy and an educator’s professional qualification. The volume of this study programme constitutes 120 credits and the forms are continual/regular and extended.

8.1.6.2. Training of Teachers for Primary Educational Institutions

The pre-school education study programme is aimed at training primary school teachers with the necessary qualifications to fulfil the requirements contained in the teaching plans and curricula for primary grades, to organise supplementary education and work according to their chosen specialisation.

University first cycle studies train Bachelors in educology, Bachelors in pedagogy and teachers. They offer programmes to train teachers who can teach primary grades and one or another subject. The volume of these study programmes constitutes 160 credits.

Master studies offer training to teachers, the teaching staff of primary education (holders of Master’s degrees and Masters in educology). Special studies offer training to teachers for the early teaching of English.

Primary education programmes of college studies providing higher education train teachers, professional Bachelors in primary education pedagogy and professional Bachelors in educology. The volume of these study programmes constitutes 120–160 credits and the forms are continual/regular and extended.

Based on the findings of research into the demand for teachers on the labour market, the Ministry of Education and Science may commission to train a fixed number of teachers of any core subject according to non-university study programmes.

Students may acquire the Bachelor and Master level qualification in pedagogy of primary education and a teacher’s profession at three universities; four other colleges provide studies leading only to the Bachelor level qualification and acquisition of a teacher’s profession.

8.1.6.3. Training of Specialist Teachers

Specialist teachers for the teaching of various subjects and special education needs and social teachers are trained in accordance with university study programmes alongside both concurrent and consecutive models of teacher training.

University first cycle (basic) studies train teachers, holders of Bachelor’s degrees in their study fields, Bachelors in subject pedagogy or discrete subject, Bachelors in educology, andragogues, Bachelors in andragogy, Bachelors in education and development and educators. The studies are of continual/regular and extended forms.

Upon completion of studies designed to train specialist teachers in one subject along the concurrent model of teacher training, persons obtain a Bachelor’s diploma attesting to the acquisition of a Bachelor’s degree in the study field comprising the basis of the relating individual subject and also a certificate attesting to the completion of teacher training studies. The scope of the studies constitutes 160 credits.


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Upon completion of studies designed to train specialist teachers in two subjects along the concurrent model of teacher training, persons obtain a Bachelor’s diploma attesting to the acquisition of a Bachelor’s degree in the study field comprising the basis of the relating individual subjects and also a certificate attesting to the completion of teacher training studies. The scope of the studies varies between 160 and 180 credits.

Persons who have been awarded a Bachelor’s degree but have no certificate attesting to the completion of teacher training studies can acquire the professional competence necessary for a subject teacher by following university (teacher training) study programmes. The scope of such studies is 40 credits and a certificate attesting to the completion of teacher training studies is granted upon their completion. Teachers who, in line with their initial training, have been working at school for 15 or 20 years are granted an opportunity to be recognised as having the professional qualification of a teacher or subject teacher based on their practical experience.

Upon completion of the programme in a certain study field at university basic studies, persons may work as subject specialists in general education and special schools or as lecturers in colleges and higher educational institutions as well as continue studies for a Master’s degree by following didactic or educational programmes.

University Master studies offer training for subject teachers, holders of a Master’s degree in a corresponding study field, Masters in andragogy, Masters in pedagogy, Masters in educology and Masters in career guidance. The scope of the studies varies between 60 and 80 credits.

Upon completion of university Master degree educational programmes in a certain study field, graduates may undertake Doctoral studies in the same study field or educology (didactics); they may also work as subject specialists in general education schools, lecturers at colleges and universities or get employed at research and educational institutions.University specialised professional studies offer programmes for training teachers and vocational trainers in different subjects.

Programmes of various subjects at college Kolegija studies providing higher education train teachers, Professional Bachelors in philology, Professional Bachelors in educology, subject pedagogy and in discrete subjects, vocational trainers in different subjects (fine arts pedagogy, Professional Bachelors in a specific kind of art or technology). Most of the study programmes provide a combination of two specialities, e. g. pedagogy of English–German, art–technologies, etc. The scope of the studies varies between 120 and 140 credits and the studies are of continual/regular and extended forms.

Catholic religious education study programmes train teachers.

8.1.6.4. Training of Special Education Needs and Social Teachers

The programme of social pedagogy studies is aimed at training specialists who are capable of coaching young people under their care to get better adjusted to life within the community and an educational institution, take advantage of any available opportunity for obtaining education and developing his/her personality and also be able to form a team and work with the young people’s environment to achieve better education results.

University basic studies train social teachers, holders of Bachelor’s degrees in educology and pedagogy, special education needs teachers, Bachelors in special education needs pedagogy.

University specialised professional studies train social teachers.


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Master studies provide education leading to a to Master’s degree in educology, including special education needs and social teachers, Masters in special needs pedagogy, Masters in social pedagogy, teachers, Masters in psychology and Masters in educational psychology even though a requirement to train the above-mentioned specialists is not specified in any legal acts of the Ministry of Education and Science. The scope of the studies varies between 60 and 80 credits.

The scope of studies for training special education needs and social teachers alongside the concurrent model of teacher training constitutes 160 credits. Students may be provided an opportunity to acquire, through various branches of the programme, a professional competence necessary for a specialist of a certain subject. On completion of the study programme, graduates obtain a Bachelor’s diploma attesting to the acquisition of the Bachelor’s degree in educology and a certificate attesting to the completion of teacher training studies. Social workers who completed non-university studies are provided opportunities to acquire the kind of competence that is necessary for social teachers.

Programmes of social pedagogy and educational assistance at college studies providing higher education, train Professional Bachelors in social pedagogy, teachers, social teachers, Professional Bachelors in educology and Professional Bachelors in provision of educational assistance. The scope of these studies varies between 120 and 140 credits and the studies are of continual/regular and extended forms.

University and non-university study programmes provide training, alongside the concurrent model of teacher training, to vocational trainers.

8.1.7. Evaluation, Certificates

Colleges Kolegijos and universities offering programmes for the training of teachers use the same system of students’ achievement assessment as other institutions of higher education. See section 6.13.

Upon completion of any stage of the training of teachers, the graduate is awarded a respective diploma Diplomas which certifies to the speciality (specialisation) and qualifications (degree) acquired. Teachers are usually awarded the following qualifications and degrees: a Bachelor’s degree upon completion of the first cycle (basic) studies; a Master’s degree upon completion of the second cycle (Master’s degree) studies, a Doctor’s degree upon completion of the third cycle (Doctoral) studies.

For any graduates of the first, second and third cycle studies wishing to enter the teaching profession, educational qualifications are awarded after the formal evaluation to certify that the acquired qualifications satisfy the National Qualification Requirements. Prior to their entry into professional life as fully-fledged teachers, they have to spend a year of induction to acquire the necessary practical teaching skills and also, if necessary, undertake additional theoretical courses. The National Qualification Requirements are set by the Ministry of Education and Science.

Highly qualified teachers who have been granted a Doctor’s or Habilitated Doctor’s degree after the presentation of a respective thesis are awarded the pedagogical title of a docent or a professor in the procedure established by the State.

On completion of teacher training and educational programmes in colleges, graduates are awarded the professional qualification of a teacher and a Professional Bachelor’s diploma Diplomas of higher education. Please see 8.1.6.1., 8.1.6.2., 8.1.6.3., 8.1.6.4..

On completion of bachelor studies, graduates are awarded the qualification of a teacher and a Bachelor’s degree in the subject studied. On completion of educology programmes, graduates are awarded a Bachelor’s


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degree in educology and the qualification of a teacher. Completion of studies in a neighbouring subject is awarded with a certificate (a diploma supplement (appendum)) certifying the qualification of the subject teacher obtained.

Completion of general educological programmes at the Master studies level grants a Master’s degree in educology. Completion of didactics study programmes grants a Master’s degree in educology and the qualification of a teacher.

For more information on evaluation, please refer to 6.13..

8.1.8. Alternative Training Pathways

Higher educational institutions may create conditions for a student to follow an individual study programme designed in accordance with the procedure established by the higher educational institution concerned.

Teachers who work in schools without having a professional or adequate subject qualification can obtain it by completing a full-time, part-time or extramural (distance) specialised professional studies programme and a graduation thesis. Their prior work at an educational institution, if given positive assessment, can replace their post-diploma practice.

8.2. Conditions of Service of Teachers

The arrangements governing the conditions of service of teachers are based on the Labour Code of the Republic of Lithuania, Government resolutions and other legal acts.

The responsibility for teachers’ working and living conditions lies with the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, the Ministry of Education and Science, County Governors, local authorities and the administration of every institution of education.

The Ministry of Education and Science confirms the regulations on in-service training (professional development) and evaluation (i. e. performance review/appraisal) of principals, their deputies for education and heads of departments in charge of education organisation in State-run and municipal schools (except for higher schools). The Ministry also confirms the regulations on in-service training (professional development) and appraisal of teachers and specialists providing assistance to pupils and specifications of the principal’s competence.

The founder of a school confirms the structure of the school’s teaching staff/positions, carries out performance review of principals in State-run and municipal schools and organises in-service training (professional development) and appraisal of educational and other staff involved in the education process.

The problems of teachers’ working and living conditions receive the greatest attention from the Trade Union of Education Workers of Lithuania. This organisation is independent of any parties, governmental institutions or state administration. The Union protects professional, economic and social rights of its members and their legitimate interests and also represents them and tables proposals to the state authorities and administration concerning adopting, amending or repealing of legal acts on labour-related, economic and social issues.

Lithuanian Education Workers‘ Trade Union


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8.2.1. Historical Overview

In Lithuania, teacher training courses were first organised by the Saulė Society in 1907. Between the two world wars, teachers were trained by teacher societies and unions and from 1950 this was entrusted to the Teacher In-service Training Institute. Every five years, teachers of every subject had to improve their qualifications by attending special courses offered by the Institute; the Russian language and literature teachers working at schools with Lithuanian and Russian as languages of instruction were obliged to attend such courses every three years.

The National Teacher In-service Training Institute (later to become the Teacher Professional Development Centre) was established in 1950 as an institution providing training and methodological assistance under the subordination of the Ministry of Education. At that time, it was responsible for methodology and the work of the methodological offices of district education authorities. It organised various courses for teachers, seminars and workshops for principals of schools and other educational staff as well as arranged conferences on a variety of educational topics. The Institute published collections of papers on various methodological issues, teachers’ experience and methodological literature.

The political changes and active education reforms that took place after 1990 affected the system of teacher in-service training and professional development. The Concept of Lithuanian Education contains a provision that higher education institutions, in-service training and scientific centres have equal rights to provide in-service training programmes, and teachers are free to choose whichever programmes they want. This provision of decentralisation as well as the structural changes that evolved later gradually changed the system of the unified in-service training and made an essential impact on the teachers’ working conditions.

In implementing the education reform, the form and the content of in-service training have been changing, too. Along with the old uniform in-service training courses and seminars, continuous seminars and projects are introduced, which helps educators familiarise themselves with modern education approaches, teaching technologies applied in foreign countries and education management theories, exchange work experience and create education organisation models. The monopoly of in-service training is gradually being overcome. Given the increasing demand for in-service training, various types of in-service training institutions are being established in municipalities and counties.

In 19921998, a significant number of NGOs carrying out various educational and teacher in-service training projects came into being.

New teacher in-service training goals and objectives include:

● Creation of favourable conditions for teachers enabling them to achieve the kind of professional competence that would meet the requirements of the education reform ● Proceeding with the decentralisation of the in-service training system by encouraging a change of in-service training and professional development forms and methods inside education institutions and by developing the network of various types of institutions providing in-service training ● Development of a new way of funding the system of in-service training ● Working out and implementing an accreditation system for in-service training programmes and institutions ● Creation of the necessary conditions for dissemination of experience accumulated ● Taking into consideration the relevant recommendations of the European Union for developing the in-service training system.


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The years 20002001 witnessed the development or implementation of several reforms that currently have or will have, in the near future, a significant impact on the working conditions of teachers in basic and secondary education:

The ’external‘ reforms implemented on the national scale with which the education policy is aligned, including the public service reform, liberalisation of labour relations and pension reform;

The ’internal‘ reforms implemented within the system of education, including 1) adoption of a new law on education followed by amendments of legal acts regulating separate aspects of the education system; 2) reorganisation of the school network; 3) reorganisation of the teacher performance management (teacher appraisal) system; 4) reorganisation of the teacher training system; 5) reform of financing schools of general education; 6) implementation of the general education school audit system, etc.

In September 2004, the Government approved the Programme for the Implementation of the New Payment System for Teachers’ Work. Under the Programme, remuneration of teachers according to the full-time positions held by them is to be introduced starting from 2009. The new payment system is to be applied to school principals, their deputies for education and heads of departments in charge of organising education, teachers, instructors of vocational training and specialists providing assistance to pupils and schools in State-run and municipal schools (except for higher schools).

In 2008, following the change of the Government after the new election to the Seimas, the Seimas adopted the Programme of the 15th Lithuanian Government and measures for the implementation of the Programme for 2008–2012. The Programme contains provisions for the improvement of the conditions of service of teachers, gradual increase of the payment for the work of teachers, reduction of the retirement age, improvement of the professional development system, etc.

In 2008, the then Lithuanian Government approved the Long Term Programme for Increasing Teachers’ Salaries. The Programme was developed with the view of objectives regarding the further development of education specified in the Provisions of the National Education Strategy 2003-2012 and the necessity to increase remuneration for teachers as a means to ensure the effectiveness of teaching and education. The Programme was intended for planning salary increments to teachers for a period until 2013.




Amendment of the Action Programme for Implementation of the New System of Payment for Teachers' Work


8.2.2. Ongoing Debates and Future Developments

At the beginning of 2010, the Lithuanian Teachers’ Union raised the issue about teachers’ early retirement and initiated negotiations with the Government and social partners. The Union called on teachers to initiate discussion about early retirement (based on the length of service) in primary trade union organisations. The debate was caused by the Government's intentions to increase the retirement age to 65 years for all employable people, despite the provisions of the Government Programme.


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The main legal acts are the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania and the Law on Education.

The working conditions and the salaries of teachers are regulated by a number of legal documents, including the following laws of the Republic of Lithuania: Law on State Social Insurance Pensions (1994) and the Labour Code of the Republic of Lithuania. There are also a number of relating resolutions of the Government and orders of the Ministry of Education and Science.

Remuneration for the work of teachers is regulated by the following documents: Lithuanian Government resolutions ’On the Action Programme for Implementation of the New System of Payment for Teachers' Work’ (2004, amended in 2009) and ‘On the Long Term Salary Increase Programme for Educational Staff’ (2008, revised in 2009).

The process of teacher performance appraisal, in-service training and retraining is regulated by the Regulations on Professional Development of School Heads, their Deputies for Education, Managers of Departments in Charge of Organising Education, Teachers and Specialists Providing Assistance to Pupils in State and Municipal Schools (2007); Regulations on the Work of Commissions for Appraisal of Teachers; Regulations on Appraisal of the Labour Market Teachers of Vocational Subjects; Regulations on Appraisal of Teachers and Principals of Educational Institutions; General Regulations on the Activities of Institutions for the Professional Development of Educational Staff; Regulations on the Assessment and Recognition of Professional Qualifications of Teachers; Terms of Reference for Organising Competitions for Professional Development Programmes; other regulations of educational institutions; Procedure for Retaining of Qualification Categories for Pre-school Education Specialists and other legal acts; Regulations on Appraisal of School Principals, their Deputies for Education and Heads of Departments in Charge of Organising Education in State-Run (except for Higher and Advanced Vocational Schools) and Municipal Schools; Listing of Qualification Requirements for Teachers Working according to the Pre-School, Pre-Primary, Non-Formal Children Education, Primary, Basic, Secondary, Special Education and Vocational Education and Training Curricula and other legal acts.

Teachers’ professional activities are regulated by orders issued by the Minister of Education and Science regarding the standard staff numbers in general education schools and general education boarding schools; amendment to the procedure for recruiting heads of State-run and municipal educational institutions; qualification requirements for heads of schools of every type (except for higher schools); standard descriptions of functions performed by the teaching staff and a listing of positions the occupation of which is considered to be educational work.

In 2008, the Regulations on Appraisal of Teachers and Specialists Providing Assistance to Pupils (Excluding Psychologists) were approved. The Regulations govern the evaluation of professional competencies and practical activities of and the procedures for granting the qualification categories to teachers working according to the pre-school, pre-primary preparatory, primary, basic, secondary, special education, vocational training and non-formal education curricula and also pupil support specialists (special education teachers, typhlopedagogues, surdopedagogues, speech therapists, social pedagogues (excluding psychologists)).

In 2009, the Register of Teachers was created and its Regulations were approved. The Register came into effect on 1 September 2010. The Register contains information about employees of general education schools, vocational training institutions and non-formal education schools whose work is considered to be as educational, as prescribed in the legal acts.


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In 2009, the Minister of Education and Science approved the Procedure on Experimental Payment for the Work of Teachers, which sets out the pay rates and other terms of payment for teachers of budgetary educational institutions.

On 1 January 2010, the new Procedure of Salary Payment to the Staff of Educational Institutions and Educational Employees of Other Institutions came into effect. It defines a new way of remuneration for the work of the teaching staff of budgetary educational institutions.

Amendment of the Action Programme for Implementation of the New System of Payment for Teachers' Work

Appraisal Regulations of School Teachers and Specialists Providing Assistance to Pupils (Excepting Psychologists)




Procedure of Salary Payment to the Staff of Educational Institutions and Educational Employees

Regulations on Professional Development of the Public and Municipality School Heads, their Deputies for Education and Managers of Departments in Charge of Organising Education, Teachers and Specialists Providing Assistance to Pupils

Regulations on the Certification of School Heads, their Deputies and Managers of Departments in Charge of Organising Education in State and Municipality Schools (Except for Higher and Advanced Vocational Schools)

8.2.4. Planning Policy

As specified in the Law on Education of the Republic of Lithuania, education must be planned by setting its goals and tasks and defining means for implementation. Education planning is considered to be an integral part of education management as a very important branch of the science of education.

In Lithuania, the key priorities of education policy, its long-term goals, changes in education content and funding priorities are set forth in the State Education Strategy. The Strategy is drafted by the Government and presented to the Seimas for approval. The Strategy covers a period of ten years and is reviewed at least once in every four years. The Strategic education plans of the State, counties, municipalities and schools are elaborated and co-ordinated on the basis of the State Education Strategy. In addition, while implementing the strategic goal (priority) of the Lithuanian Government to strengthen the country’s intellectual potential with the aim of ensuring the quality and efficiency of education and science, the Ministry of Education and Science plans its activity by way of developing strategic and annual plans. The strategic plan of the Ministry incorporates programmes that have their own objectives and tasks and also the necessary target funds.

The need and demand for teachers is planned by the Ministry of Education and Science based on the findings of surveys and in consultation with institutions of higher education.

The need and demand for teachers’ in-service training is researched and forecast by the Education Development Centre, teacher educational centres, institutions of higher education, local education


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authorities, establishments of education, subject teachers’ associations, teachers’ unions and other institutions. They maintain close contacts with one another, exchange relevant information, programmes, co-operate on a parity basis, form a joint council of their representatives to co-ordinate the relevant activities. These institutions arrange meetings, commission relevant programmes, organise initial and in-service training of teachers and arrange their study visits and professional development in methodology, education theory and matters related to general culture. They also accumulate information and innovations in the field of education and make them available to teachers. They conduct surveys among the teaching community and take care of the quality of in-service training and qualification of the teaching staff.

The Ministry of Education and Science determines the priority fields for in-service training and commissions the necessary programmes. The Ministry invites tenders for in-service training programmes, awards tenders on the basis of their assessment by expert committees, informs the teacher community, educational institutions and education authorities about the competitive programmes selected, collects and analyses the interest expressed in them, subjects them to the final approval and allocates funds for their implementation.





8.2.5. Entry to the Profession

Teachers, social teachers, psychologists, school librarians are employed pursuant to the requirements of the Labour Code by signing a contract of employment.

Formation of the academic staff policy lies within the competence of every higher education institution, as reflected in their strategic documents and reports. According to the Law on Higher Education and Research, the higher schools themselves establish their own structure and internal work procedures, determine the specific numbers of lecturers and researchers, administrative staff and other employees setting out their rights and responsibilities as well as conditions for their remuneration, in line with the legal acts currently in force.


8.2.5.1. Recruitment of Teachers

The head of the school appoints and dismisses teachers, other staff engaged in the educational process and support staff, as well as confirms their job descriptions in the order established in the Labour Code, Law on Education and also ministerial orders defining qualification requirements for teachers.

A new teacher can be employed under the terms of a temporary contract of employment (e. g. for one year). In this case, if the management of the school are not satisfied with the teacher’s (or another employee’s) work, they may refrain from extending the contract of employment for the next year.

The qualification requirements for educational staff working in accordance with the pre-school, pre-primary, primary, basic, secondary, special education, vocational education curricula are set out by the Minister of Education and Science. Persons who are entitled to work as teachers in accordance with those programmes must have completed higher or advanced vocational education studies and acquired educational


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qualifications. Persons without the qualifications of professional teachers are allowed to work as teachers under the terms of a temporary contract of employment for no longer than one year.

Persons who have a higher or advanced vocational education but no educational qualifications as well as those who have completed studies at vocational schools and have at least three years of experience in the relating sphere plus the teacher’s qualifications are entitled to work as teachers at schools of initial vocational education and training and at institutions for non-formal education of children.


8.2.5.2. Recruitment of the Academic Staff in Higher Education Institutions

The Law on Higher Education and Research lays down the job descriptions of teachers and research fellows of higher education institutions and the main quality requirements for these positions. The key positions of the academic staff at higher education institutions are as follows: a professor, an associate professor, a lecturer and an assistant lecturer.

Minimum qualification requirements for the teaching staff positions, the procedures of organising competitions to fill these positions, and the performance appraisal of the teaching and research staff are established by the Government. In appraising the teaching staff’s performance results, due regard must be paid to the assessment given by students. Other requirements for the teaching staff are set by higher education institutions. Those requirements may not be less demanding than the minimum qualification requirements established by the Government.

Academic staff policy shaping is within the competence of every HEI. It is reflected in their strategic documents and reports. The Law on Higher Education and Research stipulates that determining the structure, the internal rules and procedures, the number of teachers, scientific research workers, administration and other staff, their rights and responsibilities as well as remuneration conditions, complying with the laws in effect, rests with higher education institutions themselves.

Positions of the teaching staff of higher education institutions are occupied for a period not exceeding five years. No later than two months prior to the end of the term of a teacher or a research fellow, an open competition for the vacant post is publicly announced .The present holder of the post can also participate in the competition . In the event that a professor wins the post for the third successive period, he/she acquires the right to hold the post without being subjected to competition until he/she turns 65. Subject to the approval of the senate (academic council), the teaching staff and research fellows who are older than 65 may continue their career at a higher education institution) on a fixed employment contract not exceeding three years. At the decision of the senate (academic council), a contract like that may be extended repeatedly.

The rector (college Kolegija director) may, without announcing a competition, employ teachers for a part-time position to carry out educational activities under a fixed term contract of employment for a period of no more than one year. To qualify for the positions, those teachers must meet the necessary qualification requirements, except for the requirement to do research. The procedure of competitions and performance evaluation is followed in compliance with the order established by the statute of the higher education institution and the senate of the university (academic council of the college). Competitions to hold certain positions take place at separate faculties and are carried out by the faculty council or a specially formed competition board. University rectors (college directors) hire and dismiss staff, announce competitions to fill vacancies, appoint persons to and dismiss them from office.


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A higher education institution may invite teachers and research fellows from other countries to take up teaching and/or research under a fixed-term employment contract for a period of no more than two years. The appointment procedure set out in the Law on Higher Education and Research is not applied to visiting teachers from abroad.


8.2.5.3. Recruitment of School Heads

Heads of State-run and municipal educational institutions (except for higher schools) are employed by way of an open competition. A public competition is announced in the event that a vacancy to the post of the head of an institution appears. The competition is announced by the head of the institution that the candidate to fill the vacancy will be subordinate to. The winner of the competition is selected by the competition committee. In the event that the competition is announced by the Ministry of Education and Science, the competition committee is composed of the chairman – who is Ministry Secretary or any other person authorised by the Minister – and members, including head (an expert) of the Human Resources Division, head (an expert) of the structural unit in charge of the educational institution, chairman of the council or any other authorised person of the educational institution to fill the vacancy of the head whereof the competition is organised or a representative authorised by the management committee (in the event of a non-educational institution) and, finally, a person authorised by the governor of the county in the territory of which the educational institution concerned is located.

In the event that the competition is announced by the county governor, the competition committee is composed of the chairman – who may be an employee of the county governor’s administration or either the county governor’s deputy authorised by the county governor or head of the Social Welfare, Education and Culture Department – and members, including head or an inspector of the State Education Inspectorate or head of the Education Department, chairman of the council or, in the event of the chairman’s absence, an authorised member of the council of the educational institution to fill the vacancy of the head whereof the competition is organised, a person authorised by the mayor of the municipality in the territory of which the educational institution concerned is located and a person authorised by the Ministry of Educationand Science.

In the event that the competition is announced by the municipality, the competition committee is composed of the chairman – who is head of the municipality administration or any other person authorised by the mayor (e. g. head of the department or education division) – and members, including head or an expert of the education division, a person authorised by the county governor (a specialist of the State Education Supervision Board or either head or an expert of the Education Department), chairman of the council or, in the event of the chairman’s absence, a member authorised by the council of the educational institution to fill the vacancy of the head whereof the competition is organised and a person authorised by the Ministry of Education and Science.

The competition committee evaluates the contender’s action programme and organises an interview to reveal how the applicant understands the purpose, goals and peculiarities of organising activities in the institution that he/she wants to be appointed as head of. The contender provides answers to questions contained in the test prepared by the institution that announces the competition. The test contains 50 questions related to the laws and other legal acts regulating the activities of the institution concerned. An employment contract is concluded with the winner of the competition. No tenders are required to select acting heads of educational institutions.

Depending on the type of institution the school is assigned to, to qualify for the role of its head the person must meet the following requirements:


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● in schools assigned to the type of general education schools, he/she must have a university or equivalent education, educational qualification and three years’ teaching experience; ● in schools assigned to the type of vocational schools, he/she must have a university or equivalent education, three years’ teaching experience or a work record corresponding to the profile of programmes provided at that school; ● in schools assigned to the type of pre-school education schools, he/she must have a higher education, educational qualification and three years’ teaching experience; ● in schools assigned to the type of non-formal children education schools, he/she must have a higher education, is obliged have completed a training course on fundamentals of pedagogy and psychology in a manner established by the Minister of Education and Science and have three years’ teaching experience;

● in schools assigned to the type of non-formal adult education schools, he/she must have a higher education, is obliged have completed a training course on fundamentals of pedagogy and psychology within the scope established by the Minister of Education and Science and have three years’ teaching experience.

Heads of schools are obliged to:

● comply with the requirements of fluency in the State language; ● have a command of a foreign language and be computer literate; ● possess the necessary planning, reporting, communicating, collaborating and coaching skills, have adequate enunciation skills and fluency in writing, i. e. be able to shape his/her thoughts fluently and coherently both orally and in writing; ● possess an adequate knowledge of the laws of the Republic of Lithuania, Government resolutions, ministerial orders and other legal acts regulating the activities of education providers and be able to apply them in practice; ● be able to perform the functions set out in the Description of the Role of the Head of the Institution.

A person who has acquired his/her education abroad is allowed to work as head of the school only after submission of a document attesting to the recognition of the qualification acquired abroad. In Lithuania, qualifications acquired abroad are recognised in an order established by law.

8.2.5.4. Recruitment of Heads of Higher Education Institutions

The rector of a State-run university is elected by the university senate for a period not exceeding five years and for not more than two subsequent terms of office by way of an open competition and secret ballot, the procedure of which is established in the statute.

The director of a State-run college Kolegija is elected by the college council for a period not exceeding five years and for not more than two subsequent terms of office by way of an open competition and secret ballot in accordance with the procedure prescribed by the Ministry. A candidate is considered to have been elected if he/she gets a majority of votes of all the academic council members. The director of a State-run college comes into office after his/her appointment has been approved by the Minister. If the Minister does not approve the elected director of a State college, the academic council announces a new election.

The Law on Higher Education and Research provides for a possibility to remove the rector of a state-run university from office or to recall the college director from his/her post. It may happen in the event that those individuals have outraged the law and/or statute and also that the senate (the academic council of a college) has not approved their annual reports or accounts on the implementation of an income and expenditure estimate.

The rector of a private university and the director of a private college are elected or appointed in accordance with the procedure established by the statute.


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8.2.6. Professional Status

The professional status of teachers, i.e. salaried employees of educational institutions and educational staff of other institutions, is regulated by the Labour Code. The status of a teacher is acquired on obtaining a state-established education and a teacher’s qualification. The Minister of Education and Science is authorised to approve a listing of positions the holders of which are considered to be performing educational work.

8.2.7. Replacement Measures

Replacement is based on a temporary employment contract concluded with a reliever for the maximum period of two months. When replacing teachers in the event of a longer absence (e.g. maternity leave), a fixed-term employment contract is concluded with the candidate.

8.2.8. Supporting Measures for Teachers

The Law on Education determines support and assistance to the teacher and the school as one of the constituent parts of the education system framework.

The purpose of assistance to the school and the teacher is to create conditions for teachers to engage in further learning, to create an environment that promotes school development and teachers’ professional growth, and to provide necessary informational, expert and consulting assistance.

Consulting assistance to teachers is rendered by providers of psychological, special-psychological, special, social-educational assistance, by teacher-consultants and other persons.

Educational psychological services provide special educational and psychological support not only for pupils and their families, but also for teachers and educational institutions. Help is provided through individual and group psychological counselling, educational counselling, special education guidance and training of specialists.


Model for Provision of Pedagogical and Psychological Assistance

8.2.9. Evaluation of Teachers

The Law on Education establishes the teacher’s right to be assessed and obtain a qualification category as prescribed by the Minister of Education and Science.

More information about evaluation of schoolteachers is available in 8.2.9.1. and about assessment of the teaching staff in higher education in 8.2.9.2.




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8.2.9.1. Evaluation of Schoolteachers

Evaluation of teachers is carried out at the level of the school and its founder. At the level of the school, the Principal determines the promotion and career advancement system of the teaching staff, monitors, examines and evaluates the teachers’ performance, is in charge of their in-service training and professional development and creates conditions for their performance appraisal. The Principal’s deputy for education is in charge of the education process, evaluates the outcomes achieved, provides assistance to teachers and encourages them to get engaged in their professional development and performance appraisal.

Evaluation of teachers is one of the areas of the general education school evaluation. When carrying out the self-evaluation, the school evaluates the competencies of its teaching staff and sets out the guidelines for the further improvement of their professional development. Evaluation of teachers’ performance is carried out not only by the school management but also by the teachers themselves in the form of self-assessment based on the guidelines for school self-evaluation. Please see 9..

The process of teacher performance appraisal was initiated in 1994. Under the Regulations on Teacher Appraisal, the performance review of teachers is a procedure for evaluating the theoretical knowledge and the practical skills of teachers in state, municipal and non-state educational institutions (except for lecturers of higher education establishments and also vocational trainers in vocational schools) and granting them a qualification category.

The schoolteacher appraisal process is conducted based on the Appraisal Regulations of Schoolteachers and Specialists Providing Assistance to Pupils (Excepting Psychologists). The process of appraising teacher performance is aimed at placing greater value on the work of teachers and specialists providing assistance to pupils and giving them stronger incentives for professional development, career progression and acquisition of qualification categories corresponding to the professional standards of their competence and practical activities. It is also aimed at rewarding them with performance-related pay and increasing the responsibility of teachers and specialists providing assistance to pupils for the improvement of education outcomes and professional development.

Prior to the first appraisal of the teacher or specialist providing assistance to pupils, he/she must take a course on Lithuanian as the state language (excepting teachers of the Lithuanian language), a course (programme) on computer literacy and courses on special pedagogy and special psychology for teachers without the qualification of a special education needs teacher and complex courses incorporating the basics of the social pedagogy theory and methodology. Teachers with scientific degrees are exempt from taking courses on computer literacy and the culture of language.

Appraisal arrangements include evaluation of the teacher’s practical activity (through observation of his/her lessons and assessment of teaching skills), indicators of his/her educational competence, in-service training and methodological activity as well as his/her record of experience, pedagogical title and scientific degree.

Appraisal of teachers and specialists providing assistance to pupils is organised by the appraisal commission. The composition of the appraisal commission is approved by the founder in budgetary institutions and the governing body in other institutions.

The appraisal commission is formed in institutions with at least 10 teachers and specialists providing assistance to pupils. The appraisal commission is comprised of the chairperson and 4–6 members (including 2–3 persons proposed by the council and one member proposed by the founder). Representatives of the educational institution‘s social partners may also be included in the appraisal commission.


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Individual teachers and specialists providing assistance to pupils may be repeatedly appraised for a higher qualification category in at least two years after the last appraisal.

After starting work at another school, teachers and specialists providing assistance to pupils may have their performance appraised, as a minimum, after a period of one year. They are required to submit completed forms of self-evaluation and professional development covering the period of the past (1–3) years coordinated with the head and deputy head of the former institution or the head of the division in charge of organising education who was coaching that teacher’s activities.

There are four qualification categories established for teachers: a teacher, senior teacher, teacher–methodologist and teacher–expert, and four qualification categories established for specialists providing assistance to pupils: a specialist providing assistance to pupils, senior specialist providing assistance to pupils, specialist–methodologist providing assistance to pupils and specialist–expert providing assistance to pupils.

The qualification of a person who has attained a higher or advanced vocational education (special secondary education acquired prior to 1995) and an educational qualification is considered to be equal to the qualification category of a teacher or specialist providing assistance to pupils.

A person working as a teacher of a vocational subject or non-formal education, with a higher or advanced vocational education (special secondary education acquired prior to 1995) but without an educational qualification who, however, after taking a course in special pedagogy and special psychology within the scope established by the Minister of Education and Science has a record of experience of at least two years of teaching the subject (or working in the said capacity) and has been regularly engaged in professional development may be awarded the qualification category of a teacher.

A person working as a social teacher, with a higher or advanced vocational education (special secondary education acquired prior to 1995) but without an educational qualification who, however, after taking a complex course of the social pedagogy theory and methodology, has a record of experience of at least two years of working in the said capacity and has been regularly engaged in professional development may be awarded the qualification category of a social teacher.

The qualification category of a senior teacher or a senior specialist providing assistance to pupils may be awarded to a person who has attained a higher or advanced vocational education (special secondary education acquired prior to 1995), has a record of experience of at least four years of teaching his/her subject (or working in the relating capacity) and is capable of efficiently organising and analysing the process of education, teaching and learning, regularly upgrades his/her knowledge and is actively involved in developing methodological approaches and dissemination of his/her best teaching practices at the institution.

The qualification category of a teacher–methodologist or a specialist–methodologist providing assistance to pupils may be awarded to a person with a higher or advanced vocational education (special secondary education acquired prior to 1995) who has a qualification of a teacher in the subject taught and a record of experience of at least five past years in teaching his/her subject (or working in the relating capacity) and is capable of excellent organisation and analysis of the process of education, teaching and learning and also educational situations, one who applies the principles and methodology of modern didactics, regularly upgrades his/her knowledge, develops educational projects and is actively involved in developing methodological approaches and dissemination of his/her best teaching practice in the institution and the region.


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The qualification category of a teacher–expert or a specialist–expert providing assistance to pupils may be awarded to a person with a higher education who has a qualification of a teacher in the subject taught and a record of experience of at least six past years in teaching his/her subject (or working in the relating capacity).and is capable of professional organisation and analysis of the process of education, teaching and learning and researching into issues related to educational situations, developing new learning strategies and applying them in his/her work, creating efficient original learning strategies and education projects, teaching, learning and methodological aids and disseminating his/her best teaching practice in the institution, the region and across the country.

When appraising a teacher of a HEI or a former advanced vocational school working as a teacher or specialist providing assistance to pupils in a general education school or some other educational institution, his/her record of experience in teaching the subject (or working in the said capacity) at a HEI and/or advanced vocational school is included.

When teachers in the area of pre-primary education Priešmokyklinis ugdymas seek appraisal of their performance for the first time, they are granted a qualification category corresponding to their qualification/speciality (pre-school or primary education).

Appraisal Regulations of School Teachers and Specialists Providing Assistance to Pupils (Excepting Psychologists)


8.2.9.2. Assessment of the Teaching Staff in Higher Education

Minimum qualification requirements for the teaching and research staff positions, the procedures of organising competitions to fill these positions, and the performance appraisal of the teaching and research staff are established by the Government. Other requirements for the teaching staff are set by higher education institutions. Those requirements may not be less demanding than the minimum qualification requirements established by the Government. The teaching staff holding scientific degrees are required, alongside their educational activities, to undertake scientific and/or applied research as well as participate in methodological work; the academic staff in art studies must be engaged in research and/or professional artistic and methodological activities.

When drawing up an inventory of qualification requirements for certain positions, higher education institutions must pay regard to the scientific articles published in various publications, referenced in the database of the Scientific Information Institute and in other recognised international databases; to joint publications elaborated in collaboration with research and higher education institutions in other countries, to the works of experimental development and other activities in the field of applied research, to participation in international research projects, international scientific conferences and research study visit programmes, to the preparation of monographs, manuals and methodological teaching aids, and involvement in educative activities. More than half of the academic staff in colleges must have at least three years’ experience in the field of the subject taught. The performance appraisal of HEI teaching staff is conducted through certification procedure. Certification as well as competition to fill relevant positions is announced by the head of an institution; the procedure is organised and carried out by competition or certification commissions formed by the senate (academic council). Faculty councils may also be charged with the task to form such commissions.

Not less than one third of the certification commission must be external members; it must also include at least one person from the Student Representation. The college competition or certification commission must include representatives from at least two universities or research institutions.


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In appraising the teaching staff performance results, due regard must be paid to the assessment given by students. Performance appraisals are carried out during the term of office of the person appraised. On the decision of the senate (academic council), an extraordinary certification can be arranged for a HEI teacher. Failing to meet the required standards, the teacher is not certified and is dismissed following the procedure established by law.


Minimum Qualification Requirements for the Positions of Research Fellows, Other Researchers and the Teachers of Public Research and Higher Education Institutions, of the Procedure for Organising Competitions to Hold Positions of Research Fellows, Other Researchers and Teachers of Public Research and Higher Education Institutions, the Procedure of Certification of Research Fellows, Other Researchers and Teachers and Awarding of Pedagogical Titles in Universities

8.2.10. In-service Training

During the recent years, a particular attention has been focused on the professional qualifications of teachers and other educational employees, their professional development and enabling them to get retrained. Conditions are created for teachers to upgrade their qualifications. The founder of the school ensures that the in-service training-related expenditure of at least five days per year be reimbursed for teachers and other persons engaged in the education process, as specified in the Law on Education (2003).

The process of professional development comprises non-formal education and self-education for the purpose of acquiring and developing those competencies that are necessary for one’s professional activities.

Teachers’ professional development may take the following forms: participation in seminars, courses, projects and conferences on subjects taught by subject teachers and their teaching methodology, pedagogy, psychology, the humanities and social sciences as well as undertaking purposive study and educational visits.

Informal spontaneous professional development is the teacher’s self-education (self-actualisation), which is encouraged by the educational institution where the teacher works and supported by the state to the extent that it is in line with the interests of the school.

Retraining of teachers is a constituent part of the teacher training system. Retraining is attainment of an educational-psychological and/or other qualification in a specific subject.

The Ministry of Education and Science is responsible for the development and implementation of the strategy on organisation of initial training, retraining, in-service training and appraisal of teachers; it participates in provision of expert opinion about the educational study programmes of higher schools; coordinates the process of evaluation and appraisal of teachers and heads of educational institutions under the subordination of the Ministry and municipalities and also the activities of the relating commissions. The Ministry of Education and Science approves the in-service training procedures and the requirements for qualification categories.

County governors and municipalities create teacher education centres. The founder of the school organises the in-service training and appraisal of the school heads (heads of higher education institutions excluding), teachers and other persons participating in the educational process.

The head of school is responsible for the professional development of both educational and non- educational staff.


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The need for retraining of teachers in certain subjects and their number is established by the Ministry of Education and Science together with the institutions managing the retraining of teachers. Funds for retraining of teachers are allocated by the Ministry of Education and Science, which, together with other relevant institutions, is also responsible for the organisation, co-ordination, research and projection of the process.

In 2008, in line with the Regulations on In-Service Training (Professional Development) of School Heads, their Deputies for Education and Managers of Departments in Charge of Organising Education, Teachers and Specialists Providing Assistance to Pupils, the Minister of Education and Science approved the Underlying directions for in-service training (professional development) of school heads, their deputies for education and managers of departments in charge of education organisation, teachers, instructors of vocational subjects and specialists providing assistance to pupils in State-run and municipal schools for 2008–2010. Those underlying directions include the following:

● Improvement of interactive methods of teaching and learning and ways of self-assessment and assessment of pupils to promote pupils’ progress and development of the practice of teachers’ reflection and self-appraisal; improvement of professional competencies of teachers engaged in early foreign language teaching. ● Direction for the improvement of qualifications necessary for providing assistance to pupils: provision of vocational information, counselling and guidance to pupils at schools; development of pupils’ social skills and management of critical situations; education of exceptionally gifted children and young people and those who experience learning difficulties or have special educational needs. ● Direction for the improvement of qualifications necessary for developing provision of pre-school and pre-primary education services: development of management skills of heads of pre-school educational institutions and their educational staff; development of provision of pre-school and pre-primary education services and diversity of models; application of interactive teaching in pre-school educational institutions. ● Direction for the improvement of qualifications necessary for extending application of information and communication teachnologies at schools: improvement of computer literacy among schoolteachers; development and implementation of ICT based curriculum content; information management and development and management of school information systems. ● Direction for the improvement of qualifications necessary to strengthen the role of school in creating the open civic society: promotion of tolerance, development of teachers’ and pupils’ values, development of national identity and active citizenship; implementation of education for sustained development; creation of school as a learning organisation; development of competencies of newly appointed heads of schools or teachers entering into the profession. ● Direction for the improvement of qualifications necessary to develop provision of vocational education services: creation of modular programmes for vocational education and training and measures necessary for their implementation; improvement of technological competencies of teachers of vocational subjects.

Requests for in-service courses may come from the Ministry, education authorities, teacher education centres, educational institutions, teachers’ unions, specialist teachers’ associations, foundations and other institutions interested in the professional development of teachers.

The main institution where teachers could improve their qualifications prior to 2009 was the Teacher Professional Development Centre. Following the reorganisation of this institution into the Education Development Centre, the latter took over the functions of teachers’ professional development and improvement of their competencies. The key objectives of the Centre remained provision of professional development of the teaching staff of schools, creation of conditions for them to get ready for the evaluation of their professional competence, provision of methodological assistance to schools and teachers, dissemination of innovations accumulated in the activities of the educational communities inside and


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outside the country, coordination and supervision of how the process of testing to evaluate the command of the official state language by non-native speakers is organised and carried out and provision of continuing education and non-formal educational services for adults.

There are several types of institutions directly responsible for carrying out professional development of teachers and heads of educational establishments: methodological centres at schools, municipal teacher education centres, county education centres with regional computer training centres and in-service training institutions at higher education establishments. There are also institutions performing the functions of in-service training indirectly, such as school methodological centres, childhood pedagogy centres, extra-curricular education centres under the subordination of the Ministry of Education and Science and non-governmental organisations.

Retraining, continuing studies and studies without awarding a degree are organised in special retraining institutions of higher schools in possession of a license issued by the Ministry of Education and Science, such as the Institute of Continuing Studies established in Klaipėda University; the Institute of Continuing Studies established in Šiauliai University; the Institute for Upgrading Professional Competencies in Vilnius Pedagogical University; the Centre of Continuing Studies at Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas and the Centre of Educational Competence at Kaunas University of Technology. Their key activities include retraining of specialists working in various fields, upgrading of their professional competencies, preparation of teachers and educators for their evaluation/appraisal and professional development of teachers.

Professional development programmes are developed in line with the Procedure for Accreditation of Professional Development Programmes for School Heads, their Deputies for Education and Managers of Departments in Charge of Organising Education, Teachers and Specialists Providing Assistance to Pupils approved by an order of the Minister of Education and Science in 2007. Professional development programmes may be developed at the national or institutional level, accredited or treated as accredited.

The purpose of accreditation of teacher professional development programmes is to select innovative Teacher Professional Development Programmes that meet the requirements of the State education policy and the strategy for its implementation, evaluate and accredit them, thereby promoting the efficient use of funds allocated from the State budget and provide high quality qualification development services.

The events are organised and the qualification certificates are issued by the Education Development Centre, National Centre for Special Needs Education and Psychology, Centre of Information Technologies of Education and other institutions under the subordination of the Ministry of Education and Science. In the country, there are 60 teacher education centres and nearly a hundred licensed institutions providing qualification improvement programmes for the educational staff, including teacher education centres, centres and institutes for the development of teachers’ professional competence at colleges and universities, NGOs, etc.

Teachers wishing to participate in appraisal-related events and in-service training seminars can approach the officials responsible for appraisal and in-service training in their institutions or go straight to education centres. The education authorities and in-service training centres regularly publicise information about the programmes and plans of their seminars and other activities.

The admission requirements for retraining are determined by the institution which organises the retraining course in question. The requirements for admission to an in-service training course, the number of participants and the duration of the course are determined by the respective organisers.


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In-service training of teachers may be obligatory (in-service training in the specialist subject) and optional. The duration of in-service training events and the actual form in which they are conducted depend on their subject, objectives and the specialist field.

In-service training events may be short-term and long-term. Short-term events usually last from 1 to 3 days, 10 days at the longest. Sometimes short-term events are grouped into several independent modules. Long-term training programmes are conducted in several sessions. Teachers may choose to cover the whole programme or only its part. The sessions may be organised in the daytime, in the evenings, by correspondence or may be a combination of the above-mentioned forms. Most often the sessions are timed with the pupils’ holidays.

Appraisal-related programmes may be shortened (to 1–3 days) and retraining courses are organised in 2 or 3 sessions (each lasting from 1 to 2 weeks) over a period of 2.53 years.

The duration of retraining studies depends on the programme, but usually it does not exceed three years. Participants may follow full-time, part-time, extra-mural or mixed studies, which depends on the capabilities of the institution offering retraining programmes and the initial knowledge of the participants.

The services provided by in-service training institutions are not free of charge. The greater part of the costs relating to in-service training events is covered from the state or municipal budgets and some costs are covered by individual teachers themselves. With the general education funding reform underway, funds for in-service training are provided in the school budget and depend on the number of pupils at school (the pupil’s basket).

Teachers attending appraisal-related courses are evaluated at the final test. Teachers may prepare for the appraisal independently without attending any course and then take a test at some in-service training institution. Retraining studies, referred to as continuing studies, are usually completed by taking the final exam(s).

Upon completion of a one-day-long course (of at least six hours) or otherwise an accredited programme or event of a longer duration, teachers are awarded qualification certificates. Those certificates are taken into consideration during the appraisal of the teacher’s performance as five days of in-service training per year is a necessary pre-condition for a teacher to be appraised and acquire a higher or retain the same qualification category.

Specialists who have completed retraining studies in institutions of higher education are awarded higher educationdiploma diplomas of teachers or/and a Bachelor’s degree in the special subject; and those who complete retraining studies in colleges are awarded corresponding-level diplomas.

In 2004, the Teacher Competence Centre started its activities. The Centre was designed to monitor the quality of the system for upgrading the qualification skills of educational staff, carry out expert evaluation of the educational staff professional development programmes and provide every possible support for institutions engaged in the field of educational staff professional development. In the autumn of 2009, the Teacher Professional Development Centre was reorganised and its functions were taken over by the Education Development Centre.

In 2007, the Minister of Education and Science approved the Regulations on the Register of Professional Development Programmes and Events. As specified in the Regulations, an institution for in-service training (professional development) is an educational institution or agency, company or organisation for which


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education is not its key activity that provides in-service training (professional development) programmes; an in-service training (professional development) programme is a plan for the development of knowledge and competencies and a project for its realisation defined in terms of the learning and education objectives and the content conditioned by those objectives, the sequence of implementation steps, specific learning methods and teaching aids without, however, issuance of any document attesting to the education or qualification acquired upon completion of the course; an in-service training (professional development) event is an event of provision of teaching according to an in-service training (professional development) programme.


Continuing Studies Institute of Klaipėda University

Continuing Studies Institute of Šiauliai University








Regulations on Professional Development of the Public and Municipality School Heads, their Deputies for Education and Managers of Departments in Charge of Organising Education, Teachers and Specialists Providing Assistance to Pupils

8.2.11. Salaries

As part of the measures undertaken in implementing the Lithuanian Government Programme for 2008–2012, the new Procedure of Salary Payment to the Staff of Educational Institutions and Educational Employees was approved by a ministerial order. The new Guidance lays down the rates in the scale of salary tariffs and position-based salaries of the educational and other staff of budgetary educational institutions and educational staff of other institutions and describes the conditions for remuneration for their work. The Guidance sets forth monthly rates of tariff-based salaries for heads of schools and other educational institutions, their deputies, teachers and other educational staff.

The level of salaries for school heads, teachers and other staff in private schools is established in accordance with the law and order established by the founder.

Upon attainment of a scientific degree or a pedagogical title by heads of educational institutions, the founder or his/her authorised person may establish a premium in the range of one basic monthly salary (amounting to LTL128 as at 1 January 2008) that is added to the position-based salary.


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The founder may establish a premium in the range of 0.5 basic monthly salary that is added to the position-based salary of those heads of educational institutions who have not been awarded any managerial qualification category but are holders of a Master‘s degree.

For information about the salaries of teachers please see 8.2.11.1. and about lecturers in higher education institutions 8.2.11.2.



8.2.11.1. Salaries of School teachers

The rate of salaries paid to the head and deputy head for education of a municipal and State school (higher education excluded) depend on the length of his/her teaching service, managerial qualification category and purpose of the educational institution. The position-related salary of teachers and specialists providing assistance to pupils of a municipal and state school (with the exception of higher educational institutions) depends on his/her education, length of service, qualification category and the complexity of work performed.

Class contact hours and breaks between lessons together with additional hours are all considered to be educational working hours. The length of an educational working hour is 60 minutes.

Rates used to set the position-based salaries of heads of pre-school institutions also depend on the number of groups in those institutions and those of the heads and deputy heads in general education schools, vocational schools and schools for non-formal education of children on the number of pupils in those schools as at the beginning of the school year.

Heads and deputy heads of gymnasiums and youth schools are paid a bonus of 5–20 in addition to their position-based salaries. The amount of the bonus is determined by the school founder or its authorised person. Heads of conservatoires receive a 15 bonus in addition to their position-based salaries. Rates used to index the position-based salaries include allowances for preparation for lessons and checking of written work. A bonus to the position-based salary of deputy heads is allocated by the head of the institution.

In pre-school institutions, rates used to set the position-based salaries of deputy heads for education (who have not been granted any managerial qualification category) depend on their education, managerial qualification category and the length of teaching service.

The Procedure lays out the monthly tariff-based salaries paid for the standard number of class contact hours per week (per year) to schoolteachers, teachers of non-formal education, teachers of art education, and coaches working in general education schools, vocational schools, non-formal education schools, special children education and care homes and other institutions. The tariff-based salary for teachers is based on the teaching norm of 18 class contact hours per week.

The rate of the monthly tariff-based salary for teachers without any qualification category and established education amounts to 8.9–9.5 of the basic monthly salary and is applied irrespective of the length of their teaching service.

In addition to class contact hours (in the event that the teacher has 18 class contact hours per week), tariff-based salaries for teachers additionally include hours for checking of pupils‘ written work (from 0.5 to 2.5


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hours depending on the subject and the number of pupils in class), performance of the role of a class(group)master or class(group)mistress (from 2.5 to 5 hours depending on the number of pupils in class), preparation for lessons (3.5 hours) and other additional activities.

Teachers who teach in grades I–IV of gymnasiums (grades 9–12 of general education schools), primary classes of Lithuanian schools in Eastern Lithuania (in the event that the class has at least 10 or more learners of whom at least 50% have no command of the state language of instruction), also teachers of youth schools, psychologists and social teachers receive a bonus equal to 5–20 of their tariff-based salaries. Teachers of the International Baccalaureate classes receive a bonus equal to 5–30 of their tariff-based salaries.

The rates of the monthly tariff-based salary for special educational needs teachers, speech therapists, teachers of deaf and hard of hearing persons (surdopedagogues), teachers of visually impaired children typhlopedagogues), working at schools and other institutions, educators, pre-school education specialists, concertmasters and accompanists depend on their length of service, position held, education attained and qualification category obtained.

For educators working in special schools (groups), special pre-school institutions (groups) and social care institutions (groups) for children with special educational needs, 24 hours per week are assigned for direct work with pupils (children) and two hours per week are given for indirect work with pupils (children).

Teachers of pre-primary preparatory education receive a premium equal to 5–20 of their position-related salary. The size of the premium is determined by the school founder or its authorised representative. The premium to the position-related salary is paid following an order issued by the head of the institution.

Heads, specialists, teachers and support staff of children in special education institutions are paid up to 20% salary bonuses supplementing their tariff-based salary.

Teachers who are holders of a scientific degree or a pedagogical (academic) title and who teach in the field of their specialisation may be paid monthly premiums equal to 1 basic monthly salary.

The monthly tariff-based salary for trainers of vocational schools is based on 720 teaching hours per school year. The monthly tariff-based salary for trainers of vocational schools depends on the qualification category and the length of teaching service. Extra hours for preparing for the lessons, the leadership of the group and other additional work performed are included in the trainer’s teaching load.

The rates of the monthly tariff-based salaries for specialists of the Pedagogical Psychological Services, psychologists working at schools and other institutions and social teachers depend on the job, the length of the teaching service and qualification categories.

Despite the difficult economic situation, it has been achieved that the teachers' salaries should exceed the average salary by more than 20 percent.


8.2.11.2. Remuneration for the Work of the Teaching Staff in Higher Education

The work conditions and social guarantees of the staff in higher education institutions are stipulated in the Law on Higher Education and Research and other laws. The teaching staff positions are contract-based. The remuneration structure for the research fellows, other researchers and the teaching staff is established by the Description of Remuneration Rates and Conditions for Heads and Deputy Heads of Research and Higher


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Education Institutions, Heads and Deputy Heads of Academic Divisions, Scientific Secretaries, other Researchers and the Teaching Staff, approved by a Government resolution. The remuneration structure comprises a position-based salary, premiums and bonuses, the amounts of which, for each member of the staff, are established by the employer or an authorised person. The position-based salary is calculated by multiplying the basic monthly salary, approved by the Government, by the appropriate position-based salary coefficient. The premiums and bonuses are determined within the funds allocated to a research or higher education institution specified in the salary estimates for the relevant year.

Personal remuneration can be set, in compliance with the procedures established by the research and higher education institution, for invited foreign research fellows, other researchers and teaching staff; it may not however exceed the salary funds approved in the estimates of the programme.

In 2008, the Government of the Republic of Lithuania approved the 2009-2011 Programme for Increasing Salaries for the Staff of Research and Higher Education Institutions. The Programme stipulates an annual increase of salaries by 20 percent up to the year 2011.

Amendment of the Description of Renumeration Rates and Conditions for Heads and Deputy Heads of Research and Higher Education Institutions, their Academic Divisions, Scientific Secretaries, Other Researchers and Teaching Staff


Programme for Increasing Remuneration Rates for the Research and Higher Education Institution Staff for 2009-2011

8.2.12. Working time and Holidays

As established by the Government, teachers working in pre-school education institutions, schools of general education, vocational and higher schools, schools of non-formal education, also psychologists and teachers working in health and social security institutions and other employees of educational institutions engaged in educational activities are entitled to annual paid holidays lasting 56 calendar days. Holidays of the same length are also granted to lecturers of higher education institutions. Holidays to part-time staff who work only for part of the day or week are not shortened.

For information about the working time and holidays of teachers please see 8.2.12.1. and about the working time and holidays of lecturers in higher education institutions 8.2.12.2.

8.2.12.1. Working Time and Holidays of Schoolteachers

Norms have been established only for the teaching load. The standard teaching load at present is 18 academic hours per week.

The Government Resolution On Approval of the Procedure for Shortening the Working Hours to Employees Subjected to Greater Mental and Emotional Stress at Work and the Conditions of Remuneration for the Work of Employees with Established Shorter Working Hours specifies that a working week may not exceed 36 hours, with the exception of cases when the Minister of Education and Science establishes otherwise, as a result of which the said length may be exceeded. The provision applies to the following educational staff:

● Teachers working in general education schools, vocational schools, advanced vocational schools, non-formal education schools, colleges and special education and care residences for children


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● Educators working in institutions of pre-school education, general education schools, children care institutions, special education and care residences for children, institutions (groups) of social care for children with special needs and infant homes ● Teachers of pre-primary education schools ● Speech therapists, special educational needs teachers, teachers of deaf and hard of hearing persons, teachers of visually impaired children, lecturers working in higher schools and schools of advanced vocational education and training ● Concertmasters and accompanists working at schools, teachers of art education working in institutions of pre-school education and children care ● Special educational needs teachers working at schools.

As specified in the Implementation Programme of the New Salary Payment System to Teachers approved by the Lithuanian Government in 2004 (revised in 2008), in the second stage of phasing in the new salary payment system when remuneration according to the full tenure is to be introduced, the workload for teachers with full tenure (with the exception of social teachers, specialists of educational psychological services, educators, psychologists and educators of vocational schools) is planned to comprise no fewer than 30 hours and no more than 36 hours per week.

The weekly workload for the full tenure of school heads, their deputies for education and managers of departments in charge of organising education is set at 40 hours.

The full tenure of school heads, their deputies for education and managers of departments in charge of organising education is structured as follows: up to 5 hours per week of class contact or extracurricular education, with additional 35–40 hours per week designated for school management activities.

At present, the standard norms of teaching load per week are as shown below:

● 18 hours for teachers; ● 18 hours for teachers providing extra-curricular education; ● 30 hours for educators in general education institutions; 36 hours in pre-school institutions; 24 hours in institutions of special education; 40 hours in vocational schools; 24 hours in schools in sanatoriums; 24 hours in boarding schools in sanatoriums; ● 24 hours for special education needs teachers in pre-school institutions; 20 hours in general education schools and 20 hours in health care institutions.

After the remuneration for the work of teachers according to the full tenure is introduced, the workload of teachers with full tenor will comprise no fewer than 30 hours and no more than 36 hours per week, out of which at least 18 will be class contact hours.

There are no standard norms for how many hours a teacher should be actually available in school. Heads, their deputies for education and administrative support activities as well as heads of structural sub-units and specialists may work no more than 9 additional hours per week.

Teachers are entitled to have their holidays in summer. Their holidays usually coincide with those of the students.

Teachers are also entitled to a paid leave of absence to develop teaching materials and to enhance their professional development.


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8.2.12.2. Working time and Holidays of the Teaching Staff in Higher Education

The obligatory annual number of teaching hours per full-time position is set by individual higher schools. In State-run colleges, the monthly tariff-based salaries of lecturers are set for the teaching load of 700–720 contact hours per year. In State-run universities, this number may be smaller or larger.

Once in every five years, higher education institution lecturers are entitled to a sabbatical leave not exceeding one year to do research and enhance their scientific and professional qualifications. During this period, the lecturer is paid his/her average salary.

8.2.13. Promotion, Advancement

Teachers of general education schools are entitled to professional development, retraining, performance appraisal and payment in line with the qualification category attained by them. Teachers are provided opportunities to seek attainment of a higher qualification category and promotion to senior posts.

Heads of general education schools are in charge of in-service training and professional development of the teaching staff, provide conditions for them to get appraised, develop plans for the in-service training of the staff, motivate them for creative activities and professional development and also plan an efficient use of human resources. Deputy heads for education encourage the staff to upgrade their qualifications, communicate among themselves professionally and get appraised and also provide methodological assistance. There are special methodological groups at schools and methodological boards at municipalities that attend to the matters related to improving the quality of teaching individual subjects or providing education programmes.

Municipal teacher (and adult) education centres also provide qualification development programmes financed from various sources. Qualification development programmes followed by teachers do not directly predetermine the success of the teaching career. They only serve as a necessary precondition for attaining a higher staff category. Once remuneration for teachers‘ work according to the full tenure is introduced, it will be possible to treat teachers‘ higher qualifications as an advantage in seeking to attain a higher position for the teacher.

8.2.14. Transfers

Teachers may work in various schools and hold posts in compliance with the qualification requirements defined by laws and other legal acts. Teachers may simultaneously work in several schools without exceeding the work load rates established by law. Teachers in possession of higher professional qualifications may work at lower-level educational institutions, e.g. lecturers of higher schools may do part-time work teaching certain subjects at general education and vocational schools.

An appraised teacher retains his/her qualification category confirmed in the area of subjects taught, extra-curricular education hours or educational duties performed for which he/she was previously granted appraisal when working in any institution of general education (including the general education section of vocational schools) or non-formal education.

Qualifications of appraised pre-school and primary school teachers working as pre-primary school teachers are retained.

A person who wishes to work in a higher education establishment as an additional workplace, must, together with a request to be employed as a teacher or a research worker, specify his position (activities) in the main workplace and all additional workplaces.


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Teachers have the right to retain their qualification category when they move within the teaching profession from one educational institution to another.

8.2.15. Dismissal

According to the number of people employed, education takes the fourth place among all the types of economic activities in Lithuania. Having decided to remain within the profession, teachers seek to attain an additional qualification that would grant them the right to teach another subject.

According to the 2001–2005 data provided by the Lithuanian Labour Exchange, the number of people seeking a job in educational establishments was growing, with those looking for a job of a pre-primary or primary school teacher prevailing. On the other hand, there was a considerable demand for teachers of information technologies and foreign languages. The biggest numbers of people seeking a job in educational establishments were in those towns where the higher educational institutions granting qualifications in the field of education are located. In 2006, emigration and allocation of additional hours to teachers for carrying out other work caused an acute shortfall of teachers.

The teaching staff are employed and dismissed according to the Law on Employment Contract of the Republic of Lithuania. School heads and teachers can be dismissed from work if their behaviour, even outside working hours, is immoral and, therefore, incompatible with the teaching profession. See 2.6.4.

Non-appraised lecturers and researchers of higher schools are dismissed from work in compliance with the procedure established by law.


8.2.16. Retirement and Pensions

Teachers are paid pensions in the same way as employees in other fields. According to the Law on State Social Insurance Pensions (1995), an old age retirement pension consists of the basic part, which is the same for all beneficiaries with the required number of years of service, and the additional part which depends on the years of service (years of social security payment) and the wages earned based on which the respective contributions to the social security fund were paid. The teaching record is a special working experience. It is a record of teaching children, young people and adults and education work performed in educational institutions or institutions equivalent to them.

The Law on State Social Insurance Pensions established a new official retirement age (60 years for women and 62.5 for men).

There is no specific document regulating statutory dismissal of educational staff once they have reached official retirement age. According to the Labour Code, teachers may retire or pursue their career beyond official retirement age upon mutual agreement. Upon retirement, teachers may be offered to continue working at school according to a contractual agreement.

Permanent residents of the Republic of Lithuania who have been awarded scientific degrees or academic titles or have had their degrees and titles homologated in the Republic of Lithuania qualify for a scientist’s state pension.


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8.3. School Administrative and/or Management Staff

The description of duties to be performed by the head of the State-run school (except for the higher school) is approved by the founder of the school. The job description of the head of the municipal school is approved in accordance with the procedure prescribed by legal acts. The school head directs the drafting of the school’s strategic plan and annual action programmes as well as the school education programmes, confirms them and directs their implementation. He/she is responsible for the democratic management of the school, performs the functions prescribed by the founder of the school and stipulated in the school regulations and the job description.

Pre-school educational institutions are headed by Directors. Chief Educators are responsible for implementation of education programmes and fulfilment of other functions. Day-to-day management of the facilities is the responsibility of Administrative Support Services Managers. Kindergarten-schools are headed by Directors. See 2.6.4.1.

General education schools are headed by Principals. The school administration includes the Principal’s deputy for education and another deputy for administrative support services and also the head of the division responsible for education organisation. See 2.6.4.2.

Vocational schools are headed by Directors. In case of the Director’s absence or illness, the educational institution is in charge of his/her deputy.

Director heads the college Kolegija , represents it and acts for it and on its behalf. The College Director may delegate part of his/her functions to his/her deputies in a manner prescribed by the Statute. 2.6.4.3.

The University Rector heads the university, represents it and acts for it and on its behalf. The University Rector may delegate part of his/her functions to Vice Rectors in a manner prescribed by the Statute. 2.6.4.3.

8.3.1. Requirements for Appointment as a School Head

Pursuant to the order On Approval of the Procedure for Appointing Heads of State-Run and Municipal Schools by the Minister of Education, principals of State-run and municipal educational institutions are appointed through open competition.

The founder of the school appoints and dismisses the school head (except at schools of higher education). School heads of State-run and municipal schools are appointed through open competition. School heads of non-state schools are appointed or elected and dismissed from work according to procedures set forth in labour laws.

The criteria required from applicants in order to qualify as school heads are as follows: a command of the Lithuanian language meeting the requirements specified in the Law on the State Language of the Republic of Lithuania, a higher education degree and at least three years of prior teaching experience. Applicants to the post of head of the vocational education and training institution are expected to have at least three years of teaching or professional experience in the field corresponding to the profile of the institution and also in-depth knowledge of how the key activities of the institution are organised and managed, budgetary institutions financed and legal labour relations maintained.

Applicants’ qualifications that may be regarded as advantages are as follows: management experience; completion of Master degree studies in management, training in the field of education management


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through professional development programmes; completed university higher education and attained qualifications in educational psychology (degree in education) for applicants seeking to obtain positions in pre-school educational institutions and general education schools of all types; special education teacher’s qualifications for applicants seeking to obtain positions in special educational institutions; social teacher’s qualifications for applicants seeking to obtain positions in childcare institutions; fluency in foreign languages; computer literacy; word-processing and filing skills; and project management skills.

No former staff employees of the USSR State Security Committee (NKVD, NKGB, MGB and KGB) may apply for the position of the head of any educational institution.

The Director of the pre-school educational institution is appointed and dismissed by the founder in a manner prescribed by the Law on Education. In order to be appointed as Director, the person should have completed higher educational studies and have at least five years of prior teaching experience.

The Director of the vocational educational institution is appointed and dismissed by the founder in a manner prescribed by law. The qualification requirements for heads of institutions of initial vocational education and training are set out in the Regulations on Appraisal of Heads of Institutions of Initial Vocational Education and Training, the Qualification Requirements for Heads of State-Run and Municipal Educational Institutions and the procedure for their appointment and dismissal.

The principals of state or municipal schools which have been founded on the basis of agreements with the community of any State-recognised traditional religious denomination are appointed and dismissed by the State or municipal authorities on the proposal of the religious community.

An applicant who may participate in the competition to hold the office of a State-run college Kolegija director is a person with prior experience of organisational or educational work who, as a rule, has a research degree. Only a scientist or a distinguished artist holding the academic title of a professor may participate in the competition for the rector’s post of a State-run university.

The non-state university Rector is elected or appointed in a manner prescribed by the Statute.

For more information, please see 8.2.5.3..

Procedure for Appointment of Heads of State-run and Municipal Schools

8.3.2. Conditions of Service

In 1989, the Minister of Education and Science, in coordination with the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Social Security and Labour, made an arrangement to allow the educational work load to exceed no more than:

● 9 hours of actual teaching per week for directors and chief educators of all types of pre-school educational institutions, heads, deputy heads for education and deputy heads for administrative support services of general education schools, children care institutions and institutions of supplementary and non-formal education as well as heads and specialists of structural units; ● 360 hours of actual teaching per year for directors, deputy directors for education and deputy directors for administrative support services of institutions of vocational education and training and also heads and specialists of structural units;


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● half the single lecturer’s standard load for directors, deputy directors for education and deputy directors for administrative support services and also heads and specialists of structural units of conservatoires and colleges.

An arrangement was made to allow heads, their deputies and also managers and specialists of structural units of the above mentioned categories with only half of the tenure to have no more than 18 working hours per week for performing their duties and the teaching load of no more than the standard load of a teacher with full tenure.

The executive institution of the municipality is in charge of the school heads’ professional development, in-service training and appraisal.

In 2005, Regulations on Performance Appraisal of School Heads, their Deputies and Managers of Educational Departments Organising Education in State-Run and Municipality Schools (Except for Higher and Advanced Vocational Schools) were approved. According to the Regulations, the process of performance appraisal of school management involves a self-assessment and appraisal of their theoretical background, management activities and performance on the basis of which they are awarded the III, II or I (the highest) qualification category. School heads are appraised at least once in every five years.

The process of appraisal is carried out by special boards, the members of which may be heads of administration divisions coordinating the activities of schools, their specialists and previously appraised school heads who possess at least the II qualification category.

Regulations on the Certification of School Heads, their Deputies and Managers of Departments in Charge of Organising Education in State and Municipality Schools (Except for Higher and Advanced Vocational Schools)

8.4. Staff involved in Monitoring Educational Quality

The social affairs, education and culture department of the county governor’s administration monitors, analyses, summarises and evaluates the activities of the educational institutions in the county and makes proposals to the county governor and the Ministry of Education and Science regarding their improvement. It also organises the performance appraisal of the education institution staff, initiates measures for the professional development of teachers and ensures their implementation. 9.

The State institution for education supervision at the county governor's administration monitors, examines and analyses changes related to the implementation of the State education policy in the county educational institutions. One of the major tasks of its activities is to identify if the network of the county educational institutions provides the necessary conditions and opportunities for children, young people and adults to acquire the level of education that meets the requirements of the State standards. One of the major functions is to supervise and analyse the performance appraisal process of school heads and teachers of the educational institutions in the county.

The education department of the municipal administration is in charge of education development in general and non-formal education schools for children and young people and schools for adult learners in the territory of the municipality. Functions to be performed by specialists are defined in an order issued by the Director (head) of the municipal administration. The specialists are responsible for the organisation and supervision of activities in separate educational institutions.


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8.4.1. Requirements for Appointment as an Inspector

In 1996, the Minister of Education and Science confirmed the qualification requirements that have to be satisfied in order to become education inspectors and experts and be appointed as heads of education departments of county governor’s and municipal administrations.

The basic requirements that have to be satisfied in order to become education inspectors and experts and be appointed as heads of education departments of county governor’s and municipal administrations are as follows: the applicant must be a citizen of the Republic of Lithuania who is fluent in the official language and meet the qualification requirements for such positions.

The general qualification requirements laid down for heads of education departments of county governor’s and municipal administrations and State education inspectorates are as follows: higher education; at least five years of teaching experience; at least three years of management experience or experience gained while performing the functions of an inspector of the State Education Inspectorate or expert of the education departments; general competence necessary to lead the team.

The general qualification requirements laid down for inspectors of the State Education Inspectorates of county governor’s and municipal administrations are as follows: holding a degree in education; at least five years of teaching experience and the qualification category of at least a senior teacher (lecturer); at least three years of management experience or experience gained while performing the functions of an expert of the education department; general knowledge and competence.

The general qualification requirements laid down for experts of the municipal education departments are as follows: holding a degree in education and general knowledge of and competence for performing the position-related functions.

The features that may be considered as advantages are as follows: personality traits, including tolerance, interpersonal skills and initiative, project development and management skills, word processing and filing skills, foreign language skills, computer literacy; the qualification category of a senior teacher (lecturer) and managerial experience for persons wishing to become experts.

8.4.2. Conditions of Service

Education supervision experts of education departments in county governor’s and municipal administrations are accorded the status of civil servants.

Their working time amounts to 40 hours per 5-working-day week.

Work performed by head of the education department of regional and urban municipal or county governor’s administrations, his/her deputies (except for the deputy for administrative support services), education inspector, methodologist, senior expert and expert is treated as educational work and, upon the person’s transfer to an educational institution, is included in the record of his/her teaching experience.

The civil servants’ conditions of service are regulated by the Law on Public Service of the Republic of Lithuania, Labour Code, Government resolutions and other legal acts.


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8.5. Educational Staff Responsible for Support and Guidance

The purpose of psychological assistance at school is to help learners regain emotional harmony and the ability to live and to learn. Psychological assistance is provided and prevention of psychological problems is undertaken by psychologists employed at Psychological Services, Pedagogical-Psychological Services and schools. The Government or its authorised institution establishes the procedure for provision of psychological assistance and mandates requirements for the qualification and attained education level of psychologists.

The purpose of social pedagogical assistance is to ensure a child’s safety at school. When providing social pedagogical assistance to learners, the school cooperates with social assistance services, healthcare and law enforcement institutions and provides consultations to students' parents (foster parents, guardians) and teachers. The provision of social pedagogical assistance to children and learners is regulated by the General Regulations on Provision of Social Pedagogical Assistance confirmed by the Government or its authorised institution.

The purpose of special pedagogical assistance and special educational needs assistance is to increase the effectiveness of learning for individuals with special needs. Special pedagogical assistance to persons of up to 21 years of age is provided by specialists of Pedagogical-Psychological Services. Special educational needs assistance is provided to individuals in need of such assistance. According to the procedure established in the Law on Special Education, such persons receive compensatory educational equipment, they are also provided with interpreters, readers, attendants and teachers’ aides.

The purpose of healthcare in schools is to assist learners in maintaining and improving their health. Healthcare in schools is provided by a public healthcare expert who is responsible for primary healthcare as well as methodological assistance and consultations on health improvement activity to teachers, learners and their parents (foster parents, guardians). Statistical data about learners’ health, health risks and learning behaviours are used for the purposes of audit and monitoring.

Procedure for Provision of Psychological Assistance to the Pupil


8.6. Other Educational Staff or Staff Working with Schools

Other educational staff includes music directors (in pre-school educational institutions), school librarians, social workers, educators (in general education and boarding schools), teachers of various vocations and coaches (at vocational schools) and other specialists performing educational functions. Their work functions are listed in job descriptions and school regulations.

Non-teaching staff of schools usually includes kitchen staff, support staff (engineer, electrician, joiner, cleaning staff, duty personnel and driver). The larger the school, the more employees it is allowed to have by the founder.

In addition to lecturers, the staff of State-run higher education institutions includes researchers, administrative and other workers. The conditions for their remuneration for work and social guarantees are laid out in the Law on Higher Education and Research and other legal acts.


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Research workers of higher education institutions are scientists holding the positions of a lead researcher, senior researcher and researcher and also persons with higher education holding the position of a junior researcher. The researcher must carry out research and announce research results in reviewed scientific publications. In universities, all academic staff doing research must also be engaged in teaching activities in accordance with the procedure established by the University Statute.

Higher education institutions must have administration to carry out the administrative functions of the higher education institutions and their structural units and also other support staff necessary for the implementation of tasks related to the higher education institutions’ academic and economic activities. The administration is comprised of higher education institution employees who are authorised, within their competence, to issue orders to be carried out by people under their subordination. Heads and deputy heads of higher education institutions, their faculties, institutes and other structural units indicated as being equal to them in their statutes may be engaged in educational and research work, in addition to their administrative functions.

It is the higher education institution itself that sets the number of other (non-administrative) employees of that institution and defines their duties and functions. The support staff employed in institutions of higher education includes engineers, accountants, laboratory assistants, operators, concertmasters and other employees who assist in performing administrative functions or organising studies and doing research.


8.7. Statistics

Ratio of average salaries paid to educators, teachers, the teaching staff in higher education and other persons involved in the educational/teaching process and the public sector employees (%)

2000 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009Ratio of average salaries 105.6 97.9 99.2 98.7 96.9 96.9 99.8 93.1

Pupil (student) / teacher ratio by level of education

2000 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 ISCED 0 8.5 8.4 8.6 9.0 8.0 8.4

ISCED 1 16.9 11.3 10.6 9.9 9.4 9.3

ISCED 2+3 12.0 8.8 8.3 7.8 7.5 7.5

ISCED 4 11.1 11.2 12.3 12.7 11.5 11.3

ISCED 5+6 11.5 13.9 13.8 12.7 15.6 16.5

Percentage of appraised heads of schools and their deputies

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Percentage 72.0 68.9 68.4 69.0 66.9 66.7 70.3


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Perentage of female educators, teachers and the teaching staff in higher education

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009Primary schools - - - - 97.74 98.66 98.73 - - -

Basic schools - - - - 85.10 85.93 86.27 - - -

Secondary schools - - - - 85.58 85.58 86.01 - - -

Vocational schools - - - 67.40 66.90 67.30 67.60 68.30 68.20 68.00

Colleges - 76.97 78.69 74.93 72.46 76.34 70.40 70.40 68.10 68.80

Universities 42.10 44.80 43.30 44.40 45.50 47.10 46.90 48.50 49.00 48.10

Schools of pre-school education - - - - - - 99.80 99.90 99.30 99.00

Educational staff in general education schools

2007–2008 2009–2010 Kindergarten-schools 918 887

Primary schools 1,599 1,486

Basic schools 11,310 11,513

Secondary schools 18,074 13,961

Gymnasiums 7,618 9,395

Special schools 1,121 1,039

Adult schools 528 554

Number of teachers, in thousands (beginning of the academic year)

2006–2007 2007–2008 2008–2009 2009–2010

Teachers, in thousands 61,822 62,119 59,649 -

At general schools 43,885 42,846 41,393 39,828

At vocational schools 4,692 4,587 3,908 3,882

At colleges 3,605 9,895 4,484 -

At universities 9,640 62,119 9,864 -

Numbers of educational staff providing assistance to pupils in general education schools

2007–2008 2008–2009 2009–2010

Total 3,053 3,191 3,207


Special teachers 447 479 512

Surdopedagogues 5 6 8

Typhlopedagogues 5 8 8

Psychologists 324 344 389

Social teachers 924 973 988

Educators who do not teach any subjects 873 904 829

Teachers‘ average monthly salary (in LTL)

2006 Q1 2007 Q1 2008 Q1 2009 Q1 2010 Q1 Gross 1476.6 1758.7 2101.1 2861.3 2623.0

Net 1044.9 1321.2 1613.9 2189.7 2015.8

Sources: Department of Statistics (Statistics Lithuania); ŠVIS [Centre of Information Technologies of Education]


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9. Evaluation of Educational Institutions and the Education System

The Provisions of the National Education Strategy 2003–2012 provide for a shift to evidence-based management which involves constant analysis of the situation and is based on sound information management.

The purpose of education management is to ensure the quality of the national educational policy implementation by means of management instruments, such as monitoring, planning, distribution of authority and responsibility and supervision.




In creating this modern education system, Lithuania is striving to achieve harmonisation, balance and integration, while simultaneously retaining its cultural uniqueness and identity without losing its cultural and ethnic values.

Within the ongoing process of the Lithuanian education system’s integration into the European education area, the issue of education quality assurance is gaining importance. In 1998, the Ministry of Education and Science declared quality assurance to be a key priority of the education reform. The basic feature of the Lithuanian education reform is a changed understanding of education quality and indicators used to determine the level of quality. Within general education, it turns into education quality assurance, which is impossible without ongoing assessment.

The Concept of Evaluation of an Educational Institution introduced in 2000 included the concept of evaluation, its objectives and goals, evaluation objects and, principles, organisational procedures and the projected use of evaluation data.

In recent years, a special emphasis has been focused on the evaluation of how educational institutions are implementing the general education policy.

In 2001, the European Council’s recommendations on co-operation in the evaluation of educational quality approved by the European Parliament revealed that the goal of Lithuania to design the internal and external auditing systems in schools and to focus on educational quality assurance was in full compliance with the European guidelines on education.

In the Long Term Development Strategy of the State adopted by the resolution of the Seimas in 2002, considerable attention is placed on education. The Strategy includes provisions that envisage quality assurance of the Lithuanian education system in the process of Lithuania’s integration into the common education space of the European countries by carrying out external evaluation of institutions and developing the systems of monitoring, audit, diagnostic tests and strategic planning.


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The Provisions of the National Education Strategy 2003–2012 approved by the resolution of the Seimas in 2003 and the measures for its implementation place a particular emphasis on education quality assurance. The measures to achieve that goal involve modernisation of educational research and evaluation, including development of the state system for testing pupil achievements, regular commissioning and performance of research into the status of different areas of education and gradual replacement of certain education supervisory and inspection functions by the system of school self-evaluation and external evaluation.

The main purpose of the further restructuring of the education supervision system is to ensure its optimal contribution to the improvement of the quality and efficiency of education on the level of the school, its founder and the state.

In Lithuania, creation of the internal school audit methodology started in 1999. In 2000, a new approach to the internal evaluation of school performance was adopted. In 20002001, the internal audit methodology was designed and tested in schools. In 2002, the Internal Audit Methodology for Schools of General Education was approved. Application of this Methodology started in all state and municipal general education schools from the school year 2004–2005, with submission of an internal audit report to the school founder on completion of every school year.

Since 2002, Lithuanian education has seen quite a number of changes, including a change in the understanding of education content and general curriculum framework, a shift of focus on education quality in general and the quality of the lesson in particular. A number of new evaluation-related documents have appeared which required readjustment and further changes of self-evaluation indicators. The education system is likely to continue changing in the future. It will be necessary, therefore, to respond to those changes by updating the self-evaluation indicators and the way of organising the process of self-evaluation. The package of the internal audit documentation is likely to be further upgraded to reflect the changing characteristics of the school.

To enhance education quality in Lithuanian basic schools, the Education Improvement Project was carried out during 2002–2005. One of the components in the Project was the Creation of the Education Quality Management System the purpose of which was to create a system enabling access to timely and relevant information necessary for making better judgements at the national and local levels to ensure a more effective functioning of the education system and improvement of education quality. The process of designing, implementing and evaluating the education policy on the basis of information, indicators and political analysis was initiated. The national system for assessment of student achievements was put into place.

In 2005, important documents concerning the evaluation of the education system were approved. They include the National List of Education Performance Indicators and the Procedure for Monitoring the State of Education. Issues relating to the importance of education performance indicators to education monitoring and achievement of the strategic education goals were discussed at seminars and workshops. Municipalities.started introducing the education monitoring system.

From 2003-2004, secondary schools began using the internal audit methodology for the evaluation of school activities. In 2007, the methodology was replaced by the internal audit procedure. In 2009, the recommendation was that instead of the internal audit, schools start applying self-evaluation of their activities in accordance with the model approved by the Minister of Education and Science.

In 2005, the External Audit Methodology was drafted. In the course of its development, 28 external school audits were carried out in 8 municipalities of Lithuania and 2 training audits (to train the trainers) were conducted in England; seminars on various issues related to the audit and school management information


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system were organised; in-service training for educational managers and experts conducted; conferences on audit issues held; the project for the improvement of methodology for school self-evaluation launched for implementation; the training of new auditors initiated; and the documents necessary for setting up the National School Evaluation Agency prepared. The National School Evaluation Agency was established and began its activities in 2006.

In 2007, external audits were launched in secondary schools and, since 2009, they have been performing the function of external evaluation of schools as a result of a decision to replace the evaluation of schools through external inspection by school self-evaluation and external evaluation intended for school improvement.

The Ministry of Education and Science continues implementing the strategic education quality management programme. The objective is to assure high quality and efficiency of education through improvement of education management (by way of improved strategic planning and reporting, regular examinations and tests and also evaluation of education programmes and activities of educational institutions). Criteria used to evaluate education quality and efficiency allow to compare the attainment of Lithuanian pupils in the international context, analyse changes and evaluate the outcomes of education reforms.

General education school quality assurance and improvement is one of the cornerstones of the Lithuanian education policy priorities. The State supports and encourages schools to practice self-evaluation for building up a learning environment, develop a collaborative school system where schools assist each other and influence each other’s self-evaluation process.

In 2007, in the course of management improvement, the primary focus was on matching the financial needs with the country’s capacity to respond to them. Activities related to monitoring of education at every level as well as evaluation and counselling of educational institutions were further expanded, the legislative framework regulating internal and external audits put in place and the process of the regular external evaluation of activities in schools begun.

In 2008, the Concept of the Formal Education Quality Assurance System was approved by the Minister of Education and Science. The purpose of the Concept is to provide a conceptual framework for political and social arrangements regarding the understanding of education quality and the methods and tools for formal education quality assurance, as well as to create preconditions for educational quality assurance policy harmonisation.

In 2010, one of the priorities put forward by the Ministry of Education and Science is to update the legal framework of general education by simplifying the process of founding schools and their operating conditions and reform the system of education supervision.

Concept of the Formal Education Quality Assurance System






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In 2010, the Law Amending the Law on Education that will institute a new system of education supervision has been widely discussed. From 1 July 2010, Lithuania abolishes the counties as administrative units. Under the Law currently in force, supervision of education was a function delegated to the county authorities. The new amendments to the Law have been widely discussed among the groups of interests.

Within the pedagogical and academic community, most intensive discussion was caused by the purpose of education supervision, its relationship with the inspection and evaluation. School leaders, teachers, educational trade unionists, representatives of various organisations, representatives of the parents' forum, members of the Seimas and experts of the Ministry of Education and Science discussed the issue of what role (inspection and control or counselling and assistance to educational institutions) should be attributed to education supervision in the Lithuanian education system and what institutions (the municipality, Ministry or independent bodies) should be responsible for it. In the ongoing debates, most of the participants seem to favour the approach that the model of a partly centralised education supervision with integrated monitoring and supervisory functions based on evaluation and quality assurance in education would be most suitable for the Lithuanian education system.

9.3. Administrative and Legislative Framework

The purpose of education supervision is to evaluate the implementation of the State education policy, education provision and its quality, prudence of expenditures of allocated funds, implementation of education management decisions, compliance with the Law on Education and other legislative acts in the area of education and reliability of data on educational activity. It also seeks to promote improvement of performance through the use of organisational, legislative and economic measures.

Supervision of activities of education providers is carried out by institutions of state supervision and school founders. For more information, see 9.3.1. and 9.3.2..

9.3.1. Administrative and Legislative Framework of the Supervision of Schools/Institutions

In 2004, the Lithuanian Government approved the new Regulations on State Supervision of Education that set out the tasks, functions, rights, obligations and organisation of work in the field of education supervision performed by the Ministry of Education and Science and the county governors’ administration departments (services) for state supervision of education.

In line with the competencies outlined in their regulations, the Ministry of Education and Science and the County Governors’ Administration Departments (Services) for State Supervision of Education supervise the activities of general, vocational schools, pre-school institutions, non-formal children and adult schools and other providers of education implementing licensed pre-school, pre-primary preparatory, formal education (except for higher education) and vocational training curricula and also the activities of freelance teachers who have licences to provide pre-school, pre-primary preparatory and formal education (except for higher education) curricula.

Departments for State Supervision of Education analyse and summarise the findings about the quality of education providers’ performance revealed during the inspections carried out as well as information about the state of education provided by managers of municipal administrations and departments of education in county governors’ administrations. After approval by the county governor, annual reports on the State


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supervision of education and the findings revealed during the inspections carried out are submitted to the Ministry of Education and made public.

According to the General Regulations on Supervision of Educational Institutions approved by the Minister of Education and Science (2000), regular supervision of educational institutions is conducted by their founders (in the event of state educational budgetary institutions), municipal executive bodies (in the event of municipal educational budgetary institutions) and the meeting of partners or the owner (in the event of other providers of education). Based on the Regulations, the founder of an educational institution observes, analyses and evaluates the conditions for providing education, its process and outcomes achieved.

The founder has an important function to assist inspectors of education inspectorates in the county governors’ administrations, experts of the Ministry of Education and Science and commissions set up by the above mentioned bodies to inspect the activities of educational institutions and to discuss – together with the management, school councils and teachers’ councils of educational institutions – the findings of the inspections carried out and recommendations provided. After assessment of the findings, the founder issues a regulative document (decision, order or precept) containing specific measures for the improvement of the institution’s activities.

Assessment of the quality of studies and research in Lithuanian higher education was initiated in 1995 after establishment of the Lithuanian Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education. One of the functions of the Centre is to organise the process of quality assessment of studies in Lithuanian institutions of higher education. The Lithuanian Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education, an institution entirely independent of higher schools, organises external assessment of research and studies.



Regulations on State Supervision of Education

General Regulations on Supervision of Educational Institutions; the Regulations on the State Inspectorate of Education


9.3.2. Administrative and Legislative Framework of the Education System

The new Law on Education adopted in 2003 established monitoring of education as one of the measures of education management. The purpose of monitoring of education is to empower all the entities engaged in education management to adopt reasoned decisions and to provide management assuring education quality. State monitoring of education is implemented – in accordance with indicators of education monitoring and with the procedure set forth by the Minister of Education and Science – by the Ministry of Education and Science and other institutions authorised by the Minister, county governors’ and municipal administrations and schools.

In 2005, the Minister of Education and Science approved the Procedure for State Education Monitoring that establishes the goal and objectives of state education monitoring, its object, organisation and implementation, education monitoring indicators, procedure for disposition of information on education monitoring and its funding. Education monitoring is a continuous analysis, assessment and forecasting of the state and development of education.


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The Ministry of Education and Science and institutions authorised by the Minister of Education and Science analyse the needs of analytical information for the purposes of education monitoring at the national level, develop and update its indicators, perform the analysis of the data and indicators, commission and conduct research, make reviews and reports, model educational judgements and analyse their impact and also publish analytical information and provide it to education management bodies and other users.

Responsibility for organisation and execution of education monitoring at the county level is placed with the county governor. Responsibility for organisation and execution of education monitoring at the municipality level is placed with the manager of the municipality administration.

The purpose of education planning is, upon assessment of the state of education and with respect to the education needs of society, to set long-term and short-term goals and tasks of education, set priorities and define means for task implementation.

Policy priorities for education in Lithuania, long-term goals, directions in the development of education content and funding priorities are set forth in the National Education Strategy. The Strategy is drafted and presented to the Seimas for confirmation by the Government. The Strategy covers a period of ten years and is reviewed at least every four years.

The strategic education plans of the State, counties, municipalities and schools are drafted and co-ordinated on the basis of the National Education Strategy.





9.4. Evaluation of Schools/Institutions

The objective of securing the high quality and effectiveness of education is pursued through the improvement of education management, including strategic planning and ways of accounting and reporting. Students have to take examinations and undergo testing and study programmes of various educational institutions are subjected to assessment. The external assessment of study programmes is carried out with the involvement of foreign experts.

Quality evaluation performs the following functions: formative (when the evaluation is carried out seeking improvement), generalising (evaluation is carried out to account for the work done) and administrative (evaluation is carried out seeking to improve the management functions).

The first function is performed by researchers at institutions of education and science seeking to clarify the topical issues in the changing system of education, issues related to the effectiveness of textbooks and curricula, as well as the opinion of educators, pupils and the public on the development or changes in education. Together with municipal (county) departments of education, the Ministry of Education and Science organises periodical quality assessment of education in general education schools (in the form of standardised national tests).


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The second function is performed by educational institutions themselves whereby they account for their activities to the municipality, the county governor, the Ministry (or the founder) in the form of various reports, dossiers, questionnaires, etc.

The third function, inspection, is carried out by inspectors of the education section in the county governor’s administration and specialists of the corresponding divisions of the Ministry of Education and Science. It is a systematic observation, analysis, testing and evaluation of the education system, its separate links and establishments.

Based on the Procedure for the State Education Monitoring and the performance monitoring indicators approved by the municipality, specialists of municipal divisions of education collect and analyse information on changes taking place in the activities of pre-school educational institutions and general education schools and also analyse, assess and sum up the state of those activities against the background of the development of the national and regional education policy.

The founder conducts an ongoing observation of an educational institution and performs its comprehensive evaluation every seven years. Such evaluation is based on the analysis of the internal evaluation of the educational institution, observation of lessons during classroom visits, analysis of work accomplished by learners, conferences or interviews with the learners, teaching staff, leadership, parents (foster parents or guardians) and other individuals related to the operations of the institution, analysis of the documentation, facts and measurable indicators. The founder also assesses the performance of the management and teaching staff of educational institutions according to the order established in the Law on Education and Regulations on Performance Assessment. In assessing the performance of individual educational institutions, the founder identifies how well the education policy pursued by each educational institution satisfies the needs of the local community and complies with the general policy of the State on education.

The objectives of the National School Evaluation Agency are to perform evaluation of the quality of performance in schools providing general education and provide methodological assistance and recommendations for schools and their founders regarding the improvement of the quality of schools’ performance. The Agency is entrusted with the task of managing the process of schools’ self-evaluation of the quality of their performance throughout the country and also organising and coordinating the external evaluation of the quality of schools’ performance, supplying information to educational monitoring, making selection of evaluators to conduct external evaluation of the quality of schools’ performance and organising professional training and performance assessment.

From 2006, the Centre of Teachers' Competencies was organising and administering evaluation of performance and accreditation of institutions providing improvement of professional qualifications to teachers and specialists offering educational assistance. That was done in conformity with the Rules for the Evaluation and Accreditation of Institutions Providing Improvement of Professional Qualifications to Teachers and Specialists Offering Educational Assistance approved by the ministerial order (2006). Since the autumn of 2009, following the reorganisation of the Centre of Teachers' Competencies, the said functions have been performed by the Education Development Centre.

The Qualifications and Vocational Training Development Centre organises two types of vocational training quality assurance: vocational training curriculum quality assurance and evaluation of funds allocated for the implementation of the vocational training curriculum. The vocational training curriculum quality assurance embraces evaluation of vocational training curricula designed by vocational training schools and other providers of vocational training. Upon completion of the evaluation of the vocational training curricula and funds allocated for their implementation, a licence is issued.


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National School Evaluation Agency



9.4.1. Internal Evaluation

The development of self-evaluation – and quality management in general – is one of the priorities set out for the second stage in the implementation of the Provisions of the National Education Strategy (2003-2012).

The key aims of internal evaluation are to:

● attach value to educational institutions and sustain public trust in them; ● use internal evaluation as a basis for the educational institutions’ change strategy.

The general objectives of internal evaluation are to:

● define how well the institution manages to implement the general education goals, foster the values and adhere to the principles prescribed in the state documents; ● define how the education process organised by the educational institutions assists in implementation of the key objectives prescribed in the guidelines for curriculum content; ● highlight the interaction between the process of learning and the development of learners’ attitudes, values and individual capabilities; ● evaluate the state of the educational institution, including its strengths, weaknesses that have to be improved or avoided and negative experience; ● use self-evaluation as a basis for developing the institution’s improvement strategy aimed at making it a better place for all customers in general and each customer in particular, focus on improvement of their achievements and management of change, i.e. to understand the key drivers of the outcomes attained and put them to the most rational use; ● disclose the commitment, self-improvement and individual contribution of every member of the educational institution and also the process of change within the institution; ● develop the culture of self-evaluation and assessment; ● develop a network for internal evaluation cooperation; ● provide objective information about the state of the educational institution and its separate fields of activity to its customers; ● provide the necessary data to information databases that are currently under development.

The management of the educational institution, irrespective of its founder, are the main players responsible for carrying out supervision of that institution’s activities. Supervision of formal education is performed by the educational institution’s management and authorised persons and also by individuals authorised by the founder as prescribed in law or in legislative acts of the Government. The function of supervision, analysis and evaluation of the school activities and performance belongs to school's principal. Non-formal supervision of the educational institution is carried out by the institution’s council, teachers’ council, students’ and parents’ committees, class self-governance bodies, etc.



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9.4.1.1. Self-Evaluation at the Pre-School Level

The Internal Audit Methodology for Pre-School Education Schools (2005) regulates the internal audit model, organisation and use of school self-evaluation procedures and requirements for the internal audit. The Methodology is applied at institutions of pre-school education, including nurseries, nursery-kindergartens, kindergartens, kindergarten-schools, and other providers implementing the pre-school and pre-primary preparatory curricula.

Areas of activity for the evaluation of schools include the school ethos, learning and education of a child, his/her learning achievements, assistance to children and families, resources and school management. Every area of evaluation includes activity indicators and ancillary indicators that help to reveal more thoroughly different aspects of the areas undergoing evaluation and indicate the outcomes to be achieved. The Methodology sets out self-evaluation of a school to be performed in two stages, by carrying out the ‘broad’ and ‘in-depth’ audits.

The internal audit is initiated by the head of the school, who is responsible for the performance of the internal audit at school and the use of its findings.

Director of a pre-school institution carries out self-evaluation and planning of the institution’s activity.

Internal audit in kindergartens-schools is organised and performed by the kindergarten-school; it is based on the development plan worked out and the methodology of organising internal audit. Internal audit is organised by the director of the institution and co-ordinated by the deputy director. Members of the kindergarten-school council assess the managerial performance of the heads of the educational establishment and offer their opinion during their appraisal process.

Internal Audit Methodology for Schools of Pre-school Education

9.4.1.2. Self-Evaluation in General Education Schools

Following approval of the Internal Audit Methodology for General Education Schools in 2002, general education schools started carrying out self-evaluation of their activities, i.e. performing internal audits of their institutions. In 2007, performance of internal audits in general education schools was initiated under the newly approved Procedure for the Internal Audit of General Education Schools.

In 2009, general education schools abandoned the internal audit. Instead, the National School Agency for Education Evaluation prepared, by order of the Minister of Education and Science, Guidelines for Self-Evaluation of Quality in General Education School Performance. The Guidelines were approved by a ministerial order as guidance to be complied with by general education school leaders when analysing the state of school performance and management resources.

School self-evaluation is a systematic cost-benefit analysis of the quality of the school performance and results achieved that helps determine how the objectives of the school's strategic plan and annual activity programme are reached and what targets the school can raise in the future.

Self-evaluation is a process in the course of which members of the school community examine the quality of school performance. The purpose of self-evaluation is to assist the school principal in carrying out education monitoring, help build up the school as a learning organisation, reveal and capture best practices and provide the results to external evaluators.


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Self-evaluation of school performance is conducted according to the General Education School Performance Indicators that are grouped into themes (aspects) and areas. The school performance indicators include specific areas of school activities (school culture/ethos, teaching and learning, academic achievements, assistance to pupils, school management); specific aspects making every area of school activities under evaluation more concrete; performance indicators disclosing the content of areas and fields of activity oriented at the outcomes to be achieved; explanatory notes qualifying the performance indicators and providing illustrations to them.

The next step after completion of self-evaluation is to account for it to the entire school community that is provided access to the self-evaluation data, results and reports. This information may be published. Self-evaluation information like this makes for a better understanding of the general education development trends in the municipalities and the entire country and enables school founders and national-level educational institutions to plan further activities in order to provide support to schools and enable the sharing of best practices.

Teachers at general education schools (basic, secondary, youth Jaunimo mokykla and gymnasium Gimnazija ) must analyse their pedagogical practice, assess the learning achievements and report them to the pupils, their parents, colleagues, school management and municipal institutions. Through mutual co-operation, the teaching staff can observe each other’s work, evaluate and discuss it and share their experience. The school principal observes, analyses and evaluates the performance of the school and educational outcomes.

The deputy principal for education supervises the education process and evaluates the education outcomes.

The general education school council evaluates the performance of the school management, offer their opinion at the managers’ appraisal procedure and submit their proposals to the school principal in evaluating the performance of the school staff.

The vocational school director controls the process of education and the performance of the school staff.

Guidelines for Self-Evaluation of Quality in General Education School Performance

9.4.1.3. Self-Evaluation in Institutions of Higher Education

Internal evaluation (self-evaluation) in institutions of higher education and research is an integral part of the general evaluation of the institution. Internal evaluation of institutions is the key part of any evaluation. In the process of evaluation of its own performance, the institution establishes its goals and objectives, analyses its activities from different angles, discloses its performance-related problems and designs ways of solving them. The procedure for carrying out the internal evaluation is established by the senate (council or academic council) of the institution. The head of the institution (or the senate) appoints employees in charge of the constant evaluation of the quality of the institution‘s performance. The institution of science and studies performs evaluation at regular intervals established by the senate (council or academic council). Prior to every external evaluation, the institution performs its self-evaluation.

Self-evaluation of higher education institutions is part of their overall quality assurance systems. Each HEI is responsible for the quality of studies it provides; it must elaborate and implement the rules and procedures for assessing the quality of performance and the ways to secure its improvement. Part of universities and all the colleges in Lithuania have introduced quality assurance systems based on total quality management principles, which cover a range of issues: institutional management, curriculum content, organisation of studies, teaching and research quality, funding, and others. The rules and procedures for self-evaluation are laid down by the senate (academic council) of the higher education institution. Each HEI may establish the


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periodicity of self-evaluation to be conducted in it; however, it is mandatory to carry it out before each external evaluation, whereby the institution is required to prepare a self-evaluation report, in an approved standard format, and submit it for external appraisal. The methodological guidelines for self-evaluation are developed by the Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education.

In the period of 2007-2013, having developed proper projects, HEIs will be eligible for support from the EU structural funds to develop or expand their internal quality assurance systems


9.4.1.4. Self-Evaluation in Other Educational Institutions

All institutions subordinate to the Ministry of Education and Science prepare their annual plans of activities which must be approved by the Management Committee. The director of the institution must, at least once a year, account for the performance of the institution to the founder and the Management Committee. Educational institutions follow the established procedures for submitting their activity reports to the Ministry of Education and Science.

One form of self-evaluation at educational institutions (schools, centres and institutes) can be conferences organised by these institutions and also thematic or periodic publications. Interaction with other institutions inside and outside Lithuania gives opportunities for one institution to analyse the experience of others and tailor it to its own operations.


9.4.2. External Evaluation

The Ministry of Education and Science is empowered to shape and implement the State education policy; bear responsibility for education quality; draft strategic education plans and annual education action programmes. It coordinates the activity of education departments of county governors’ and municipal administrations in the implementation of the State education policy.

The Ministry’s Department of General Education coordinates the implementation of the pre-school, general and special education policy. It coordinates the activities of the county governors’ and municipal administration departments (services) for state supervision of education. The Department of General Education supervises the activities of general education and vocational training schools.

The county governor analyses the overall state of education in the county, supervises the activities of subordinate education providers, submits information regarding the state of education in the county to the Ministry, as prescribed by the Minister of Education and Science.

Municipal executive institutions analyse the state of education and ensure implementation of the State education policy, communicate information regarding the state of education in the municipality to the Ministry, institutions of State supervision of education and the general public, as prescribed by the Minister of Education and Science.

The founder of a school supervises the school’s activity, compiles and makes public information about the school’s activity in accordance with the procedure prescribed in legislative acts.

The main goal of supervision carried out by the founder is to ensure the effective functioning of subordinate educational institutions, adequate education quality and implementation of the state policy in the field of


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education in the region and nationally. The key objectives are to encourage educational institutions to carry out regular and comprehensive self-evaluation of their performance and seek for the necessary improvement, determine the performance quality on the basis of external evaluation indicators, provide counselling to school communities concerning improvement of their performance, etc.

The areas of external evaluation include:

● conditions of education at the level of educational institutions (context, resources, participants); ● educational processes (education quality, pedagogical, psychological and social assistance, management, evaluation and quality assurance); ● goal attainment (learning achievements, personality growth and social development, success in learning).

The use of evaluation data is determined by the evaluation goals of the educational institution. External evaluation data are used to:

● determine the state and quality of the educational institution and also identify its development; ● initiate improvement of the educational institution; ● create municipality/regional databases; ● prepare reports and inform the general public, education policymakers and the Government about the state, achievements and development of the educational institution; ● add information to education monitoring databases.

An overall evaluation of a school is also performed in case of its leader’s assessment. Such an evaluation is performed by management experts, heads of the education division in the county governor’s administration and municipalities, specialists, methodologists and leadership of other educational institutions proficient in management issues. The evaluation makes use of a variety of methods and means (such as interviewing school management, teaching staff, pupils; analysis of documents and data).

At the turn of each year, the Minister of Education and Science issues an order establishing a focus for monitoring the educational policy over the coming year; this monitoring is carried out by the Ministry of Education and Science in tandem with education departments and county administrations. The focus includes themes, such as the situation in different educational domains on the national level, across several counties, municipalities or specifically in one particular county or municipality.


9.4.2.1. External Evaluation in General Education and Vocational Training Schools

In 2004, the Minister of Education and Science approved the Criteria for Curriculum Accreditation and the Procedure for its Accomplishment that defines the aim, objectives, principles and criteria of the secondary education curriculum accreditation as well as the procedure according to which accreditation is to be organised and accomplished and appeals considered. The aim of the secondary education curriculum accreditation is to ensure provision of adequate conditions for every pupil to acquire secondary education.

The basic criteria for accreditation of the secondary education curriculum are as follows:

- Educational achievement and successful learning outcomes of pupils in grades 11–12

- Professional efficiency of school management and teachers

- Admission of pupils to follow the secondary education curriculum and formation of groups


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- Availability of options for pupils as regards education content and forms of education

- Assistance to pupils following the secondary education curriculum

- Provision of resources necessary for the education process

- School culture

- School management

- Provision of external assistance to schools making arrangements for their accreditation.

Institutions that are charged with the task of organising and carrying out accreditation are as follows: the Commission for Accreditation of the Secondary Education Curriculum, accreditation coordination commissions and evaluation groups. Members of evaluation groups (expert evaluators) are developed according to the programme for training accreditation experts approved by the Minister of Education and Science.

Performance of the external audit as an essential element of school improvement in general education schools was initiated in 2007 when the Procedure for the External Audit of Performance Quality in General Education Schools was approved. According to the Procedure, the school founder planned the audit and funds necessary for its accomplishment. School audits used to be performed by teams of external auditors whose work was coordinated by the National School Evaluation Agency.

In 2009, a new document regulating external evaluation of general education schools – the Procedure for the External Evaluation of Performance Quality in General Education Schools – was approved. Institutions charged with the responsibility to implement the founder’s rights and obligations, meetings of partners (owners or the founder) were recommended that they promote the improvement of schools in accordance with the internal and external evaluation findings and annually plan funds for that purpose.

The objective of external evaluation is to promote school improvement and attempt to achieve a better quality of teaching and learning and higher pupil outcomes. External evaluation is a formative assessment of processes going on at schools. It is carried out in line with the performance indicators of general education schools and provides information necessary for the adjustment of school activities and improvement of its efficiency. At schools, external evaluation is performed by teams of external auditors. External evaluation is organised and performed at all schools of the country at least once in seven years. Any school may, at its own discretion, submit an application for the performance of external evaluation (if it wants to have the evaluation performed more often than once in seven years).

In 2006, the Minister of Education and Science amended the Procedure for Evaluation of Quality of Education in Vocational Schools that introduced a new order for the assessment of the vocational school curriculum. The core activities of the Qualifications and Vocational Education and Training Development Centre are: assessment of formal VET programmes; assessment of readiness to implement formal VET programmes; External assessment of VET institutions activity and implementation of formal VET programmes.




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Description of Criteria for Curriculum Acreditation and the Procedure for its Accomplishment

Procedure for Evaluation of Quality of Education in Vocational Schools

Procedure for the External Evaluation of Performance Quality in General Education Schools

9.4.2.2. External Evaluation of Higher Education Institutions and their Study Programmes

The key purpose of evaluation of the quality of performance, study programmes in State-run and private institutions of science and studies is to stimulate institutions of science and studies, their subdivisions and all scientists to clearly understand the needs of the country and the mission of the institution, to help it identify its strengths and weaknesses and improve the efficiency of its performance. The intent of evaluation is to determine if the institution meets the qualification requirements set out in the legal acts approved by the Lithuanian Government and the Ministry of Education and Science. Evaluation must provide information about the efficiency and the level of performance in institutions of science and studies (compared with the international level), measures recommended by the State for the improvement of the system of science and studies and the quality of study programmes provided by all higher schools. Any evaluation consists of two main parts: internal evaluation (self-evaluation) and external evaluation.

In 2009, the new Law on Higher Education and Research was adopted that replaced the former Law on Higher Education. Under the new Law, institutions of higher education and research are responsible for the quality of their research (artistic) activities, study programmes and other activities. The quality of research (artistic) activities and study programmes is ensured through the internal quality assurance systems of the higher education and research institutions, external evaluation and accreditation of study programmes, external evaluation of research activities and external evaluation and/or accreditation of higher education and research institutions. The purpose of external evaluation is to establish the quality of performance in higher education and research institutions, provide recommendations for the improvement of their quality and develop the culture of quality assurance in higher education and research.

Under the Law on Higher Education and Research, the Ministry of Education and Science initiates external evaluation of the performance of higher education institutions to promote the quality and accountability of their activities. The external evaluation conducted with the help of foreign experts is performed every six years. The external evaluation of performance in higher education embraces all areas of activities specified in their statutes (articles of association and regulations) and is based on the established principles. The external evaluation of performance in higher education is organised by an institution authorised by the Ministry of Education and Science. Higher schools are regularly accredited based on the findings of the external evaluation. A newly established higher education institution must be accredited not later than within two years after its establishment. When accrediting the newly established higher education institution, it is additionally assessed to evidence its compliance with the requirements set out at the time of its establishment.

Like self-evaluation, external evaluation is an integral part of the quality assurance system. Colleges carry out the study programmes-related and the institutional (covering the overall activities of the HEI) external evaluation. The external evaluation of the quality of university provision is carried out at the level of study programmes. Both, newly developed programmes and those currently delivered undergo external evaluation. All the programmes of the selected study fields provided at universities and colleges are subjected to evaluation at the same time, with foreign experts invited to work in appraisal groups. The Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education conducts evaluation of scientific and artistic output of


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research and higher education institutions as well. Although the Centre does not carry out institutional evaluation of universities, some of them invite foreign experts to assess the quality of their activities.

External evaluation of HEI study programmes is performed by the Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education or any other higher education quality assessment agency included in the European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education. Only accredited study programmes are carried out. The purpose of accreditation is to determine, based on the findings of external evaluation, whether the curriculum meets the legal requirements.

All new study programmes must be filed in the Study and Teaching Programme Register, which is administered by the Minister of Education and Science. Prior to its registration, a programme must be appraised by the Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education. Exception is made for university study programmes only, provided during the latest external evaluation all the programmes in a certain field and study cycle received unconditional accreditation; one new programme in this field and cycle can be registered on the proposal of the university senate, in which case the requirement is that the newly developed programme should have received positive evaluation from external experts summoned by the university itself. The accredited study programme is entered in the Study and Teaching Programme Register for a specified term. Study programmes must be accredited at least every six years. Non-accredited study programmes or those whose accreditation has already expired are deleted from the Register.

To conduct all the above external evaluations, the Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education sets up expert teams. The candidates must meet certain requirements: they must be independent, well-wishing, capable of impartial judgments and seeking implementation of progressive ideas. The expert team is comprised of persons working in different institutions. The size of the team depends on the nature of evaluation to be conducted (the activities of HEI, a study programme delivered, research or artistic outputs, a new study programme) and the size of the institution undergoing evaluation. The smallest expert team (usually two persons) is set up to assess a new study programme, while a team of at least five experts is formed for the assessment of the activities of a HEI. One member of the team is appointed team leader. The functions of team leaders include assigning work to the team members, organising the evaluation process, establishing the scope of work done by experts; they are also responsible for the appropriate and timely submission of the conclusions and recommendations.

At the outset of the evaluation process, experts familiarise themselves with the self-evaluation report or the description of a new programme, prepare blueprint conclusions and formulate questions on the issues to be clarified during their visit to the HEI, following which they undertake an on-site visit to look into the human and material resources. In the event that a new study programme is assessed, an on-site visit is undertaken if the HEI wants to introduce a programme in a new field or cycle and if/when the expert team considers it expedient. After the visit, experts elaborate the final draft report and submit it to the Centre, which forwards it to the HEI for it to point out the possible mistakes made by the experts and to suggest a change in certain conclusions and recommendations.

Assessment, coordination and consultancy functions are also carried out by the following state and public institutions:

● The Higher Education Council that is a strategic advisory body of the Ministry of Education and Science on issues of higher education development. The Higher Education Council is established and operates in accordance with the regulations approved by the Government. ● Centre for School Improvement that supports the processes of school performance improvement, implements alternative programmes for teacher qualification upgrading and other projects in education sphere; it provides and organises counselling services for schools that require such services, develops


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professional qualification improvement programmes, organises their dissemination in schools and regional education centres, etc. ● Educational Council the key objectives of which are to analyse the education strategy, monitor its implementation process, provide consultations and submit proposals to the Seimas, the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, the Ministry of Education and Science, county governors and local self-government institutions, educational institutions, institutions of science and studies on the issues of education improvement and to explain to the general public the provisions of the education policy. ● The General Education Council that is the Ministry’s advisory collegial group of specialists participating in the formation of the general education strategy and tactics, initiating and providing expert opinion on the curricula, organising and changing the process and coordinating the work of expert teams. ● Qualifications and Vocational Education and Training Development Centre that organises evaluation of quality of teaching and studies at vocational schools and at colleges. At the request of the founder, the Centre may have experts to examine education programmes of vocational schools and colleges. The Division of Teaching and Studies at the Vocational Training Methodological Centre conducts two types of evaluation of vocational education quality: evaluation of quality of vocational teaching programmes and evaluation of resources allocated to those programmes. ● The Research and Higher Education Monitoring and Analysis Centre monitors the system of science and studies, analyses its state, produces and offers recommendations on the sustained development of the system in view of the needs of our society and the State and the international trends of its development. ● The National School Evaluation Agency performs evaluation of the quality of performance in schools providing general education. It also provides methodological assistance and recommendations on the improvement of the quality of performance to schools and their founders. The key objectives of the Agency are to manage the process of self-evaluation of the quality of performance in schools of general education across the country, organise and coordinate the process of external evaluation of the quality of their performance, submit the data necessary for education monitoring, perform selection, training and assessment of independent experts to carry out the external evaluation of the quality of performance in schools.

Centre for School Improvement





9.5. Evaluation of the Education System

Within the context of increasing rapid and complex changes in education and its environment, continuous monitoring of the education system as a whole and analysis-based management culture is being introduced at all levels of education management. Information and data necessary for the monitoring of education are provided by the Education Management Information System (EMIS), periodic evaluation reports on the state of the system and both national and international surveys on education achievement. As a result, conditions for taking reasonable decisions and ensuring high quality of education management are created.

Observation, collection of data and evaluation of certain aspects of the education system is conducted by a number of institutions, including the Ministry of Education and Science and various agencies under its subordination, departments of education in municipal and county governors’ administrations, institutions of


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science and studies, institutions providing expertise, government institutions and agencies, non-government organisations and various other services.

During the period of the Education Improvement Project implementation (2002-2005), attention was centred on the improvement of education management quality. At present, attempts are made to ensure that the activities of institutions performing the monitoring of education be focused on the most critical issues of education in order to avoid wasteful duplication or replication of work. Much attention is placed on the integration of various databases of the Ministry of Education and Science and their links with the external databases. Effort is made to align the education database with demographic studies, population census, health care indicators, etc. The Education Management Information System (EMIS) is expected to assist in solving the problems related to monitoring of the state of education in accordance with the established national education indicators.

In 2009, the Strategic Programme Office was set up at the Ministry of Education and Science to ensure the singleness of purpose of the Ministry’s activities. One of the tasks performed by the Office is to analyse the overall state of the country’s education and science system and organise the monitoring of its state and implementation of integral development strategies. The Division is responsible for ensuring that the central and local management should be supplied with information based on timely, reliable and accurate analysis to assist the management in shaping, implementing and evaluating the education policy.

The Ministry of Education and Science commissions and co-ordinates research and other work necessary for solving problems in the field of education, studies, research, and technology. The Ministry of Education and Science is entitled to receive statistical and other information concerning education, studies, research, demand for specialists and their improvement needs from other ministries and government agencies, as well as from local institutions of self-governance, educational institutions and research and studies establishments.

In 1999–2000, an international assessment of Lithuanian education policy was carried out by experts of OECD. It included analysis of the Lithuanian education system and the reform that was underway. The reorganisation of the education system was given positive evaluation. The OECD experts put forward recommendations related to the quality of education, access and coordination of the education system, renovation of infrastructure, financing and strengthening of self-governance.

Annual surveys on education at the national and/or regional level and policy analysis briefs published by the Ministry of Education and Science (in Lithuanian and English) not only help analyse and evaluate the present state of the education system but also provide recommendations to education policy-makers.

The evaluation of the overall state of the Lithuanian education system and self-evaluation is performed based on the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis applied by the Ministry in its reports. The accomplishment of strategic educational objectives is evaluated according to effect, result and product related criteria.

Criteria related to the evaluation of education quality and efficiency allow to compare the educational achievement of Lithuanian pupils within an international context, analyse changes and evaluate the efficiency of the education reforms.

In 2006, a formal evaluation of scientific activities in institutions of higher education and research was carried out by education experts. The findings of the evaluation were used as a basis for allocation of funds from the


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State budget for the development of research, experimental and artistic activities in those institutions (except for colleges) in 2007.



9.6. Research into Education Linked to Evaluation of the Education System

Since 2001, the Ministry of Education and Science has been engaged in commissioning surveys yielding information relevant to the evaluation of the overall state of the education system. The Ministry has been organising tenders and disseminating information on their results. The surveys are conducted by scientists or their groups from the country‘s universities as well as by private research companies. The findings of the surveys are used in analysing the state of the education system, planning its activities, decision making and updating of priorities relating to the development of education and science and also updating and developing new national education monitoring indicators.

A commission for research into the state of education set up and approved by an order of the Minister of Education and Science is comprised of scientists, ministerial employees and representatives of institutions subordinate to the Ministry. The Commission is authorised to discuss and prepare recommendations relating to research priorities, studies to be commissioned, ways of financing and dissemination of the results. At least once a year, the Commission puts out studies to diagnose the state of education to competitive tender. The studies are completely or partially financed from the general funds allocated to the Ministry of Education and Science in the state budget by way of competition or through placing special orders of the Ministry management. In 2006, the Rules for Organising Research into the State of Education were approved.

in 2001–2006, 71 surveys on the state of education were carried out. They were all commissioned from the Ministry of Education and Science. In 2008, ten more surveys on the state of education were commissioned and are still in progress. Some surveys are regularly repeated over the years, providing an opportunity to look deeper into the problem and observe the changes brought about as a result of the political sanctions applied. In 2009, the study on ‘Social Equity Indicators in Education’ was carried out.

Commissioned by the Ministry of Education and Science, educological research is carried out by Vilnius University, Kaunas Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas Technological University, Vilnius Pedagogical University, Klaipėda University, Šiauliai University, their departments, institutes and laboratories, centres subordinate to the Ministry of Education and Science (Education Development Centre, National Examination Centre, Centre of Special Pedagogy and Psychology, etc.). In 2008, 11 studies like that were conducted.

The National Examination Centre organises and conducts the testing of the basic education learning outcomes, administers matura examinations, credit tests and exams to assess the command of Lithuanian as the official state language and knowledge of the basics of the Lithuanian Constitution. Every year, the National Examination Centre prepares examination tests, marks and assesses examination papers and makes examination reports. In addition, the Centre organises the training of developers and evaluators of matura examination tasks and provides further improvement of their professional qualifications, analyses, summarises and presents the results of examination and education research and outcomes of pupil testing to the pedagogical community and the broad public. Research data are used in developing the Lithuanian general teaching curricula, education standards and new textbooks.


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The National Examination Centre administers five international studies of pupil achievements: TIMSS, PIRLS, ICCES, PISA, TALIS. The Centre analyses the results of the international education testing and matura examinations, prepares international education testing reports and workshops to disseminate the results, provides consultations on various issues related to testing and educational research and organises training to designers of educational research and developers of tests and questionnaires.

Lithuania participates in other international studies in education: CIVIC, COMPED, SITES. Investigations related to the planning and administration of structural support are carried out.

National studies of pupils’ achievements have been conducted in Lithuania since 2002. Those studies were inspired by the developments of the education system in the country. It was necessary to initiate integrated monitoring of the state of the Lithuanian education system, measure processes taking place in primary and basic schools and provide reliable information on pupils’ achievements to education managers, curriculum developers and teachers. National studies of pupils’ education achievements are conducted every year (with grades 4 and 8 being involved in the first year and grades 6 and 10 in the second year) and supply education managers with important information on pupils’ educational achievements and factors that condition them. The studies involve pupils of grades 4, 6, 8 and 10. Teachers are also involved in them. The studies cover the following areas of education: Lithuanian as a mother tongue, mathematics, natural history and social education. The findings of the studies are presented to municipal education specialists. Training sessions to introduce the results of the studies to teachers and research advisors are organised. A review of the studies conducted is issued as a separate publication. Over the recent years, orders to commission studies of pupils’ education achievements have started coming from individual municipalities.

A number of other education-related surveys and experiments that are not qualified as surveys on the state of education are also carried out. Some of them are commissioned and financed by the Ministry of Education and Science and others are conducted by other institutions or research groups.








Vilnius University




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9.7. Statistics

In 2009, external evaluation was carried out in 33 schools. Findings of external evaluation in 77 schools (classroom quality from the teaching and learning perspective) were analysed and summed up, 23 candidates to external evaluators selected, three external evaluator training programmes prepared, five training seminars for external evaluation team leaders and tutoring evaluators organised and 14 external evaluators certified.

In 2009, 23 new vocational training programmes designed according to the vocational training standards were evaluated. Accreditation was granted to 25 programmes of secondary education.

In 2009, as part of its policy for supervision of quality in higher education, the Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education organised external evaluation of 103 study programmes in eight study fields and evaluation of 33 new study programmes as well as evaluated the quality of performance in one HEI. Experts for external evaluation of study programmes in four study fields were invited from abroad.

In 2008, as part of its policy to improve the conditions for the free movement of persons, the Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education evaluated 1,654 qualifications (807 of secondary and 847 of higher education) acquired in foreign educational institutions. As much as 95% of the qualifications were identified as being equivalent to the corresponding qualifications provided in Lithuania.

Lithuania participated in four cycles of TIMSS. TIMMS (2007) pilot study for grades 4 and 8 was administered in 40 schools.

In March 2006, the PIRLS main study was administered in 147 schools and included 4,704 pupils of grade 4, their parents, 260 teachers of grade 4 pupils and school principals.

In March–May 2009, the testing of the ICCS 2009 main study was carried out. The main testing was conducted in 199 schools, with participation of about 4,200 pupils, 3,000 teachers of grade 8 from the schools involved in the study and the principals of those schools.

Lithuania first joined the OECD PISA study in 2004. The PISA (2006) main study cycle was administered in 197 schools and included 4,446 pupils from Lithuanian, Polish and Russian general education and vocational training schools as well as 197 school principals. Currently, Lithuania is participating in the PISA 2009 study cycle (210 Lithuanian schools).

The population of TALIS study conducted in 2008 included teachers of the basic education curriculum (grades 5–10). The number of participants amounted to 3,535 teachers from 206 schools and their principals.

Participants of the international SITES study (2006) on application of ICT in education included 320 Lithuanian schools, their principals, persons responsible for coordination of ICT-related tasks and teachers of mathematics and natural sciences teaching in grade 8.

Sources: Ministry of Education and Science, Statistics Lithuania, National Examination Centre. Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education



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10. Special Educational Support

The purpose of special education is to assist persons with special educational needs (SEN) in their development and schooling, according to their capabilities, level of education and vocational qualifications thus preventing their social exclusion.

Focusing on the goals of the European education policy, Lithuania seeks to improve the quality of education provided to people with special educational needs promoting the principles of equal opportunities, accessibility, inclusive education and assurance of high quality education.

Special education is implemented by all schools that provide the programmes of compulsory and universally available education, by other education providers and (in certain cases) special education schools. If necessary, such programmes are amended and adjusted to special needs of participants, special education curricula are developed and additional assistance is provided.

Persons with special needs are educated at state, municipal and non-state general and special educational institutions of all types, at foster care institutions and specialised adult centres. Individuals unable to attend educational institutions are educated at home.


Special schools of various types were first established in Lithuania in the nineteenth century. On the initiative and funds of Vilnius University, an institute for the deaf was established. It admitted 1015 year-old boys and girls who were, according to the current classification, deaf and hard of hearing. They were taught subjects of general education and crafts there for a period of time not exceeding five years. In Vilnius, the first school for deaf children was opened as late as in 1925. The Government of Lithuania paid little attention to the education of children with special needs. It was only in 1938 when the Lithuanian Society for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing was established, that education of the deaf and hard of hearing received more serious attention. In 1945, a law on compulsory primary education of the deaf was passed. In Soviet times, there were boarding schools and a special vocational school for the deaf.

Attitudes towards the blind varied in the course of history in Lithuania. In pagan times the blind were held in respect. After Christianity and serfdom got established in Lithuania, conditions for the blind became very complicated. Until 1926, there was no institution or organisation to take care of the education and employment of the blind.

In 1927, the Lithuanian Union for the Blind established the Institute for the Blind in Kaunas – a primary boarding school (currently, Kaunas Centre for the Education of the Blind and Visually Impaired Children) where trades were taught alongside other subjects of general education. In 1928, the Institute for the Blind – a primary boarding school – was established in Vilnius, with a kindergarten in its premises. In Soviet times, institutes for the blind became state institutions and were reorganised into secondary schools. In 1975, the Vilnius Boarding School for the Blind and Visually Impaired was established (currently, the Lithuanian Training Centre for the Blind and Partially Sighted). It also provided education to a group of pre-school children and to blind and visually impaired children with mental disabilities. 1970 saw the establishment of a secondary school for blind adults, with branches in the major cities of Lithuania. In 1986, production training centres of the Lithuanian Society of the Blind were opened.


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In 1965, the Speech Therapy Boarding School was opened in Šiauliai. This school taught children with severe speech impairments. In cases of milder speech impairment, assistance was provided by speech therapists working at most of general education schools, at children sanatoriums, health centres and outpatient clinics.

Special boarding schools for children with limited mobility (motor and support apparatus disorders) started operating in 1974.

In Lithuania, it was not until recently that more attention started to be paid to mentally retarded children. The first support school (a special school at present) was set up in 1931 as a result of pressure on the Lithuanian Government from doctors, teachers and the general public. Children with profound retardation were given charity-based care only. Asylums were founded, where such children could learn trades. In 1938–1939, more attention was devoted to the establishment of support schools and classes. In Vilnius, (which at the time belonged to Poland) special schools were operating before 1930. In Soviet times, mentally impaired children were taught at special support schools, which were incomplete basic schools. Most of them were boarding schools and others had prolonged working hours. Pupils were taught according to a special teaching plan and special curricula with the use of special textbooks. More than one third of the teaching time was allotted to vocational training.

In 1949, the Special Boarding School for Children with intellectual development problems was founded in Vilnius, where schooling of such children followed a special curriculum. Besides, special classes were opened for developmentally impaired children at mainstream schools.

At the beginning of the educational reform, a humanistic idea of providing education to pupils with disability was promoted. The objective was to create conditions and ensure access to one or another kind of education to every child with a disability. According to the Lithuanian National Concept of Education (1992), children who because of severe physical disabilities or profound mental problems cannot study at mainstream schools, must be educated in special schools or at home, where necessary conditions should be created for the correction and compensation of their mental and physical development, personality progression, professional adaptation and integration into society. The Law on Education (1991) provided for a more careful enrolment of children in special schools in order to integrate more children within traditional mainstream schools and to prevent their social exclusion. The parents of children with disabilities also supported the idea.

During the past decade, special needs persons have been provided opportunities to access education in regular, special or developmental classes within mainstream education. A great number of various projects aimed at implementing models for provision to pupils with profound and severe special educational needs have been undertaken. Educational institutions started providing support to pupils who were considered to be "ineducable" prior to 1990.

The novelty of the reformed special education lies in the fact that children with severe and moderate retardation, formerly considered to be ineducable, now have access to education. In most cases, these children live with their parents and attend newly established educational centres, which operate according to international standards, or they are enrolled in developmental classes opened at special schools.

During the years of reform of Lithuania’s educational system and the country’s preparation for the EU membership, attention was increasingly focused on the quality of education that was declared to be one of the major priorities of the change process in 1998. Great consideration was also shown to the quality of education, social services and health care (medical rehabilitation) provided to children suffering from developmental disorders. 1998 saw the adoption of the Law on Special Education, which defined the structure of the special education system and the basis for its organisation. Lithuania belongs to the multi-


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track category as it has chosen a way enabling application of various models of delivering special education services. In Lithuania, the term ’special education‘ comprises all forms of education provided to special needs persons within and outside mainstream education, i.e. both at general education schools and special schools.

Pursuant to the EU Council Decision on Declaring 2003 the European Year of People with Disabilities, the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania also declared 2003 the Year of People with Disabilities’ in Lithuania.

During 2000–2004, the Ministry of Education and Science of Lithuania, in conjunction with the Nordic Council of Ministers, implemented the joint project ‘School for All’ which was aimed at the optimisation of education for children and youngsters with special educational needs in classes within mainstream education and also at improvement of professional competence of teachers and school principals. As a result of the project, Lithuania was admitted to the European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education in the capacity of an observer and actively participated in the activities of the Agency during the period 2000–2003. Since 2004, Lithuania has been a full member of this organisation.

Lithuania has ratified the UN Standard Rules on the Equalisation of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. In formulating the policy on education of children with special needs, Lithuania follows the Salamanca Declaration. The Lithuanian educational institutions seek to ensure equal teaching and learning opportunities for pupils and improve their social and pedagogical conditions for learning.

The new amended version of the Lithuanian Law on Education (2003) legitimised provision of quality education to persons with special needs. In their effort to implement the sustained integration of pupils with special needs, the country‘s primary, basic and secondary schools and gymnasiums Gimnazija are becoming more and more open to children with special needs. In Lithuania, children with special needs comprise 10% of the total number of school-age children. Out of them, 89% learn together with all other children in integrated classes.

As part of the process for implementing one of the fundamental goals of the Provisions of the National Education Strategy (2003) to create opportunities for effective education provision for children with diverse abilities and needs, the Lithuanian Government approved the Programme for Special Education Provision (2004). The Programme is aimed at increasing provision of education to persons with special educational needs. The targets of the Programme are to create a favourable learning environment for persons with special needs and to ensure availability of teachers adequately qualified to educate persons of different age groups that are in need of special support.

In cooperation with the Ministry of Social Security and Labour and other institutions, the Ministry of Education and Science developed the Programme for the Use of the Sign Language and Provision of the Sign Language Interpreter Services for 2005–2008, which was endorsed by the Government. The key objective of this Programme is to achieve integration of the deaf into society and reduce their social exclusion. The Programme was approved by the Lithuanian Government.

In implementing the measures of the Programme and seeking to speed up the process of research in and standardisation of the sign language and to better coordinate it with the development of special teaching aids, the Ministry of Education and Science established a Department for the Development of Sign Linguistics and Preparation of Methodological Aids at the Lithuanian Centre of Education for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, which continues the work, initiated by the Surdology Centre, on preparing an explanatory dictionary of the Lithuanian sign language. Until 1 May 2008, 6500 lexical units were accumulated in the database; the work on the preparation and publishing of thematic explanatory sign language dictionaries was started.


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Seeking to train teachers and researchers with a good command of the Lithuanian sign language, able to produce special teaching aids for this group of pupils, a specialised sign language research study programme was designed on the initiative of the Department for Persons with Disabilities at the Ministry of Social Security and Labour, which was introduced at the Faculty of Philology of Vilnius Pedagogical University to train Lithuanian language teachers with the sign linguistics specialisation.

In cooperation with the Lithuanian Association of the Deaf, the Ministry of Education and Science co-financed the ESF supported project ’Ensuring the Right of the Deaf to Education in the Mother Tongue’ carried out in 2005-2008 by the Surdology Centre. During the project, about 400 surdopedagogues and also the parents and teachers of the deaf were enrolled in the 500-hour course on the Lithuanian sign language.

In 2003, the Minister of Education and Science approved a new Model of Pedagogical Psychological Assistance, stipulating a three-level system of assistance. There is a special education commission working in every school. Almost every municipality has a pedagogical psychological service (PPS). The National Centre for Special Needs Education and Psychology, founded by the Ministry of Education and Science, is responsible for the development of assistance to SEN in the country. Since 2004, the activities of PPS have been expanding, the necessary assistance has been brought closer to SEN children’s home. The Ministry having developed a programme on setting up pedagogical psychological services in 2004, the number of PPS has increased twofold. In 2008, PPS are operating in 53 municipalities; they cooperate with schools and their founders. The objective is to provide specialist services as close to the recipient’s home as possible, to develop a diversity of quality services and to encourage collaboration of specialists with the families and the school of SEN. In the period of 2004-2007 the projects ’The Development of PPS Infrastructure‘ (the hard project aimed at renovating PPS, furnishing them with the necessary equipment, pedagogical psychological assessment methodologies, computers and materials) and ’Bringing Drop-outs Back to School‘ (the soft project) were under implementation. Within the framework of the latter, teachers and assistance providers upgraded their qualification; special groups were set for at-risk children, where they engaged in various activities. In implementing the provisions of the National Antidiscriminatory Programme for 2006-2008 (2006), an analysis of the Republic of Lithuania Law on Special Education was carried out in 2006 in view of non-discrimination; the Collegium of the Ministry of Education and Science gave their support to the conclusion that the provisions of the Law on Special Education be integrated into the Law on Education.

In 2007, a new legal act was elaborated – On the Approval of the Rules and Procedures for the Adjustment of Basic Education Achievement Testing, Language Credits, the Form of the Tasks for Maturity Subject Examinations, their Execution and Assessment Instructions (Assessment) to Special Needs Pupils, Former Pupils and External Pupils.

2007-2008 saw intensive preparatory work for ESF support provision. A School Improvement Programme Plus was elaborated and approved by the Ministerial Order; it comprises eight components devoted to the development of pedagogical and psychological assistance in the country.

In 2008, Lithuania continued to be actively involved in the activities of the European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education. Sets of guidelines issued by the Agency for policy makers, SEN specialists and the general public were translated into Lithuanian and circulated in this country. Lithuanian specialists participate in the Agency-initiated project ‘Assessment of Special Needs Pupils’ Achievements and Progress' and the head of the Special Education Department at the Ministry of Education and Science of Lithuania has been elected a member of the Agency Management Board.

In 2007-2008 eight national projects were elaborated; they will be financed by the EU SF and the Ministry of Education and Science: ‘Bringing Drop-outs Back to Education’, ‘Provision of Special Teaching Aids’, ‘Development of the Quality and Efficiency of Assistance Provided to the Pupil’, ‘Reform of Special Schools,


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Establishment of Methodological Centres’, ‘Modernisation of the Infrastructure of Pedagogical Psychological Services and the Working Environment of the Special Pedagogues, Speech Therapists, Psychologists and Social Pedagogues Working in Educational Institutions’, ‘Development of the Forms of Education’, ‘Development of the Inclusive Technologies Provision System’ and ‘Training of Qualified School Psychologists in Higher Education Institutions Delivering In-service Training Programmes’. The projects, all of which are component parts of the ‘School Improvement Programme Plus’, will be funded by the EU SF and the Ministry of Education and Science. About LTL 90 m has been earmarked for this purpose.

In 2009, in line with the measures for the implementation of the Lithuanian Government Programme for 2008–2012, the Minister of Education and Science approved the Programme for the Development of Special Education. The purpose of the Programme is to improve access to education and equality of opportunity to SEN pupils by improving the competencies of teachers, school principals and specialists from county and municipal education authorities in educating pupils with special educational needs, ensuring that information about special needs pupils’ development, teaching and studies is available to the broad public and expanding opportunities for parents, teachers and special needs pupils to cooperate among themselves. The Programme covers the period of 2009–2013.








National Anti-Discrimination Programme 2006–2008

Programme for Establishment of Pedagogical-psychological Services in Municipalities

Programme for the Development of Special Education

Programme for the Use of the Lithuanian Sign Language and Provision of the Sign Language Interpreting Services 2005–2008




Preparations are underway to draft legal acts and amendments to the existing legal acts to regulate provision of social support, schooling and education for children with disabilities, supplying them with compensatory


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educational equipment and services. The idea of inclusive education of pupils with special educational needs is further developed.

From 1 July 2010, education of special needs children will be transferred to municipalities as part of general education. The draft Law on Education is amended by adding a provision specifying that the Ministry of Education, in conjunction with the local authorities and the Government, provides a network of state and municipal general education schools for pupils with special educational needs. Such schools (classes) will be allocated funds from the state budget. In addition, the very concept of special educational needs is extended: by including gifted and talented children into it.

It is planned that at schools, special education committees will be replaced by the child welfare commissions which will not only assess children with special educational needs but will also take care of building up a safe environment conducive to pupil development, organise and coordinate the adaptation of educational curricula for pupils with special educational needs and provision of educational assistance and will also perform other child welfare-related functions.

Following integration of the Law on Special Education and its main provisions into the new version of the Law on Education (that is being deliberated), other documents regulating special education are currently being drawn up and will be prepared later. In educating special needs pupils, special, modified and adapted curricula are gradually being phased out and their education is increasingly carried out according to the General Curriculum Framework for Primary and Basic Education (2008) and General Teaching Plans (2008).


10.3. Definition and Diagnosis of the Target Group(s)

The Procedure for Recognition of Disabilities and their Degrees in accordance with which persons are attributed to an ’in need of special support‘ category regulates classification of special needs persons – under 21 years of age and enrolled in educational institutions of Lithuania – into disability groups of different disability degrees. The Procedure also establishes criteria used for classifying such persons as belonging to one or another ’n need of special support‘ category. Special education commissions, pedagogical-psychological services and the Centre of Special Pedagogy and Psychology use the Procedure to assess the special educational needs of persons with special needs. Special education commissions operate in pre-school education establishments and general education schools. They are set up according to the ’Procedure for Setting up a Special Education Commission and Organising its Work‘ established by the Ministry of Education and Science.

Disabilities or difficulties are divided into the following groups:

● mental health difficulty; ● special cognition difficulties or underdeveloped cognition skills; ● emotional, behavioural and social difficulties; ● speech and other communicative disorders; ● hearing impairment (hearing loss or deafness); ● eyesight disorders (visual impairment or blindness); ● limited mobility (motor and support apparatus defects); ● chronic somatic and neurological disorders; ● multi-sensory disorders; ● other developmental difficulties.


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Disabilities or difficulties are diagnosed based on the following criteria:

● state of physical functions (limited mobility (motor and support apparatus defects)), degree and duration of impairment; ● degree of correspondence between mental functions and age; ● predictability of further development of physical and mental functions; ● level of development and attainment (only for school-age persons); ● aptitude for learning (only for school-age persons).

Health care and rehabilitation specialists diagnose eyesight- and hearing-related disorders, limited mobility (motor and support apparatus defects) and also chronic somatic and neurological disorders.

Members of pedagogical-psychological services, special education commissions of educational institutions and school speech therapists evaluate mental handicaps, speech defects and other communicative, emotional, behavioural difficulties or impairment of social development, special cognition difficulties or underdeveloped cognition skills, other multi-sensory developmental difficulties in accordance with the Procedure for Assessment of Individual Special Educational Needs. The purpose of assessment of individual special educational needs is to identify the scope of needs for support and services in order to provide optimal conditions for the development of persons with special educational needs.

Upon agreement with parents, foster parents or guardians, according to the 'Procedure for Assigning Special Education' special education is provided to children with minor, moderate, major and severe special needs.

Early education to children up to three years of age and special education in pre-school education establishments or provision of special pedagogical assistance to children from 3 to 7 years of age at home is delivered on the recommendation of the pedagogical-psychological service after it has assessed the child’s special needs.

Pupils can be assigned temporary or permanent special education. In the event that the child has made progress and the special education commission of the school has established that the child no longer needs the assistance of specialists and the adjusted programme, special education can be terminated upon the approval of the psychological-pedagogical service.


Procedure for Assessment of Individual Special Educational Needs

Procedure for Setting up a Special Education Commission and Organizing its Work

Procedure for Recognition of Disabilities and their Degrees in Accordance with which Persons are Classified as Belonging to an 'in Need of Special Support' Category

Procedure for Assignment of Special Education

10.4. Financial support for Pupils’ Families

The educational institution provides free transportation to and from its facilities for persons with special needs under 21 years of age who are not able to reach the educational institution (excluding vocational


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schools, colleges and higher education schools) by themselves (cannot walk without assistance or, because of severe handicaps, are not safe in the street).

Responsibility for issues related to provision of social support in the form of cash benefits is placed with the Ministry of Social Security and Labour.

In accordance with the law, families raising disabled children receive family support provided by the government or public authorities to guarantee a certain level of material circumstances of the family concerned. The family support involves provision of subsidised housing, transport privileges, contributions to the expenditure of families for fuel, electricity, telephone and utility services, also state social insurance pensions, care benefits for nursing of disabled children and relief pensions.

Pupils/students with special needs who are unable to reach the special school or other institution of special education every day are eligible for free accommodation in that school‘s hall of residence.

In mainstream general education schools, SEN pupils acquire special educational aids with the use of the pupil’s basket funds allocated to acquire teaching resources.

According to the Procedure for Provision of Financial Support to Disabled Students Seeking Higher Education approved by the Government, in higher education institutions, financial support is provided to disabled students with the I or II category of invalidity, those for whom severe or average disability or 45% or lower disability level has been established; those who have enrolled in a study programme of non-university or university undergraduate (Bachelor) and second stage (Master) consecutive studies for the first time, provided they do not have any outstanding failures and no disciplinary penalties have been imposed on them. Financial support is granted to the disabled student irrespective of the form of studies chosen by him/her.


10.5. Special Provision within Mainstream Education

Pursuant to the Law on Special Education (1998), persons recognised as having special needs may be integrated within mainstream general education schools and institutions in the following forms:

● provision of complete integration – i.e. education of persons with special needs in regular classes or groups of mainstream schools; ● provision of partial integration – i.e. education of persons with special needs in special classes (developmental or remedial) or groups in mainstream schools.

In general education schools, provision of education to pupils with special educational needs is implemented in accordance with the General Teaching Plans and curricula tailored to the special educational needs. Currently SEN pupils in mainstream classes of general education schools follow the mainstream curriculum (with modified, adjusted teaching methods applied) upon completion of which they attain state standards-based education, or the adapted primary, adapted basic and adapted secondary curricula, upon completion of which, unlike their peers, they do not attain an education meeting the state educational standards.

Pupils with special educational needs are provided the support of special pedagogues (surdopedagogues, typhlopedagogues), speech therapists, psychologists, kinesitherapeutists, social pedagogues and teacher aides.


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10.5.1. Specific legislative Framework

From 1993, prior to the adoption of the Law on Special Education in 1998, provision of special pedagogical assistance to children with special needs, including disabled children taught by the method of their complete integration into mainstream education, had been regulated by the Procedure on Providing Special Pedagogical Assistance for Children with Special Needs Educated at Mainstream Schools.

In 2002, the Government of the Republic of Lithuania adopted the National Social Integration Programme for People with Disabilities for 2003–2012. The purpose of the Programme is to ensure equality of opportunities when planning measures to implement social integration of people with disabilities. The Programme is intended for all people with disabilities.

There are almost no specific legal acts regulating provision of education for children with special needs at mainstream schools of general education. The 'Description of Learning According to the Adapted Secondary Education Curriculum', is the only document designed to regulate the peculiarities of the education process organisation according to the Adapted Secondary Education Curriculum.

Legal acts regulating special and general education remain in effect. In 2004, the 'Procedure for Providing Special Pedagogical Assistance' was approved. The Procedure defined the goals of providing special pedagogical assistance, its providers and recipients and also the way provision was implemented in schools implementing the pre-school, pre-primary preparatory, general education and vocational training curricula in municipal pedagogical-psychological services.

The ’Procedure for Providing Psychological Assistance to the Pupil' (2004) defines the purpose of such assistance, its providers and recipients, areas in which this assistance is provided and the way it is implemented and also links between separate providers of psychological assistance and other institutions.

The purpose of A Model for Provision of Special Teaching Aids (2004) is to set out the aim and objectives for developing the system of pupil provision with special teaching aids and delineate the structure of the system by identifying the institutions and their responsibilities and indicating the stages in creating the system.

In 2009, the Government approved the Procedure for Provision of Financial Support to Disabled Students Seeking Higher Education. In accordance with this act, HEIs provide payments to students with disabilities, upon their request, in order to meet their special needs; in addition, state universities reimburse tuition fees for disabled students. A new version of the Procedure was designed in 2009.

For more information refer to 10.6.1., 5.3..


Model for Provision of Special Teaching Aids

National Social Integration Programme for People with Disabilities for 2003-2012

Procedure for Following the Adapted General Education Curriculum



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Procedure for Provision of Special Pedagogical Assistance

10.5.2. General objectives

One of the key aims of the Programme for Implementation of the Provisions for the National Education Strategy 2003–2012 is to develop an accessible system of continuous education that guarantees lifelong learning and social justice. One of the preconditions for ensuring a socially just environment for studies and learning is development of an effective criteria-based support system and of various forms of special education provision.

The provisions of the Law on Special Education – equality of opportunities, integration, continuity, co-ordination, flexibility and functionality of education – stipulate equal opportunities of education provided for persons with special needs on the same terms as for other members of the community, a possibility for continuing education and a better integration into society.



10.5.3. Specific Support Measures

On the school level, the policy of special-needs pupils’ integrated education (in mainstream classes/groups) is the responsibility of the school administration. However, all the teaching staff is involved in the implementation process. The key provisions of SEN education include:

● where possible, alterations to school building facilities to cater for the needs of children with limited mobility and other specific support measures; ● provision of objectives and ways to meet the needs of children with disabilities in the school activities programme; ● compliance with the equal rights principle; ● establishment, by order of the principal of the school, of a Special Education Commission the activity plan of which must specify what children should be provided special assistance in the first place; ● creation of conditions for pedagogues to upgrade their special-needs education qualification; ● involvement of the parents of children with disabilities into the process of education, etc.

To facilitate the education of pupils with special educational needs in mainstream schools, General Principles for Special Modifications and Adaptations to the Curriculum have been prepared. On the recommendation of pedagogical psychological services or special education commissions, the teacher, in consultation with the school special pedagogue or speech therapist, modify and adapt general education curricula for SEN pupils (in mainstream classes/groups). They are approved by the school principal.

Guidelines on Adaptation of the General Curriculum Framework for Primary Education to Teach SEN Pupils Languages, Mathematics, Social and Natural Sciences (2009) are designed for primary school teachers, special pedagogues and other specialists working with pupils of medium and profound educational needs.

Guidelines on Adaptation of the General Curriculum Framework for Primary and Basic Education to Teach SEN Pupils Having Slight, Moderate or Severe Mental Health Difficulties (2009) are designed for teachers working with pupils of those groups. Those are the guidelines in accordance with which teachers will be able to consistently and systematically create individualised curricula tailored to the learners' specific needs and abilities.


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In 2009, the Education Development Centre designed the ‘Guidance on Adaptation of the General Curriculum Framework for Primary Education’ to teach SEN Pupils with low (limited intellect) capacity and those who are slightly mentally retarded. The purpose of the Guidelines is to define the pathways for individualising the education content for grade 5–10 pupils of low (limited intellect) capacity and slightly mentally retarded pupils in order to ensure that pupils acquire basic competencies within their capacities and the basics of the core subject competencies; also to provide recommendations for teachers on how to implement the primary and basic general curricula more effectively when working with these groups of pupils.

Based on the Instruction for Determination of Impairments and Prescription of Curriculum, a conclusion regarding the pupil’s impairment is formulated and recommendations are put forward as to the time and the type of curriculum the pupil should follow. In addition, the school special education commission or pedagogical psychological service prepares a special form to indicate what specialists should provide assistance to SEN pupils. (see 10.5).

Taking into account the special needs of the pupil, the methods of education, the curriculum content, the teaching plan, the procedure for assessing the progress and achievements of the pupil can be adjusted.

Subject to the provisions of the law, persons with special needs must be provided with technology-based educational assistive appliances, have access to the services of teacher aides and sign language interpreters (in general education and vocational schools). If necessary, education environment in a mainstream class is adjusted to the special needs of the pupil.

Special pedagogical assistance (special practical training) for pupils educated by way of full integration (in mainstream classes) is provided during lessons and training in speech therapy is provided after school.

Alternative education methods can also be applied, i.e. methods that are specifically tailored to the needs of one or another child depending on the state of his/her physical and mental functions, intellectual competencies, social skills and also peculiarities of the teaching/learning environment.

Children who find themselves in an unusual situation because of the straitened circumstances of their parents, those learning in a language other than their mother tongue and exceptionally gifted children may also be educated by using alternative education methods specially developed and tailored to cater for their education needs.

Provision of the adapted general education curriculum to persons with special educational needs may be implemented by general education or vocational schools following the secondary education curriculum. The founders may allocate more funds to finance special pedagogical and psychological assistance and the positions of teachers’ aides.

Special needs pupils are provided with special teaching aids to be used at school and at home. Special teaching aids include visual, technical, demonstrational means, computer software, toys, objects and materials and exercise books designed or adapted for people with special needs and used in the process of their teaching.

In 2008, the list of special teaching aids that schools were advised to acquire amounted to 225 items.

In 2009, Lithuania had 54 pedagogical psychological services. In 2010, their number got reduced to 30, with other services having been integrated into centres for support to pupils, teachers and schools or other


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centres. The staff of those services provide advice on issues of special needs education to teachers, specialists and administration of general education schools and also families.

Pradinio ir pagrindinio ugdymo bendrųjų programų pritaikymo rekomendacijos

Pradinio ugdymo bendrųjų programų pritaikymo rekomendacijos


10.6. Special Provision in Special Education Institutions

Institutions of special education are as follows: pre-school special purpose education institutions, special schools, special education centres, special adult centres and sanatorium-type schools.

Pre-school special education institutions and groups provide for children with hearing, speech and other communicative impairments, visually and mentally impaired children and also children with limited mobility (motor and support apparatus dysfunctions).

Special schools of general education may be adjusted to cater for: for intellectually impaired pupils; blind and visually impaired pupils; deaf and hard of hearing pupils, speech impaired pupils, and pupils with limited mobility (motor and support apparatus dysfunctions).

The mission of special education is to:

● educate persons who, because of significant or critical special educational needs which are identified by the pedagogical psychological services and various other reasons, cannot attend mainstream schools; ● help a person who has significant or critical special educational needs prepare for education in a mainstream school; and ● provide methodological assistance to the teaching staff of general education establishments and parents (foster parents or guardians) educating persons with special needs.

If several applicants to vocational schools and higher educational institutions are equally qualified, priority is given to people with special needs. Vocational schools and higher education institutions can establish supplementary preferential enrolment requirements and procedures for people with special needs.


In Lithuania, special education is organised in compliance with the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, the Law on Education and governmental resolutions as well as other legal acts.

On 15 December 1998, the Republic of Lithuania Law on Special Education was adopted. Separate special education aspects are regulated by secondary legislation acts. This Law determines the structure of the special educational system, the principles of management and organisation of early and pre-school education, general education, supplementary education, vocational training, higher and adult education for people with special needs.

The Procedure for Admitting Persons with Special Needs to Special Education Institutions (2000) establishes the procedures for admitting persons with special needs to special education institutions and to special groups/classes in mainstream schools.


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The Procedure for Providing Special Pedagogical Assistance to Pre-school Children with Special Needs at Home (2000) establishes provision and organisation of special pedagogical assistance to pre-school children with special needs as well as the qualification and responsibilities of persons providing this assistance.

The Procedure for Assigning Special Education (2000) determines when special education can be assigned, for how long and who is responsible for such assignment.

The Procedure for the Identification and Assessment of Special Education Needs (2000) establishes the institutions and specialists who can identify and assess the special education needs – pedagogical, psychological, medical and social – of a person, from his birth to 21 years of age; it also establishes the process of assessment and the necessary documentation.

The Procedure for Diagnosing Disabilities and their Degrees in Persons with Special Needs and their Assignment to the SEN Group, established by the order of the Minister of Education and Science, the Minister of Social Security and Labour and the Minister of Health (2002), regulates the distribution of persons with special needs – under 21 years of age studying in educational institutions – into groups according to diagnosed disorders and their levels and lays down the criteria for assigning persons with special needs to separate special needs groups. The pedagogical psychological services and special education commissions at general education schools follow this procedure in assessing the specific needs of persons with special needs.

The Standard Regulations of the Municipal Pedagogical Psychological Service (2003) regulate the key objective, tasks, functions and organisation of activities of the budgetary municipal providers of such assistance.

The Model for Provision of Pedagogical and Psychological Assistance (2003) defines the three-level system of pedagogical and psychological assistance. This document stipulates the cooperation between various institutions and specialists providing assistance for ensuring availability and quality of educational services.

For more information on other legal acts regulating special education, see 10.5.1., 5.3..




Procedure for Admission Children with Special Needs to Special Educational Institution

Procedure for Assessment of Individual Special Educational Needs



Procedure for Provision of Special Pedagogical Assistance to Pre-school Children with Special Needs at Home


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10.6.2. General Objectives

Principles and objectives of special education are determined by the Law on Special Education. Special education is implemented according to the general principles of Lithuanian education and the following special educational principles:

● equality of opportunity – creation of equal teaching and learning conditions for people with special needs and other local community members; ● integration – ensuring that people with special needs are taught and can learn together with other local community members as well participate in community life on equal terms; ● decentralisation – participation of family, society and local self-governance institutions in educating people with special needs; ● universal accessibility – education of all people with special needs; ● continuity – ensuring lifelong learning for people with special needs; ● co-ordination and flexibility – coordinated activities of general and special educational institutions making continuity of teaching and learning possible for people with special needs; ● functional character of education – educating people with special needs to live independently within the local community.

The main objectives of special education are as follows:

● to assist a person with special needs to understand general human values and cherish moral values as a necessary basis for a democratic pattern of life; ● prepare people with special needs for independent life in their local community; ● provide appropriate special pedagogical psychological assistance for people with special needs; ● ensure equal rights for persons with special needs in acquiring primary, basic, and secondary education as well as a qualification; ● provide opportunities of continuing education to children with special needs by acknowledging their abilities and aptitudes; ● create conditions for persons with special needs for integrated education in mainstream general educational institutions.


10.6.3. Geographical Accessibility

The Law on Education (2003) defined the right of children with special needs to be educated in educational institutions situated closest to their places of residence.

In 2002–2005, Lithuania was implementing the School Improvement Programme. One of the basic projects of the programme was aimed at the optimisation of the school network. The purpose of the project was to achieve a more rational mapping of schools within the territories of municipalities to ensure the quality of teaching and learning, access to general education, effectiveness of schools, efficiency of the school network, a secure and healthy environment of study and safe transportation of rural pupils with major special educational needs to and back from schools.

Special education schools are distributed quite evenly all over the territory of the country. There are only very few municipalities that do not have a single special school or special education centre. In 2010, the country had 7 special purpose pre-school education institutions, 64 special purpose general education schools and special education centres (including 38 state, 24 municipal and 2 private ones).

Although the downward trend in enrolment has also affected special schools, the retention of the network of these schools is an important political task. Support for education of children with special educational needs


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and improvement of the school environment is received from the EU Structural Funds (project Enhancement of Availability of the Education Services System for Special Needs Individuals (Pupils, etc.) and Specialists Providing Educational Assistance, Especially Based on ICT).

In response to requests from families with disabled children or youngsters, municipalities establish special education centres as an alternative to special education schools. Most special schools cater for intellectually impaired children. Not all special schools are enrolled to capacity. With the majority of special needs persons enrolling in schools situated closest to their places of residence, there has been a constant drop in numbers of pupils in special schools (providing accommodation facilities). Some of them have been recently reorganised into special education or rehabilitation centres and some special boarding schools have been turned into children care homes.

In 2008, the Lithuanian Government approved the Programme of Supplying Schools with Yellow Buses for 2009–2012. The Programme aims at improving transportation of rural children from closed down or reorganised schools that used to implement the general education curricula or schools with the reorganised internal structure to other closest schools and supplying state and municipal schools with buses adjusted to transport special educational needs pupils. The programme specifies further development of the system for transporting pupils with special educational needs to school and back home by means of special transport.




10.6.4. Admission Requirements and Choice of School

Special classes and special pre-primary education groups are formed in compliance with the List of Criteria on the Establishment, Reorganisation, Liquidation and Reformation of Schools of General, Special, Vocational Education and Institutions Providing Assistance to the Pupil, Teacher and School, approved by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania. Special smaller-sized classes can be formed for pupils with specific cognitive/learning disabilities (8-12 pupils per class), with mild mental retardation (5-12), with moderate, severe and profound retardation (5-10), for blind pupils (5-8), visually impaired pupils (5-12), deaf pupils (5-8), the hard of hearing (5-10), pupils with severe speech/language and other communication impairments (5-12), orthopedically impaired pupils (5-10), multihandicapped pupils (4-6). Special needs persons can be accommodated in special programmes upon assessment and recommendation of a pedagogical psychological service in accordance with the Procedure for Admission of Special Needs Persons to Special Education Establishments. The Procedure establishes impairment/disability categories determining eligibility for special education in special education establishments, special groups, classes or remedial classes in mainstream schools of general education. Special education establishments and special groups/classes in mainstream schools provide education for persons up to the age of 21 (up to age 7 in pre-school establishments) with severe and profound special needs.

According to the Procedure for Assigning Special Education (2000), children who are assigned to special education are entitled, with the approval of their parents (foster parents or guardians), to choose one or another form of education (either complete or partial integration or schooling in a special educational institution) according to the recommendation of the pedagogical psychological service.


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Pupils with special educational needs are admitted to follow the primary, basic and secondary curricula and also adapted curricula in accordance with the Procedure for Consecutive Learning in Accordance with General Education School Curricula (2003). See 10.6.9.

Pupils who followed a special basic education curriculum may be admitted to follow a special labour education curriculum or adapted secondary education curriculum and those who followed the adapted basic education curriculum are enrolled to follow the adapted secondary education curriculum or special labour education curriculum.

To be admitted to vocational schools, persons with special needs under 21 have to produce statements from the pedagogical psychological service. Persons of at least 14 years of age without basic education who have completed the adapted basic education curriculum are admitted to follow a two-year vocational training curriculum designed for the acquisition of a qualification. Persons who have completed the adapted basic education curriculum produce a statement about the adaptation of the core general education subject/s taught in the final grade of the basic education curriculum and also about their learning outcomes (to show what they have learned). Persons who have completed the special basic education curriculum are admitted to follow a three-year vocational training curriculum designed for persons with special educational needs. Persons who have completed the adapted basic education curriculum are admitted to follow a three-year vocational training curriculum in conjunction with the adapted secondary education curriculum. Persons who have completed the adapted secondary education curriculum are admitted to follow a one-year, a one-year-and- a-half and two-year vocational training curricula.



10.6.5. Age Levels and Grouping of Pupils

Education/learning levels by the age of pupils recognised as having special needs do not differ from the usual education levels. They include early education (from birth to 3 years of age), pre-school education (from 3 to 67 years of age), general education (from 67 years of age), vocational education, higher education and also adult non-formal education.

The number of children in special groups at pre-school institutions depends on the age group and the type of impairment.

Persons with special needs who follow the Adapted Primary Education Curriculum, Adapted Basic Education Curriculum or the Adapted Secondary Education Curriculum are educated in mainstream classes or groups of general education schools.

The number of persons with special needs in a class or group, subject to their special educational needs, is determined according to the procedures established by the Government or its authorised institution.

When implementing the formal and non-formal curricula, the school may determine the number of SEN pupils per group, depending on its teaching funds, pupil needs, available training (learning) conditions and teaching aids.

At a hospital school, a separate class is formed if there is a group of five or more pupils. Where there are 1-4 pupils, a joint class is assembled. Pupils covered by bed rest and also on the recommendation of medical doctors are trained individually.


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During technology lessons in special schools, classes may be split up into groups containing the minimum number of 3–5 pupils (depending on their particular impairment). If the group contains a smaller number of pupils, groups of parallel or adjacent classes are joined together.


The general teaching plans for schools of general education regulate the duration of the school year for learners following the special education curriculum as well. See 4. and 5.

The duration of studies for pupils with special needs in special schools, other special educational institutions or special classes in mainstream general education schools can be a year or two longer than that for pupils in regular classes. The duration is regulated by the curricula, general teaching plans and the general regulations of relevant types of educational institutions.

Special schools catering for intellectually impaired children, children with intellectual, physical and motor impairments provide education until grade 10. Special schools for children with physical and motor disabilities deliver education until grade 11. The duration of schooling in special basic schools for deaf and hearing-impaired children is 14 years (the first year is spent in a preparatory grade and the thirteenth year in a developmental grade). Special basic education for speech impaired children lasts 13 years (inclusive of pre-primary preparatory grade). Upon completion of grade 10, pupils with moderate and severe mental retardation can continue their education according to the labour education plan. Pupils in the school for the blind and visually impaired are provided a five-year primary education curriculum (one year longer than the primary education curriculum in mainstream schools).

In schools for the deaf and hard of hearing pupils, the school year for pupils following the primary and secondary curricula is divided into semesters and those following the basic curriculum into terms.

In schools for special education, the length of lessons in pre-primary preparatory and grade 1 classes is 35 minutes and in other grades 40 minutes, with breaks of at least 15 minutes between the periods. In special classes for grades 2–10 of mainstream schools, a lesson lasts 45 minutes, with a compulsory five-minute pedagogical break during the lesson.



10.6.7. Curriculum, Subjects

The General Teaching Plan of the Primary Education Curriculum for 2009–2011 regulates the implementation of the primary school curriculum, the curriculum tailored to the needs of pupils with special educational needs and also the curriculum of non-formal education in schools.

In 2009–2010, schools implementing the basic education curriculum organise the education process in grades 5, 7, 9 (grade I in gymnasiums) according to the General Curriculum Framework for Primary and Basic Education (2008). The school may apply those curricula in grades 6, 8, 10 (grade II in gymnasiums) if they were first introduced there in the school year 2008–2009. In 2009–2010, education in grades 6, 8, 10 (grade II in gymnasiums) is organised according to the General Curriculum Framework and Education Standards for Grades 1-10 of General Education Schools.


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The general teaching plans of the basic and secondary education curricula for 2009–2011 regulate the implementation of the adapted curricula for basic and secondary education and special educational needs pupils, curriculum for adults and non-formal education curriculum for children.

In mainstream classes, persons with special needs can follow the general primary education curriculum (in its modified form) or adapted primary, basic and secondary education curricula. In special schools/classes pupils follow the special primary education and special basic education curricula. The general programmes of individual subjects are adapted for the requirements of special educational needs pupils by the teacher who modifies or adjusts them or designs an individualised programme depending on the pupil’s education needs, and recommendations of both the school special education commission and the special teacher. If the school has neither of them, the teacher is advised by specialists from the pedagogical psychological service attending to the needs of that school.

When drawing up teaching plans for the school and a separate class or a personalised teaching plan for individual SEN pupils, a special school or general education school providing education to SEN pupils of primary grades has to follow the number of weekly lessons allocated for the implementation of the primary education curriculum subjects in the General Teaching Plan.

In special schools and mainstream general education schools where pupils with special needs are educated in regular classes according to the Basic Education General Curriculum Framework and the modified curriculum tailored to the requirements of special needs pupils, the teaching plan is drawn up in accordance with the number of weekly lessons allocated for the implementation of the general curriculum subjects in the General Teaching Plan, which can be adjusted up to 20 percent.

Schools must retain the minimum number of lessons per pupil indicated in the General Education Plans for the implementation of the primary and secondary education curriculum and ensure the consistency and continuity of education for pupils with special educational needs.

In special developmental classes, all subjects (except for therapeutic physical education or applicative physical activity), are taught by one teacher. Exemptions apply to the teaching of the Lithuanian (state) language at schools with instruction in the language of an ethnic minority, also moral education (religion), music, technology and physical education if the teacher refuses to teach these subjects or does not have the required qualification to do that.

On advice from school special education commissions or pedagogical psychological services and the approval of parents, special needs pupils, including those who are hard of hearing, have medium or severe speech impairments, children with autism (normal intelligence) and behavioural, emotional and social difficulties, reading and/or writing problems, pupils with limited mobility (motor and support apparatus dysfunctions), limited intellect and mental illnesses can learn only one foreign language, while pupils with intellectual disabilities and those learning in the ethnic minority language who have the disorders listed above may not learn a foreign language at all.

Primary school pupils with special needs who are attending special schools for those who are deaf and hard of hearing, those with impaired vision, impaired speech and other communicative impairments are allocated an additional year of compulsory schooling in a preparatory class in order to achieve, over a longer period of time, the outcomes specified in the General Curriculum Framework.

For pupils with a minor or average mental health difficulty following either the adapted basic education general curriculum tailored to the needs of SEN pupils or special general education curriculum, the school


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can organise education in the area of natural sciences integrally on the basis of natural science education area or breaking down this area into separate subjects. These pupils may not learn physics and chemistry.

Deaf and hard of hearing pupils following the special basic education curriculum in special schools for the deaf and hard of hearing and having complex difficulties may not learn foreign languages. Foreign language classroom time may be allocated for the teaching of the Lithuanian language.

Pupils with hearing disorders may not be learning music and the deaf do not need to learn it. Pupils with limited mobility (motor and support apparatus dysfunctions) may be exempted from technology lessons.

The teaching of special needs pupils at home is organised by the school that selects areas of education, taking into account recommendations of the school special education commission, pedagogical psychological service and medical doctors.

As regards provision of special pedagogical assistance at home for preschool children with special needs who are unable to attend pre-school educational institutions, special assistance is provided at home for pupils who are blind and partially sighted, deaf, hard of hearing, with significant and severe mental health difficulties, cerebral palsy and children with severe motor and support apparatus dysfunctions. Education is organised according to the Procedure for Provision of Special Educational Assistance to SEN Preschool Children in their Homes (2000). The number of hours allocated for education at home amounts to 4 per week.

Social education of 18 year-old and senior persons who became blind is organised at home. The subjects are chosen and the teaching plan drawn up taking into consideration the blind person’s abilities and desires; the 18 year-old and senior persons are taught at home by typhlopedagogues (teachers for the blind and partially sighted).

Children undergoing treatment in curative institutions can be taught individually according to the Teaching Plan for Pupils Undergoing Treatment at Home if such individual teaching is recommended by medical doctors because of the peculiarities of the illness or if there is only one pupil following a grade-specific programme.

At technology lessons, intellectually impaired pupils can be taught to do the work of one or various fields.

For every pupil who has intelligence, specific cognitive, emotional, behavioural and social development problems and severely limited mobility (motor and support apparatus dysfunctions), one lesson per week is available for special classes of individual and group exercises in grades 5–10 for the development of computer skills and cognitive functions and elimination of gaps in subjects taught.

Pupils with specific cognition difficulties are integrated into classes of mainstream schools by providing them with individual education programmes, teaching methods and pedagogical assistance.

National (ethnic) minority children with special needs are taught in their mother tongue. They are additionally taught the official state language.





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Procedure for Provision of Special Pedagogical Assistance to Pre-school Children with Special Needs at Home

10.6.8. Teaching Methods and Materials

Pursuant to the Law on Special Education, teachers who educate persons with special needs must adapt educational methods, curriculum and content and also select relevant teaching aids to match their special needs.

Training provided according to the curricula adapted for the special needs of the disabled determines the application of new teaching and learning methods. Pupils with different disabilities and different learning needs are taught using different ways and methods. The main principles in selecting educational methods are differentiation and individualisation of teaching. Teaching methods are chosen according to individual special needs. Even when following the same educational curriculum, different methods can be applied for each person.

In the process of educating pupils with special needs, a variety of methods are used, including narration, explanation, observation, conversation, demonstration, printed or audio materials and usual or computer games. Pupils learn to understand the reality, evaluate phenomena, and develop individual views about people, things, the environment and themselves. Children are engaged in practical work, experiments, observation, active and didactic creative games, and are given logical tasks to solve. Games are played in groups or teams and children are encouraged to evaluate their work. Individual work with children is used as a remedial measure. Excursions and practical work are extensively used methods of education. Pupils are taught to observe, analyse, compare and generalise the results, communicate and draw conclusions.

In teaching hearing-impaired pupils, the prevailing tools are visual aids; verbal communication (pronunciation and lip-reading skills) is developed, more information is provided in writing and individual work is organised. Of great importance are visual aids and visual information (various charts, pictures, tables, formula and arbitrary signs) as well as specific communication means like the sign language and finger language (dactylology). Hearing-impaired children in mainstream schools are provided special assistance of a surdopedagogue. The deaf and hard of hearing children are taught total communication by a verbal or bi-lingual method. The bi-lingual method is used in teaching pre-primary preparatory and grade 1 pupils. Artistic development is very important in educating the deaf. Pupils are encouraged to express themselves through the synthesis of elements of modern dancing and movement on the stage.

When working with primary school children having speech defects, teachers select the most suitable subject-related methods: they simplify the texts, explain new words and concepts and use a lot of visual aids to facilitate memorising. The Montessori sensor development system is being applied successfully. Visually impaired children learn by playing games and working with the optometric computer system VISUS. Those who are not able to learn to speak are taught by way of alternative communication by using symbols, pictures or small objects.

When educating moderately retarded pupils, the principle of the individual’s integrity has to be observed, i.e., equal attention is paid to developing mental activities, emotions, behaviour and body sensations. Instruction of these children requires strict structure, accuracy and evaluation.

When educating visually impaired children, not only special individual methods but also special teaching aids are used. Every high-risk visually impaired child is given half a lesson every week (lasting up to 4 years) to teach them Braille. With the help of touch, visually impaired and blind children are taught to perceive the


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surrounding things and people. Considerable attention is paid to artistic activities, excursions, and outings. Elements of musical and theatrical expression are integrated into the process of education provided to visually impaired pupils. Assistance in educating such children is provided by typhlopedagogues.

The Montessori method is successfully applied in educating children with multi-sensory disabilities. The speed of the educational process is adapted to the rate of every child’s individual development. Music, songs, hand exercise and games are used.

The choice of methods in developing the capacities of moderately, significantly and severely retarded pupils. depends on their cognitive skills and functionality of education. More attention is given to demonstration, showing and assistance rather than explanation, narration and other verbal methods. Visual teaching aids, real objects, natural materials as well as primitive construction, games-puzzles, illusory and make-believe (simulation) games are included in the education process. Children can reveal their creativity and independence during various extra-curricular activities.

Reorganisation of textbook provision, completed in 2003, gave way to a decentralised provision of schools with textbooks and teaching materials. Funds for acquisition of textbooks are now included in the ’pupil’s basket‘. If the amount of money allocated to a pupil without special needs amounts to LTL21 (about 6 Euro), the amount allocated for acquisition of textbooks and exercise books to each pupil with special educational needs integrated in mainstream schools is increased by additional LTL40 (about 11,6 Euro).

In 2005, a list of recommended special teaching aids was first compiled. The list contains special teaching aids published inside or outside Lithuania that schools can acquire using the funds of the pupil’s basket. Special teaching aids are visual, technical, demonstrational and computer-aided means, playthings and materials, including exercise books for practical training that have been developed or adapted for persons in need of special support and used in the process of their education.

Special needs pupils make use of specially adapted versions of the original textbooks of Lithuanian, mathematics, perception and understanding of the world and history.

The Ministry of Education acquired a license for the translation into Lithuanian and application of the computer program Link-it. This software is designed for developing bilingual teaching aids in the sign and verbal languages. In 2008, while implementing the Programme of Special Education Services approved by the Government in 2004, the Ministry of Education allocated funding for developing of special teaching aids ‘I read in the Native Language’.

In 2006-2008, the department of the sign language and methodological aids of the Lithuanian Centre for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education released nine special teaching aids, and three editions of the methodological recommendations for teachers and parents. Development of bilingual teaching aids was also initiated.

The aim is to create the most favourable conditions for both parents and teachers to obtain the command of the regular Lithuanian sign language and choose the most suitable teaching method that could best meet the deaf pupils’ capacities and needs. In 2007, following approval of the Concept of Bilingual Education for the Deaf by the Minister of Education and Science, a number of measures relating to bilingual education development of the deaf were implemented in the country's schools for the deaf. In. 2007, as part of the implementation of the programmes mentioned above, classrooms equipped with the sign language teaching aids were renovated in ten schools for the deaf in Lithuania.


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The implementation of the Model for Supplying Schools with Special Teaching Aids is expected to complete the system of providing schools with special teaching aids; Lithuania will be developing high quality teaching resources to be used in the process of teaching pupils with various special needs; schools will be equipped with appropriate special teaching aids, which will improve the quality of education and the learning conditions for special needs pupils and develop the teachers' professional expertise to educate special needs pupils through application of the state-of-the- art special teaching aids.


Model for Provision of Special Teaching Aids

10.6.9. Progression of pupils

Assessment of SEN pupils’ progress and achievements is based on the Concept of Assessment of Learners’ Progress and Achievements (2004). Within this process, the types of assessment used are: formative assessment (orally and in writing), diagnostic assessment (according to the formalised way of assessment chosen by the school) and informative assessment (used to report on a child’s progress).

In primary grades, pupils’ progress and achievements are not assessed in marks.

At the end of each term (semester), information on pupils’ progress is entered into the Primary Education Record Book. In 2009–2010, achievements of pupils in grades 1 and 3 are recorded by indicating the level of attainment (satisfactory, basic or advanced) in the corresponding columns of the Record Book. In the same school year, achievements of pupils in grades 2 and 4 are recorded according to assessment arrangements established by the school itself (e. g. entries ‘progress achieved’ or ‘no progress achieved’ are recorded or else the level of attainment is indicated).

The achievement of pupils following the basic and secondary education curricula is rated based on a 10-point assessment system, except for the subjects of moral education, human safety, physical education, physical education preparatory groups, arts and technology and basics of economics and citizenship the learning outcomes of which are recommended to be assessed as ‘attested’ or ‘not attested’. The record ‘exempt’ is used in the event that a pupil is exempted from attending certain classes under a doctor's recommendation and the school principal's orders. To assess the performance of lower grade pupils in levelling classes, the ideographical method is used while the achievements of pupils in higher grades are assessed by giving them marks. The learning outcomes of pupils studying subject modules are recommended to be assessed by way of formative assessment or a mark, credit, cumulative score, etc. They are included in the final assessment record for covering the syllabus of the related subject. See also 4.9..

The progress of pupils, who on the recommendation of a pedagogical psychological service are following adapted curricula, is assessed according to the requirements of the curricula. Adapted curricula Adaptuotos programos are developed by subject teachers in consultation with the school special pedagogue or speech therapist. Term, half-yearly or yearly marks are recorded with a note ’ad’.

Pursuant to the Procedure for Consecutive Learning in Accordance with General Education School Curricula (2005), pupils following education curricula that do not fully correspond to the national education standards are promoted to a higher grade after they have been given their end-of-year marks. The progress and learning achievements of pupils with special educational needs are discussed in the presence of specialists.


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Intellectually impaired children may be retained in the same class to repeat the curriculum only at the request of their parents (foster parents or guardians) or on the recommendation of the special education commission of the school.

Persons are admitted to schools implementing an adapted basic education curriculum after presenting to the school principal a certificate testifying to the completion of an adapted primary education curriculum.

Persons are admitted to schools implementing an adapted secondary education curriculum after presenting to the school principal a certificate of learning attainments testifying to the completion of an adapted basic education curriculum.

The content of the basic and secondary school leaving examinations and the procedure for organising them for persons who have a written conclusion of the pedagogical psychological service as to their special educational needs is determined in accordance with the requirements established by the Ministry of Education and Science.

The evaluation of the basic education achievements of pupils with special needs and the procedure of the Matura examinations are regulated by the Procedure for Organising and Administering Matura Examinations, approved yearly by the Minister of Education and Science, and the Rules and Procedures on the Adjustment of Basic Education Achievement Testing, Language Credits, the Form of the Tasks for Maturity Subject Examinations, their Execution and Assessment Instructions (Assessment) to Special Needs Pupils, Former Pupils and External Pupils. Subject to these orders, the way of administering the examinations, the tasks and the evaluation of the results can be adjusted to pupils with special needs (e. g. – they can be given more time to do the tasks, the tasks are read out in a separate room, a group of the same mistakes are rated as one mistake. Examination tasks for deaf and hearing-impaired pupils are prepared by the National Examination Centre.

Pupils who followed the adapted adapted curricula Adaptuota programa or special basic education curriculum do not take examinations.

At the request of persons with special needs, vocational schools, and higher education institutions tailor entrance, intermediate, qualification and final examination procedures to the special educational needs of these people.




10.6.10. Educational/Vocational Guidance, Education/Employment Links

Vocational rehabilitation of persons with special needs is the responsibility of the Lithuanian Labour Market Training Authority and vocational rehabilitation centres, subordinate to the Ministry of Social Security and Labour. They devote special attention to the psychological rehabilitation and vocational training of persons with special needs, especially those with disabilities, their vocational rehabilitation and integration into the labour market. Having completed vocational rehabilitation programmes, persons with disabilities get successfully employed.


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Within the framework of international projects, the Lithuanian Labour Market Training Authority develops special training programmes – partially financed by international organisations – that are aimed at the integration and re-integration of social groups with special needs into the labour market.

At the Vilnius rehabilitation centre for the vocational training of the deaf and hearing-impaired persons, care is taken of their vocational training, retraining and search for jobs.

The Lithuanian centre for education of the blind and visually impaired helps visually impaired persons to find jobs and adapt to their workplace, organises short-term training at their places of work. Special groups are formed at colleges and other schools where visually impaired persons can obtain a speciality (e.g. that of a masseur).

In 1994, the Lithuanian Rehabilitation Vocational Training Centre was opened. The Centre is designed for young people with mild intellectual impairments to continue their schooling, education and vocational training. Young people of any age who have completed the special school curricula can enrol in the programmes offered by the Centre. Vocational training delivered by the Centre lasts three years. The learners are provided accommodation in the halls of residence and the Centre helps them to find a job after they complete their training programmes. The retraining of persons undergoing rehabilitation and the upgrading of their qualifications are organised on a contractual basis and is coordinated with the relevant agencies, ministries and labour exchanges. The Lithuanian Rehabilitation Vocational Training Centre works in close co-operation with labour exchanges, social care institutions as well as companies and enterprises related with vocational training.

In 2005, in line with the programme ‘Information and Communication’, initiated by UNESCO, Vilnius University Library launched a project called ’Access to Information and Knowledge for Youth with Disabilities‘ (ODYSSEUS). A centre of competence for persons with disabilities was set up in Vilnius University Library providing them a possibility to use advanced technologies, and excellent libraries for the blind, with the adjusted access, were opened in the Gediminas Technical University, the Šiauliai University and other HEIs. In 2007, the premises of the Faculty of Philosophy at Vilnius University were adjusted for mobility-restricted persons in wheel chairs.

In order to ensure availability of vocational guidance services to meet the user demand, the Vocational Guidance Strategy (2003) and the Action Plan for its Implementation identified vocational information offices (VIO) as providers of vocational information services. In 2003–2004, the first vocational information offices (one office per every municipality) were supplied with the necessary equipment and started their activities.

At present, there are 700 vocational information offices in Lithuania. They are places providing vocational information services, having a free access to the Internet and the country’s education and labour market databases as well as accumulated vocational information materials stored in computer files, video tapes and printed publications. Special needs persons are also advised in these offices and can use whatever information they need.




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10.6.11. Certification

The 'Description of the Procedure for Issuing Certificates and Matura Attestations' regulates issuance of certificates and Matura attestations to pupils in primary, basic, secondary and special education, former pupils and external pupils.

A certificate attesting to the learning achievements is granted to a pupil of a state or municipal school who has not completed the basic education curriculum, the adapted basic education curriculum or the adapted secondary education curriculum.

A certificate attesting to the learning achievements in primary education is granted to a pupil of a state, municipal and private school who has completed the Adapted Primary Education Curriculum or the Special Primary Education Curriculum.

A certificate attesting to the learning achievements in basic education is granted to a pupil of a state, municipal and private school who has completed the Special Basic Education Curriculum or the Adapted Basic Education Curriculum.

A certificate attesting to the learning achievements in secondary education is granted to a pupil of a state, municipal and private school who has completed the Adapted Secondary Education Curriculum.

On successful completion of the general basic education curriculum, pupils with special needs are awarded the basic school leaving certificate. Following the 'Description of the Procedure of Issuing Certificates and Matura Attestations', Matura attestations are issued to special needs persons who have covered the secondary education curriculum and have passed Matura examinations in the Lithuanian language and in two other subjects of their choice from their individual education plan.

The Curriculum Framework provides the key guidance for all components of assessment, including planning, teaching, recording and discussing assessment-related information and adjusting the process of education. In individualising the content of education for pupils with special educational needs, the curriculum is adjusted with regard to their special needs. The achievement assessment process must be individualised accordingly. Diagnostic assessment is used in identifying the pupil’s individual learning needs, in adjusting the curriculum and the education methods.

Following the Concept of Assessment of Learners’ Progress and Achievement, in evaluating the progress and achievements of special needs pupils, teachers are advised to apply formative or diagnostic methods of assessment. See 4.12. . ‘Positive’ evaluation can be assigned by marks 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or an entry: ’exempt‘, ’pass‘, ’progress achieved’.

The learning outcomes of pupils who were recommended to follow adapted or modified curricula modifikuota programa are assessed in accordance with the requirements and identified objectives of the respective curricula.

The progress and learning achievements of SEN pupils are discussed in the presence of teachers, specialists providing assistance, and the parents (foster parents/carers).


Procedure for Awarding Certificates and Matura Attestations


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10.6.12. Private Education

Private schools of general education (primary, basic, secondary schools and gymnasiums gimnazijos) can provide education to pupils with special educational needs in accordance with the procedure established by the Government.

In 2010, there are two private special purpose schools operating in Lithuania: the Klaipėda Special School (implementing the pre-school, primary and basic education curricula in Lithuanian and Russian for children with complex impairments affecting speech, intellect, mobility and also emotional and social development) that has 35 pupils and the Public Institution R. Steiner Medical Education Centre (implementing the special primary education curriculum and applying the Waldorf educational method).

Lithuania has no established tradition of private special education schools. Regulation of private schools of general education is based on the same legal acts that are applied to state and municipal schools. For example, learners bring with themselves their ‘pupil’s baskets’, which, since 2008, have been increased for special needs pupils by 35 percent.


10.7. Special measures for the Education of Immigrant Children/Pupils

According to the Law on Education, every foreign subject who has been granted a right to reside or temporarily settle in the Republic of Lithuania is entitled to a possibility of studying, acquiring an education or a qualification. The Law on Education ensures availability of education services to disadvantaged children of refugees by providing social services and pedagogical assistance to them.

The Government and municipalities implement targeted social and educational programmes either directly or through schools. Such programmes may be initiated and carried out by non-governmental organisations and other legal or natural persons.

In the event that the children of foreigners or citizens of the Republic of Lithuania who returned from abroad, do not know the state language but wish to learn or continue their schooling at Lithuanian general education schools, their education is organised in levelling classes and mobile groups according to the ‘Procedure of Educating Adults and Children of Foreign Nationals and Citizens of the Republic of Lithuania who Arrived or Returned to Live or Work there‘ (2005).

The level of the pupil's learning outcomes acquired in a foreign school is established by the school approached by the learner who wishes to continue his/her learning. If it is necessary to make up for some of the gaps caused by the differences in the subject programmes, the school provides ways and forms to eliminate them depending on the pupil’s (or his/her parents') wishes.

Pupils who intend to leave the country to live and (or) learn abroad, may, after submitting a request to the principal of the school where they studied, learn Lithuanian and all other subjects covered in their grades independently according to the Procedure for Independent Learning (2003), Those who wish to study by distance learning apply to the school implementing distance education.


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The general education plans of general education schools regulate provision of education for migrant children. Subject to the specific conditions, the level of the learners‘ development and their command of the language, schools set out individual syllabuses and timetables.

Juvenile asylum seekers accommodated at the Immigration Registration Centre have the right to attend a general education school in accordance with the procedure established by the Ministry of Education and Science. After being granted asylum, immigrants are provided an opportunity to take a free course in the Lithuanian language.

Children living in the Refugee Reception Centre have a right to attend general education schools and institutions of pre-school education. The Refugee Reception Centre creates conditions for its residents to enrol in a free-of-charge programme of the Lithuanian language, which is run in a specially equipped class on the premises of the Centre or on the premises of an educational institution.



10.8. Statistics

Numbers of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) by the type of impairment 2009–2010

Numbers of pupils Percentage, compared with total numbers of pupils in

general education Total numbers of pupils with special educational needswithin mainstream education

46,780 10.4

By the type of the following impairment:

Mental health difficulty 2,975 0.7

Special cognition difficulties 5,920 1.3

Emocional, behavioural and social development difficulties 854 0.2

Speech and other communicative disorders 25,089 5.6

Hearing impairments: deafness 49 0.01

being hard of hearing 208 0.05

Eyesight disorders: blindness 18 0.004

visual impairment 104 0.02

Limited mobility 310 0.07

Chronic somatic and neurological disorders 371 0.08

Complex impairments 6,747 1.5

Other developmental difficulties 4,135 0.9

Groups of special educational needs:

I – slight special educational needs 32,369 7.2

II – average special educational needs 12,192 2.7

III – bad special educational needs 2,043 0.5

IV – severe special educational needs 176 0.04

In pre-primary preparatory education groups 2,175


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Numbers of pupils with special educational needs following the general education curricula, 2009–2010

Education curriculum Numbers of pupils Adapted primary education curriculum 2,136

Adapted basic education curriculum 6,631

Adapted secondary education curriculum 369

Special primary education curriculum 1,311

Special basic education curriculum 3,078

Special schools and education centres and numbers of pupils in them

2007–2008 2008–2009 2009–2010

Schools Pupils Schools Pupils Schools Pupils

S p e c i a l sc h oo l s a n d e d u c a t i o n cen t r e s

6 5 4 , 9 2 5 6 5 4 , 8 1 9 6 2 4 , 5 5 1

Sanator ium schools 9 4 7 1 1 0 4 8 0 9 3 6 7

Special purpose pre-school education providers

2007–2008 2008–2009

Institutions Children Institutions Children

Specia l purpose pre-school education providers ( inc luding other types of inst i tut ions with special purpose groups)

111

3 ,620

84

3 ,068

Out of which for pupi ls with the fo l lowing impairments :

Hear ing 6 56 6 94

Speech 40 2 ,213 39 1 ,488

Eyesight 8 372 2 212

Mental health 3 149 3 135

L imited mobi l i ty 5 152 3 159

Complex 49 678 31 980

Number of special educational needs support staff in general education schools, 2009–2010

T otal n um be r 3 , 2 0 7


Specia l pedagogues 5 1 2

Surdopedagogues 8

Typhlopedagogues 8

Psychologists 3 8 9

Socia l pedagogues 9 8 8

Educators (not teaching any subject) 8 2 9

Sources: Statistics Lithuania; AIKOS [(pen Information Counseling and Guidance System), EMIS [Education Management Information System)



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11. The European and International Dimension of Education

Education in Lithuania is based on the key values of national, European and world culture: absolute value and dignity of the individual, love for fellow human beings, inherent equality of people, human rights and freedoms, tolerance and democratic social relations.

The EU objectives set forth in the Lisbon Strategy and education-related EU documents are directly integrated into the process of formulating the national education strategy, legislation and main strategies for the development of higher education and research and planning investments in human resources.


Lithuania’s statehood is known to Europe from as far back as the mid-thirteenth century when the Lithuanian people founded their state – the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. See 1.1. It existed up to the end of the eighteenth century. After regaining independence in 1918, Lithuania consolidated as a state and built up cultural, economic and diplomatic relations with different countries of the world. From the end of the nineteenth century, Lithuanian young people are known to have studied at higher educational establishments of various European countries (Austria, Germany, Poland, Russia, Switzerland, etc.).

After Lithuania re-established its independence in 1990 and started pursuing an independent foreign policy, the country began seeking for the creation of equal partnership among the European states and contributing to the creation of European security. On 12 June 1995, Lithuania and the European Union signed the Association (Europe) Agreement. On 1 February 1998, Lithuania became an associated member of the European Union.

International cooperation, which started gaining momentum in 1990, developed in two directions: the growing bilateral cooperation and Lithuania’s embarking on education, studies and research programmes run by international organisations. On 28 September 2000, the EU–Lithuanian Association Council adopted a decision to allow Lithuania to participate in the second phase of the EU education programmes.

The key priority of the recent years has been Lithuania’s accession to the European Union. The future development of education in Lithuania is projected based on the education perspectives defined by the European Union and the country’s national context.

Upon joining the European Union as a member state, Lithuania has assumed all membership obligations. One of such obligations is implementation of the Lisbon strategy. In line with the priorities of the European education policy, the underlying objectives of the Lithuanian education policy are availability, effectiveness and quality of education. Steps undertaken by Lithuania to implement its long term education strategy are coordinated with the Lisbon process, strategically important for Europe, and the UNESCO initiative to provide high quality basic education for all.

The institutional framework for the management and administration of the European Union Structural Funds and co-financing by the Lithuanian Government of projects that have received financial assistance from the European Union Structural Funds is already in place. In 2004, the Single Programming Document of Lithuania for 2004–2006 (SPD) was adopted. SPD is a general document for planning investments allocated to the


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country from the EU Structural Funds. The document sets out Lithuania’s national socio-economic development strategy and different investment priorities and measures of assistance provided from the European Union Structural Funds, i.e. it shows where and how Lithuania plans to invest European funding available from the Structural Funds. Under the Single Programming Document of Lithuania for 2004–2006, investments from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) made more than half of the total amount planned as assistance to Lithuania by the four Structural Funds.

In 2005, Lithuania declared support for the involvement of the country’s institutions of research and higher education in the EU’s Sixth and Seventh Framework Programmes for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration and approved the description of the procedure aimed at promoting the successful participation of the country’s institutions of research and higher education in the action programmes of the EU’s Sixth and Seventh Framework Programmes for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration for the year 2005 by allocating the necessary funds for the development of infrastructure.

In line with the implementation of the Lisbon Strategy, the guidelines of the Bologna and Copenhagen processes, the State Long Term Development Strategy and the Action Programme for the Implementation of the Provisions of the National Education Strategy 2003–2012 as well as the creation of the European Higher Education and Research Areas, a focus on increasing employment and industrial competitiveness and strengthening of the country’s intellectual potential still remain the main directions set for the development of education and research in the Republic of Lithuania for the near future.

The EU Structural Funds are successfully used for the development of Lithuanian education. The EU structural funds and state funds allocated to the country’s general education schools for 2007–2013 amount to LTL693 million. The total. amount of the EU structural funds and co-financing planned to be allocated for vocational training and adult education over 2007-2013 stands at about LTL345 million. European Union and Lithuania allocate LTL780 m for the development of higher education of the state.

At the national level, international co-operation is further developed, recognition of qualifications obtained abroad is carried out and arrival of people of Lithuanian descent and Lithuanian emigrants returning to study in Lithuanian HEIs supported and encouraged. The Ministry of Education and Science established collaboration with the Lithuanian Centre of Support for Lithuanians Living Abroad. The draft Resolution regarding ratification of the Convention Setting up the European University Institute was submitted to the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania.

The Ministry of Education and Science is involved in the activities of a number of international higher education and research bodies (5 committees and working groups), the European Qualifications Framework Advisory Group, ENQAVET (the European Network for Quality Assurance in Vocational Education and Training) and the information and knowledge network (ReferNet) established by the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP) to provide comparable information across Europe.

Svarbiausi Bolonijos proceso dokumentai (Bolonijos-Bergeno laikotarpis 1995-2005 m.)


National Lisbon Strategy Implementation Programme for 2008-2010




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Over the next four years, there are plans to upgrade the curriculum content of basic and secondary education aligning its aims and objectives with the basic competencies established by the Basic Competencies Task Force within the framework of the European Commission programme Education and Schooling 2010.

Working groups under the leadership of the Ministry of Education and Science are engaged in developing action programmes for the implementation of priorities related to the strategy concerning the use of the EU structural assistance in the area of education and research. Those working groups embrace social and economic partners, including members of 25 associations, councils, trade unions and other organisations and also representatives delegated by various ministries and governmental departments.

Upgrading of the Strategy for Ensuring Lifelong Learning and integration of European Commission specified measures into the Action Plan for the implementation of this Strategy will contribute to a more purposeful development of the policy of lifelong learning.

In 2009, the Education Exchanges Support Foundation was engaged in designing a Project for the Promotion of the International Dimension of the Lithuanian Higher Education, which should be implemented in 2010 after receipt of the European Social Fund (ESF) support.


11.3. National Policy Guidelines/Specific Legislative Framework

In the context of rapid economic, social and political changes undergoing in Lithuania, the country has clearly declared the policy of promoting lifelong learning as a top priority of its educational development. The national policy guidelines directly draw on the objectives of the European Union as set out in the Lisbon Strategy and the EU documents on education.

In 1998, the Republic of Lithuania adopted a law ratifying the Council of the European Union and UNESCO Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications Concerning Higher Education in the European Region.

In December 1999, the Republic of Lithuania was invited to open the EU membership negotiations. In the course of preparations to assume the membership obligations, the necessity to adopt the EU Acquis and ensure its implementation arose in all sectors of the negotiations. In implementing Article 78 of the Europe Agreement, the work of harmonising the Lithuanian education system with the education systems in the EU member states (as specified in NAPP) was continued, with Lithuania’s involvement in the second phase of the EU education programmes. In 1999–2000, the position paper on the negotiation chapter ‘Education and Learning’ was prepared and submitted to the Commission of the European Union for its opinion. The chapter was provisionally closed (its provisions approved by the Commission) on 14 June 2000.

The targets to implement the provisions of the Lisbon Strategy are also articulated in the main official documents and national legislation concerning education, including the Single Programming Document of Lithuania for 2004–2006, Law on Education, Provisions of the National Education Strategy 2003–2012 and its Implementation Programme and also Strategy for Ensuring Lifelong Learning and Action Plan for its Implementation.


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Carrying out of the foreign policy of the Republic of Lithuania provides for:

● Participation of educational institutions in the activities of international organisations whose member Lithuania is; ● Preparation and coordination of state and departmental agreements, which would facilitate an exchange of best practices seeking to create an educational system which would provide access to high quality knowledge to everyone and would ensure a possibility of lifelong learning.

The newly prepared national legislation concerning education was aligned with the strategic educational provisions of the European Union. Designed by the Lithuanian Government, the programme implementing the strategic provisions is based on the financial commitments by the state as reflected in the project for long term financing of education, the education investment plan and attraction of private capital and assistance through the European Structural Funds.

The Provisions of the National Education Strategy 2003–2012 envisage ways of implementing the mission of education. The strategic provisions are prepared based not only on the Long Term Development Strategy of the State and the Strategy for the Development of the National Economy of Lithuania up to 2015 but also on the European Memorandum on Lifelong Learning, European Employment Strategy, Bologna Declaration of 1999 and the major objectives for the member states of the European Union specified by the European Commission in the sphere of education development up to 2010. The implementation of those provisions is coordinated with the other structural reforms of the country and the general priorities of the European Union policy on education.

The new Law on the Amendment of the Law on Education (2003) was designed so as to enable implementation of the National Education Strategy that provides for the personal and national growth within the European context. As reflected in the Law on Education of the Republic of Lithuania, one of the goals of education is "to ensure conditions enabling a person to acquire the basics of civic and political culture that embody democratic traditions, and to develop the abilities and experience needed by a person for competence as a citizen of Lithuania and a member of the European and global community as well as of a multicultural society". The Law on Education provides that parties of the education system of Lithuania have the right to participate in the international dimension of education, international programmes or otherwise collaborate with the parties of education systems of foreign countries.

The foreign policy followed by the Ministry of Education and Science in the areas of education, studies and research is defined by the directions of foreign policy carried out by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania. The Ministry of Education and Science is engaged in implementation of the policy towards integration into the European Union as set out by the Lithuanian Government, maintains contacts with the appropriate institutions of foreign countries and international organisations according to its competence and the established procedures, develops projects in the sphere of education, science, studies and technologies within the framework of international bilateral agreements, organises accession to multilateral international treaties and ensures their enforcement within the scope of its competence.

The International Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Education and Science carries out the assessment of international cooperation needs, develops programmes to meet these needs, organises preparation and execution of interstate and international departmental agreements and provides information on Lithuania’s education priorities and implementation of international programmes.

In 2003, the Ministry of Education and Science set up the EU Support Coordination Division. Its activities are aimed at coordinating implementation of the policy for Lithuania’s integration with the European Union in the area of education, vocational education and training, higher education, scientific research and


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technological development in line with the measures of European assistance and promoting the development in these fields.

From 1 October 2003, the Lithuanian Government appointed an attaché of the Ministry of Education and Science at the mission of the Republic of Lithuania at the European Communities.

In 2003, the Minister of Education and Science approved the following documents:

● Regulations of the Commission for International Studies. They regulate the main competencies of the Commission for International Studies and the procedures for organising its activities. ● Regulations of the Commission for Coordinating Lithuania’s Participation in the EU Sixth and Other Framework Programmes.

In 2003, the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania approved the National Strategy for Sustainable Development. One of the priorities for Lithuania’s sustainable development is to strengthen the role of education and research.

In 2004, the Government of the Republic of Lithuania adopted the Single Programming Document of Lithuania for 2004–2006 (SPD). The SPD was developed for the coming 10–15 years with the view of the Lithuanian vision for the long term perspective. Lithuania has a well-developed network of institutions for research and higher education studies, and the SPD focuses on the potential input of research and applied sciences to the economic development. Certain discrete fields of research and applied activities (such as biotechnologies, biochemistry, chemistry, physics, mathematics, environmental protection and laser technologies) are regarded as having a particularly high potential. In the SPD strategy, considerable attention is placed on the improvement of education, vocational training and higher education.

In 2007, the focus of the Ministry of Education and Science concerning issues of the EU structural assistance was on the successful completion of the projects run under Measures 1.5, 2.4 and 2.5 of the Single Programming Document (SPD) of Lithuania for the period of 2004-2006 and the active preparation for the absorption of the EU structural funds during the period of 2007-2013. In the course of implementation of the objectives raised in SPD for 2004-2006 and in order to achieve the outcomes intended, the projects’ activities and absorption of funds were subjected to regular supervision, with more attention centred on more risky projects.

In early October 2007, the Lithuanian Government approved the National Programme for Sustainable Development of Education for 2007–2015 and the Plan of Measures for its Implementation for 2007–2010. The Programme was created in line with the Plan of Measures for the Implementation of the Lithuanian Government Programme for 2006–2008, the Government’s resolution on the implementation and coordination of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) strategy ’Education for Sustainable Development‘ (ESD) in Lithuania as part of the plan of actions for the implementation of the Strategy to mark the decade (2005–2015) of its existence. The Programme measures are set forth with regard to the priorities of sustainable development, as defined in the National Strategy for Sustainable Development, as well as to the strategic provisions of sustainable development in the European Union and the Baltic Sea region and other documents.





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National Programme of Education for Sustainable Development for 2007-2015





11.4. National Programmes and Initiatives

In 2006, in addition to the implementation of the main programme of the National Education Strategy, two other special programmes − those of the European Regional Development Fund and of the European Social Fund − were run (within the context of the Single Programming Document).

Lithuania is expanding cooperation under international bilateral and multilateral cooperation agreements, contracts and programmes (seminars and meetings, exchanges of expertise, etc.).

Foreign experts who were working in Lithuania with our specialists in the EU PHARE programme (to provide economic aid to Central and Eastern European candidate countries) also contributed to the implementation of the education reform launched by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania. With their assistance, the PHARE programme on the modernisation of vocational education and training (VET, LI 9704.01.02) and the higher education reform programme (IBER, LI9704.01.01) were successfully implemented.

The Education Improvement Project (EIP) that was run in 2002–2005 was the largest Lithuanian education investment project since the restoration of independence. Its budget amounted to LTL180 million, out of which more than LTL100 million was a loan from the World Bank and the rest of the funds were allocated from the state and municipality budgets. In 2003, while developing the education quality management system, three contracts with foreign consultants were signed.

In Lithuania, projects and programmes in various fields of education are supported by a number of foreign foundations, including the American Center, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) Foundation (USA), Know-How Fund (United Kingdom), the Danish Democracy Foundation, the Dutch Matra Fund, European Council Information and Documentation Centre, the Nordic Council of Ministers, etc.

The Ministry of Education and Science, together with other authorised ministries, participated and is participating in the implementation of the Lithuanian Government programmes, such as the National Narcotics Control and Drug Prevention Programme for 2004–2008, National Social Integration Programme for People with Disabilities for 2003–2012, National Social Adaptation Programme for Convicted Persons and People who Returned from Places of Imprisonment for 2004–2007, National Programme for Prevention of Discrimination for 2006–2008, Action Plan for Implementation of the Strategy for Dealing with Population Aging-related Outcomes for 2005–2013 and National Programme for Prevention of Violence against Children and Provision of Assistance to Children for 2005–2007.

In 2004–2006, financial assistance from the European Union Structural Funds was provided for the development of conditions for lifelong learning. Over the period, 192 agreements of the total value of LTL214 million were signed according to Measure 2.4 of the Single Programming Document. According to Measure


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1.5, 48 agreements of the total value of LTL140 million were concluded to provide financial assistance for the development of the system of education and vocational training alone.

Within the process of integrating the country’s higher education and research into the European Union structures, a number of international projects were carried out, legal documents on the successful participation of the national institutions of higher education and research in the EU Framework Programmes for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration developed and the scope of investment from foreign contracting authorities increased.

The EU asistance funds are added to assignments from the State budget to cofinance the development of the infrastructure and acquisition of new modern equipment in the fields of education, vocational training and higher education and research. Projects carried out with the help of the EU assistance contribute to enhancing the level of Lithuania’s international competitiveness in different fields, improve the quality of specialists trained and establish closer links between science and business and develop innovations.

In order to achieve the goals and objectives of the EU Special Structural Assistance Programme for 2007-2013, a number of sub-programmes to be financed from the EU structural funds for 2007-2013 and general financing sources have been developed (including the National Programme of Studies, National Programme for Vocational Guidance in the System of Education, General National Integrated Programme, School Improvement Programme Plus, Programme for Stimulating Researchers' Career Development, Programme for the Development of Resources in Practical Vocational Training, General National Programme of Cooperation between Research and Development (R&D) and Business (draft).

The National Programme of Studies which was reoriented to meet the reform goals in 2009 is funded by the EU SF. The implementation of National Programme of study focuses on strengthening the education system efficiency and the quality and availability of services.

Activities undertaken in carrying out the European Economic Area Financial Mechanism supported project ‘Development of Adult Education in Municipalities in Reducing Social Exclusion and Regional Disparities in Lithuania’ have greatly contributed to the development of non-formal adult education and implementation of the Strategy for Ensuring Lifelong Learning.

In 2009, in order to ensure pupil safety and feeling good at school, Lithuania continued the activities related to implementation of the target programmes for the prevention of violence (such as OLWEUS Bullying Prevention Programme, Second Step, Zippy‘s Friends) and participated in the measures of such programmes for promoting a healthy way of life as Primary Prevention of Drug Addiction, Alcohol and Tobacco Control and others.

In 2009, within the framework of the Long-term National and Civic Education Programme, 64 national projects were supported and funding was allocated in support of the tendering process for all municipal national and civic education projects.

Implementation of the National Programme for Vocational Training Guidance in the Education System is underway, the experience of Lithuania and other European countries seeking to develop career management skills of individuals in institutions of general education, vocational training and higher education and the labour market structures has been summarised and evaluated.

Support is provided to international cooperation in the field of higher education: a number of measures of the Project for the Promotion of International Dimension in Lithuanian Higher Education for 2008-2010 were implemented:


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state grants awarded pursuant to international agreements (according to 54 ministerial orders), implementation of the EU Mundus and Tempus programmes in Lithuania and the activities of the Bologna Process experts supported.


Programme for the Development of Citizenship and National Identity

Programme for the Promotion of the International Dimension in Higher Education for 2008-2010



11.4.1. Bilateral Programmes and Initiatives

Since 1992, while encouraging bilateral cooperation with the neighbouring countries and more remote countries in Western and Central Europe, Asia and other continents, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Lithuania has been developing cultural cooperation agreements and participating in their preparation for execution.

Cooperation agreements and contracts are signed with the following countries:

● Bulgaria, in the field of education, science, studies and culture (effective from 1997); ● Spain (1997), Greece (1998), Israel (1998), United Kingdom (1998), Finland (1999), Hungary (1999), Poland (2000), Holy See (2000) and Slovenia (2002) in the field of culture, education and science; ● Italy (1998), in the field of culture, education, studies, science and technologies; ● USA (1994), in the field of science and technologies; ● China (1992), in the field of science and technologies; ● China (1993), Venezuela (1993), Romania (1997) and Columbia (2001), in the field of culture; ● Turkey (1999) and Mexico (2003), in the field of education, culture, arts and sport; ● Ukraine (1993), in the field of education, science and culture; ● Uzbekistan (1995), in the field of culture and arts; ● Uzbekistan (1995), in the field of education, science and technologies; ● France (2003), in the field of culture, education, science, technologies and engineering.

A number of other agreements and contracts were signed, including those on exchange of study visits with the Czech Republic (2000) and Sweden (1994); on co-operation between young people and exchanges with Poland (1997); on cultural exchanges and cooperation with Venezuela (1993); on provision of employment for people on study visits to upgrade their professional qualifications and command of the language with Germany (1993).

Cooperation with the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) is developed on the basis of both bilateral agreements and multilateral programmes.

Together with Sweden, Lithuania is responsible for implementation of the Baltic Region Education Agenda 21 in that region.

The Ministry of Education and Science is engaged in bilateral and multilateral cooperation ensuring effective involvement in education programmes and projects of international organisations. Various activities in education, including mobility and placements of specialists, study visits and exchanges are organised.


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Lithuania and the Swedish Institute for Special Education Development are carrying out a project ’The Development of the Special Teaching Materials Procurement System’.

In 2002, five cooperation agreements (with Belarus, Flanders, France, Mexico, Ukraine and the Walloon Region in Belgium) followed by two others (with Serbia and Montenegro) in 2003 were concluded and measures provided for in the bilateral cooperation programmes were implemented. Meetings of the joint advisory commission made up from representatives of the Lithuanian and Belarusian Ministries of Education and Science and of the Lithuanian-Polish bilateral commission concerning textbooks were held.

In 2004, the Lithuanian members of the Joint Committee for cooperation between the Governments of the Republic of Lithuania and Italy in the fields of culture, education, studies, research and technologies were appointed by a resolution of the Lithuanian Government.

In 2004, a programme for cooperation with Spain in the fields of education and culture for 20042008 was approved.

In 2005, an agreement regarding mutual recognition of documents granting a right to higher education and also of partial studies, higher education qualifications and degrees in science and arts was concluded between the Governments of the Republic of Lithuania and Poland.

Subject to agreement between the Ministries of Education and Science of the Republic of Lithuania and the Republic of Belarus on cooperation in the field of education, a cooperation programme for 20052009 was concluded.

A cooperation agreement in the field of education, higher education and scientific research for a period of 20062008 was concluded between the Ministries of Education and Science of the Republic of Lithuania and the Republic of Hungary.

In 2005, the process of implementation of international agreements and arrangements in the field of research was organised: support was provided to the bilateral cooperation in the field of research and technological development between Lithuania and the Ukraine; financing was granted to the second stage (20052006) of Gilliber, the Lithuanian-French integrated action programme in the field of research and experimental activities; funds were allocated for the development of further cooperation (in the field of high energy physics) between the Government of the Republic of Lithuania and the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN).

In 2006, the national project ’Time for Leaders‘ was developed in consultation with experts from the Leadership Centre at the University of Manchester.

In 2008, a bilateral international agreement on a cooperation programme in the field of education was concluded with Slovakia. Cooperation under the DUO-Korea sub-programme in support of exchanges between students, lecturers and researchers of institutions of science and studies for the period 2008-2009 was established with Korea.

In 2009, an updated Programme for Cooperation between the Lithuanian and Flemish Governments for 2009–2012 was signed pursuant to the Agreement between the Governments of the Republic of Lithuania and Flanders. Implementation of the Programme provides a framework for the countries to support the mutual exchange of students and researchers and promote a closer collaboration between institutions of research and higher education.


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In 2009, the Governments of the Republic of Lithuania and the Federal Republic of Germany signed an agreement on the equivalence recognition of higher education qualifications and degrees.

In 2009, the Government of the Republic of Lithuania and the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers signed the agreement on the mutual recognition of qualifications granting access to higher education and also higher education qualifications and degrees.


11.4.2. Multilateral Programmes and Initiatives

Cooperation with UNESCO and the Council of Europe plays an important role in developing the European dimension in Lithuanian education. Cooperation Memorandum with UNESCO entered into force as of 21 May 1996. Representatives of Lithuania are especially successfully engaged in the activities of specialised committees of the Council of Europe (A Lithuanian representative was a member of the Higher Education Committee bureau in 19981999 and another representative of Lithuania was elected chairperson of the Education Committee for the term 19992000).

Special attention is devoted to promoting trilateral cooperation between educational institutions of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia and to developing cooperation in the field of education. In 1998, an agreement on the establishment in the Baltic States of the common space for education in the final stage of secondary general education and vocational training (exclusive of higher education) was signed by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania, the Government of the Republic of Latvia and the Government of the Republic of Estonia. The agreement entered into force on 16 July 2000. In June 1999, the Protocol regarding the Agreement on the Recognition of Qualifications in the Baltic States Common Space for Higher Education was signed. The inter-governmental agreement itself on the recognition of qualifications in the Baltic States common space for higher education was signed in February 2000 and became effective as of 1 April 2001. On 8 December 2000, an agreement on the establishment of the common space for higher education in the Baltic States was signed by the governments of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. The agreement entered into force on 6 July 2001.

Taking into account the list of cooperation priorities defined by the Ministers of Education of the Baltic countries and approved by the Ministers of Nordic countries, cooperation is carried on with the participation in the multilateral (under the formula 5+3) programme ’School for All‘ approved in 1999 by the Nordic Council of Ministers. The programme is based on the Nordic countries education concept, which maintains that a ’school for all‘ is an educational institution ensuring coeducation of pupils with special needs and their peers. According to this programme, the project ’Let’s Learn Together‘ was run in 2000−2002 in partnership with the Swedish National Special Education Agency and the county of Vyborg, Denmark.

Cooperation with the Nordic countries is also developed in the framework of another multilateral project in the sphere of updating the teacher training system. Cooperation with the Baltic Sea countries is becoming more active. During the Baltic Sea Region Education and Science Ministers’ Meeting in Stockholm on 24 March 2000, the so called Hague Declaration was adopted, which serves as the basis for the provisions of the new sector of Agenda 21 in the field of sustainable development of education (Baltic 21). In 2002−2005, Lithuania and Sweden were appointed in charge of the preparation of the work programme of this sector. Since 2005, Lithuania and Finland have been in charge of this responsibility. In 2002, Ministers of Education of the Baltic 21 countries approved the Agenda 21 in the field of education. The Agenda includes a plan of actions specifying how to supplement and implement Agenda 21 in the Baltic Sea region.


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To strengthen education for sustainable development on the governmental level, on 2 August 2000, the Ministry of Education and Science signed an agreement with the UNDP concerning the Education for Sustainable Development Project (the UNDP contribution amounts to USD 25,000).

Institutions subordinate to the Ministry of Education and Science participate in the important international projects, including IEA (Civic Education Study), PHARE, ESPAD; in the projects of Nordic and Baltic states ’Methodological Background for Creation of Individual Syllabi and Subject Integration‘, and ’Development of Curriculum Content and Teachers’ Professional Culture‘; in the joint project of Lithuania and the European Council ’The Step‘; in the project of Lithuania and the British Council ’Year 12‘; in the DULCE project of Lithuania and the Netherlands ’Development of the Lithuanian Education Democratic Infrastructure‘; and in the project for promotion of partnership between the Lithuanian and German Adult Education Associations.

In 2002, the Minister of Education and Science and the US Ambassador to Lithuania signed an agreement whereby Lithuania became the 100th country to have joined the GLOBE programme. The Lithuanian Centre of Young Naturalists is responsible for the build-up of schools engaged in the programme, coordinating their activities and implementation process of the programme. The GLOBE programme website was developed for the national reference. At present, there are 32 schools representing nearly all regions of Lithuania that have expressed a wish to participate in the GLOBE programme.

In the middle of 2002, the Agency for International Science and Technology Development Programmes was established in Lithuania for the promotion of successful development of science and technology. The Agency coordinates the implementation of the international programmes EUREKA, COST and the EU Sixth Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (6FP) in Lithuania. It is also engaged in dissemination of information concerning financing facilities provided by various EU programmes for research and technological development and consultations on issues related to submission of applications and preparation of projects. In 2008, the Regulations of the Agency were approved by a Ministerial order.

Within the framework of the special education services provision programme, the Ministry of Education and Science is involved in the activities of the European Special Education Development Agency (as an observer up to 2004 and as a full member since 2004). Together with other member states of the Agency, Lithuania is involved in the project on the evaluation of education attainments of persons with special needs.

In 2006, Lithuania participated in four international studies of educational achievement: PISA (2006); PIRLS (2006; TIMMS (2007) pilot studies for grades 4 and 8. Preparations for TALIS and ICCES studies are already underway. In SITES study, the procedures of data collection (via interviewing teachers and school heads) are completed. The data are being processed by foreign partners ((IEA DPC).

Within the context of Lithuania’s successful participation in education programmes of international organisations, two international agreements on cooperation were concluded, three specialists went on study visits to the European Centre for Modern Languages and Lithuania presented its position at 14 meetings of the EU Education Committee and at three meetings of the EU Education Council.

In 2007, a trilaterial agreement on exchange of students, researchers and the teaching staff was concluded by Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.

The Support Fund for Educational Exchange administrates 16 international educational programmes and participates in different international projects and national initiatives (Lifelong learning programme, Programmes of Study visits, programme of European Certificate, Tempus, Erasmus Mundus, Nordplus programmes, Programme of Academic exchange and other programmes).


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11.4.3. Other National Programmes and Initiatives

The UNESCO programme ‘Education for All’ coordinated by the Ministry of Education and Science has been successfully carried out. On 2628 April 2000, the world forum ‘Education for All’ took place in Dakar, Senegal, during which, along with other 180 countries, Lithuania submitted its progress report, which received a favourable evaluation. In 2001, representatives of various NGOs, governmental agencies, the media, science and business established the National Education Forum (NEF) which took on the responsibility of implementing the obligations and objectives of the world forum ‘Education for All’. Lithuania was the first country in the European region to develop an action plan for realising the idea of education for all. The implementation of the action plan was the responsibility of the Ministry of Education and Science and the National Education Forum. Scientists, pedagogues, politicians and representatives of public authorities and business were engaged in the activities of the Forum.

In 1997, Lithuania joined the UNESCO Associated Schools Project Network (UNESCO-ASP). In the middle of 2002, Lithuanian schools, members of the UNESCO Associated Schools Project Network, convened their first annual meeting. Any Lithuanian school wishing and able to initiate experimental activities related to development of new effective teaching approaches, methods and materials for the teaching of peace culture and tolerance as well as any school whose teachers and pupils are not indifferent to issues of international importance, take an active interest in cultural diversity of the planet and would like to establish contacts and develop links of solidarity and cooperation between schools from other countries may participate in this project.

Some 32 Lithuanian schools are active in the Baltic Sea Project (BSP). Those schools have on their staff teachers interested in carrying out activities of the project. Over the period from September 2006 to September 2009, Lithuania acted as Chief Executive Coordinator of BSP.

In 2001, the Lithuanian Minister of Education and Science approved the programme of integrating the Lithuanian national research and higher education network LITNET into the EU academic network (LITNET GEANT) in 2001–2004.

The Centre of Educational Information Technologies is implementing international projects that promote implementation of the internet-enabled information and communication technologies in education, build national and international networks, provide opportunities for educators and students to share their experience in teaching and learning and their creative works.

The Centre of Educational Information Technologies participates in the European Commission's eContentplus Programme projects such as Aspect, Edrene, eTwinning, e-Skills and Inspire (application of innovative science pedagogy in education and research). The goal of the latter project is to stimulate the decreased interest of pupils in science studies and increase the number of specialists of natural sciences as well as develop a scientific culture in European countries.

In 2002, the European Council provided an opportunity for Lithuania to participate in the Europass Programme. In conjunction with the Ministry of Education and Science, the Socrates programme issued calls for proposals inviting language teachers of Lithuanian schools to submit their projects for assessment. The Assessment Board that included representatives of the European Council awarded Europass to five initiatives.


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In 2002, on the initiative of the Ministry of Social Security and Labour and the Ministry of Education and Science, the Human Resources Development Programmes Assistance Fund was established. The objective of the fund was to promote the development of human resources in Lithuania and ensure adequate implementation of the EU financial assistance programmes (PHARE, European Social Fund and the EQUAL initiative of the European Communities).

In 2003, the Central Project Management Agency was set up to ensure effective utilisation of the European Union and other financial assistance.

In 2003, the US organisation the Brick Project launched the Schools Worldwide project aimed at establishing, by means of information communication technologies (ICT), including the Internet and other technologies, a network connecting secondary school pupils (from 12 to 15 or 18 years of age) of the four continents of the world.

As part of measures for implementing the National Programme for Prevention of Violence against Children and Provision of Assistance for 2005–2007, seminars on prevention of violence were organised and a video conference on implementation of the 34 OLWEUS programme held with representatives from Norway; preparations for a conference on cultural issues and an international conference on prevention of violence and bullying are currently underway; two methodological recommendations on prevention of bullying have been developed and training according to the Second Step programme conducted.

In order to ensure a better conformance to the Rules of Distribution of Responsibility and Functions in Institutions involved in the implementation of the strategy and action programmes for the use of the EU structural assistance, the Minister of Education and Science approved the General National Programme for Research and Development and Cooperation between Science and Business. To be implemented through the use of funds from the EU structural assistance, the Programme is aimed at building up the infrastructure for research and development that will enable to carry out research – vital to business and indispensable in addressing important problems facing the State and society – at the international level and creating preconditions for the applicative spread and other use of scientific achievements.



11.5. European/ International Dimension through the National Curriculum

Lithuanian representatives participate in the activities of the DG B basic skills task force of the European Commission programme ‘Education and Training 2010’. The basic individual skills necessary for modern society and lifelong learning are recognised in the official documents of the country, including the Law on Education, the National Education Strategy 2003–2012, the Strategy for Ensuring Lifelong Learning, General Curriculum Framework, etc.

Engaged in the activities of UNESCO as a country representing the region of Europe and North America, Lithuania is oriented towards ensuring basic education of an entirely new quality in line with the needs of a market economy and open society.


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In the European Union official documents on education, one of the key priorities of activities aimed at implementation of the Lisbon strategy is promotion of entrepreneurship. The strategic provisions of education development in Lithuania also focus on the development of entrepreneurship and economic education.



11.5.1. Pre-school Education

Pre-school education was greatly influenced by the Egmont Petersen’s project ‘Democratisation of the Pre-school Education System’ which was a constituent part of the Open Society Fund Lithuania (OSFL) project ‘Education for Lithuania’s Future”. It was in operation from 1992. The project was aimed at stimulating the development of the reform in the pre-school education system in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Science, municipal and county departments of education and institutions of initial and in-service training. Thirty kindergartens and kindergarten-schools were shortlisted for participation by way of competition. The project was carried out in 192 kindergarten groups (comprising 3,840 children) and 57 primary classes (1,140 children). From 1995, the students and teaching staff of the Pedagogical Faculties of Vilnius Pedagogical University and Klaipėda University as well as from the advanced teacher training schools in Vilnius and Marijampolė participated in the process. The participants of the Egmont project organised their activities by applying the project method for five years; they participated in seminars, practical-theoretical conferences and made study visits to Danish kindergartens and pedagogical seminaries.

In 2002, the Egmont project was ten years old. It became a generator of innovations in pre-school education. During all these years the ideas were spreading not only in pre-school establishments but also in advanced teacher training schools and institutions of higher education preparing these specialists. Among other achievements, there were ten Childhood Pedagogy Centres established in eight cities of Lithuania. In 2010, remained only two Childhood Pedagogy Centres, other became the institutions of other types.

Pre-school and primary education institutions of Lithuania participate in the international project Zippy’s Friends (formerly called Reaching Young Europe). The programme is operated by the international organisation ‘Partnership for Children’ together with its partners in Lithuania, including the Education Development Centre and Youth Centre for Psychological Support. In 2002, the programme got firmly established and expanded in Lithuania, so in order to run it, a new non-governmental organisation, the public body ‘For the good the Child’, was to set up.

In 2009, the programme ‘Zippy’s Friends’ celebrated the first decade of its activities in Lithuania. Since the year 2000 when the programme became fully operational, it has involved almost 72 thousand children, more than 2.6 thousand teachers and 59 programme consultants, with 87 consultant's assistants trained. In 2009–2010, the ‘Zippy’s Friends’ is run in all Lithuanian counties and 47 districts. The programme involves not only children living in the major cities but also in small Lithuanian towns and rural areas who speak Lithuanian, Russian and Polish.

In 2009, a joint international project – “Child and adolescent mental health in enlarged EU – development of effective policies and practices” (CAMHEE) – was completed. Lithuania joined it in 2007. The project involved 32 Lithuanian and foreign organisations working in the mental health field from 15 European Union countries.



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11.5.2. Primary Education

In 2003–2005, Lithuania conducted the national study of pupils’ educational achievements in grades 4, 6, 8 and 10. The study was conducted within the framework of the Education Improvement Project. The pupils’ performance in Lithuanian as the native language, mathematics and understanding of the world (natural sciences) was assessed. The national study was developed and conducted from an international perspective based on the expertise of international comparative evaluation of educational achievement (TIMSS, CIVIC, PIRLS, COMPED). Upon completion of the Education Improvement Project, the national study of pupils’ educational achievements is further continued.

Since 2006, the Ministry of. Education and Science has continued studies of pupils’ educational achievements within the framework of the Implementation Programme of the National Education Strategy. Since 2008, participation in studies of pupils’ achievements is regulated by the Procedure for Conducting Studies of Pupils’ Educational Achievements’.

In 2007, studies of grade 4 pupils’ educational achievements in the Lithuanian native language (comprehension and creation of the text) and mathematics were carried out.

In 2003 and 2007, Lithuania participated in the international TIMSS study of grade 4 pupils’ educational achievements in mathematics and natural sciences.

For more information, refer to 11.5.3..



Lithuania participates in the Council of Europe Civic Education Project and is engaged in other projects such as Teaching History in the 21st Century, Modern European Languages and Europe at School. As an observer, Lithuania participates in the work of the European Special Education Development Agency. It is also engaged in the activity of the International Baccalaureate Organisation.

Seven vocational education and training centres participated in the EU PHARE programme. The infrastructure of these centres was renovated by using funds from the state budget and the new teaching equipment was acquired by using the EU financial assistance.

A memorandum concluded by the Republic of Lithuania and UNESCO consolidated the efforts to develop the UNESCO associated schools project in Lithuania. Through the UNESCO national commission, pupils and teachers are constantly invited to participate in various international projects and events. The associated schools’ partners are the local authorities, funds, private persons, other schools, UNESCO clubs, NGOs and the media.

Lithuania participates in international student assessment programmes, including PISA, PIRLS, TIMSS. Surveys are conducted and students knowledge and skills assessed in such domains as the mother tongue,


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mathematics and natural sciences; competencies in using the mother tongue and mathematical literacy; ICT literacy; national Matura examinations (mother tongue, mathematics, foreign languages, natural and exact sciences, art and music), development of citizenship, teaching and learning. In the SITES study, data collection procedures were performed (through questionnaires completed by teachers and school principals).

The findings from PIRLS 2006 showed that, in Lithuania, the percentage of children to have reached the highest and high reading scores was lower and the percentage of those who reached at least average and minimal scores higher than the average score for the European Union.

The findings from PISA 2006 showed that the average scores for Lithuanian pupils were lower than the average scores for the European Union. The percentage of Lithuanian pupils to have reached level 5 was lower (by 2.6%) than the EU average score.

European issues occupy quite a considerable space in the curriculum of school subjects, esp. in that of the citizenship education. Starting from 1998, increasing emphasis has been placed on the subject of Lithuania’s integration into the EU, quite a number of EU integration-related reference and teaching materials have been published. EU-related topics are also integrated into lessons of history, geography, political sciences, and foreign languages.

In the teaching of foreign languages, a great deal of attention is placed on socio-cultural issues. School children are encouraged to understand the specific features of European societies and cultures and get aware of such socio-cultural aspects of life as interpersonal relationships, values, attitudes and views.

In the teaching of history, a Europe-centred approach is applied. In the school course of history, one of the most important documents is deemed to be Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (adopted by the National Assembly of France on 26 August 1789). A great share of attention is focused on the following topics: the development of civic society in Europe and North America, the common features of political development of democratic and totalitarian countries, the process of European integration, society and the features of its development in democratic and totalitarian countries, the situation of human rights in a democratic and a totalitarian state, Lithuania’s integration into Western political, military and economic structures, the European Union, NATO.

In the teaching of geography, the following topics promoting European citizenship are studied: a European political map and its development, the European Union, inhabitants of Europe, distribution of European inhabitants and their migrations.

To implement the language teaching strategy, the following documents are under development in the Lithuanian educational system:

● ‘Strategic Guidelines for Teaching Foreign Languages’ that is one of the components of the ‘Language Policy in the Republic of Lithuania’ aimed at defining the role of foreign languages in the overall language teaching strategy in the Lithuanian educational system and introducing the strategic guidelines for teaching foreign languages in Lithuania to the general public and the Council of Europe through presenting the change processes, general trends and utilisation of the European experience in teaching and learning languages. ● ‘Strategy for Teaching the Lithuanian Language at Schools of General Education’. The necessity to adopt the Strategy was conditioned by the changes that occurred, during the years of Lithuania’s independence, in the situation of the Lithuanian language and the attitude towards the language both within society and at schools of general education. In the process of Lithuania’s integration into the


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European structures, a special emphasis is focused on the country’s efforts to retain and develop the use of the official Lithuanian language in all domains of public life and also today’s need for people to know as many foreign languages as possible, including at least one language of the neighbouring countries. In the process of creating a competitive and knowledge-based economy in Lithuania and in the entire European Union, acquisition of languages will contribute to the achievement of this goal through improving and strengthening cognitive skills of the mother tongue and foreign languages.

In developing general education school curricula, considerable attention is given to the teaching of aspects related to Lithuania’s membership in the European Union. The EU membership-related topics are incorporated into the lessons of history, geography, political sciences and fundamentals of civic society. The civic society programme attaches special attention to the European content. A teaching kit entitled ’European Integration Lessons‘ was released. It includes a teacher’s book on CD-ROM and a DVD teaching film.

Since 2003, Lithuania has been successfully running the international project ’Model European Parliament‘. Regional and national simulation sessions of the Model European Parliament (MEP) are held every year and the best pupils are delegated to represent the country in international MEP sessions, where topical political issues related to the future of Europe are discussed. The project was initiated by the Model European Parliament Foundation, whose positive evaluation of the sessions held in Lithuania noted the high level of organisation and the lively interest of the participants. Therefore, it was not accidentally that Lithuania was chosen as the venue for the international MEP session in 2006.

Lithuanian schools have been successfully carrying out the ’Europe at School’ programme, whose activities are run under the joint patronage of the Council of Europe, the European Commission, the European Parliament and the European Cultural Foundation. In Lithuania, the programme is coordinated by the Information Office of the Council of Europe and the Ministry of Education and Science. One of the main fields of activities is the annual Europe at School art/essay competition held in countries across Europe, whose aim is to raise awareness about Europe among teachers and students.

’Spring Day for Europe‘, held since 2003, is an initiative of the European School Network aimed at promoting dialogue on the vision of Europe among EU students, teachers and public officials. In implementing the project, Lithuanian schools developed a range of teaching activities on European issues for 2006 and organised meetings and debates with local, regional or national personalities, which took place between the Spring day (21 March) and Europe day (9 May). Events of this kind provide an opportunity for young people to acquire more knowledge about the European Union, the decision-making procedures and create conditions for their voices to be heard.

The new Law on Vocational Education and Training of the Republic of Lithuania takes account of the impact produced by the implementation of the reform in the field of education and vocational education and training. It also highlights the requirements laid out to Lithuanian vocational education and training in the light of the recent changes in the European vocational education and training and also within the context of market globalisation, technological innovation, organisational changes and European dimension.

While implementing the Ministry of Education and Science programme Education for Information Society, 217 schools were engaged in various European projects through the use of ICT.

The Ministry of Education and Science supports and coordinates the project ‘Assessment in the Process of Education’ that is aimed at changing the assessment culture at schools. The project is conducted in partnership with the British Council that coordinates and sponsors the involvement of experts from the United Kingdom in the project.


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Since 1989, Lithuanian pupils and students have been participating in international Olympiads and competitions held in various countries of the world. Together with pupils from Latvia, Estonia and other countries of the Baltic Sea region, Lithuanian pupils also participate in annual Olympiads of the Baltic countries. In 2003, nine Lithuanian teams comprising 106 pupils and students participated in international Olympiads and competitions.

From 2005, the Ministry of Education and Science participated in implementation of the following projects:

● ‘Development and Implementation of the Vocational Guidance and Counselling System’ financed under the Single Programming Document Measure 2.4 which is aimed at the development of the vocational guidance and counselling system in Lithuania; ● ‘Creation and Development of the Vocational Training Knowledge and Competence Assessment System’ financed under the Single Programming Document Measure 2.4.

The Education Development Centre is carrying out the following projects supported by the EU Structural Funds:

● In 2005–2008: ‘Model for Expansion of Options for 14–19 Year-Old Students to Choose Different Education Schemes’; ‘Development of ICT-based Education Content and its Implementation through the Use of the Integrated Model Course of Natural Sciences for Grades 5–6‘; ● In 2008–2013: ‘Development of Standardised Tools for Evaluation and Self-Evaluation of Pupil Achievements in General Education Schools‘; ‘Development of Pupil Basic Competencies in the first concentre (Grades 5–8) of General Education‘; ‘Model for Expansion of Options for 14–19 Year-Old Students to Choose Different Education Schemes, Stage 2: a More In-Depth Differentiation and Individualisation of Learning to Achieve Higher Education Quality Necessary for the Contemporary World of Labour’.

In 2006, possibilities specified in the Strategy for the Formation, Implementation, Evaluation and Update of the General Education Curriculum Content for 2006–2012 to refer to the Recommendation of the European Parliament and Council on key competencies for lifelong learning and to adapt the curriculum to up-to-date competencies of individuals were approved. In line with this Strategy, changes in the curriculum content of general education were introduced: preliminary drafts of the pre-school, primary, basic and secondary education curriculum framework and education standards were drawn up. The new curriculum content is focused on the development of key competencies necessary for a knowledge society.

In 2006, the Ministry of Education and Science and the public agency Junior Achievement Lithuania concluded an agreement that will contribute to the implementation of the Strategy for the Development of Economic Literacy and Entrepreneurship Skills and the Communiqué of the European Commission on development of a sense of entrepreneurship.

In the context of the implementation of the language teaching and learning procedures, an agreement for the use of funds intended for participation in the activities of the European Council and associations of language testers in Europe (ALTE and EATA) was concluded with Vilnius University in 2007; 17 seminars on the European Language Portfolio were organised, two international conferences and a language forum entitled ‘Action Plan for Multilinguism in the European Union and the Strategy of Teaching Lithuanian in the European Context’ were held; a module of the periodical electronic European Language Portfolio was developed for users and its electronic version for pupils of 9–12 grades created.

The basic principle for the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in general education and vocational training, as specified in the relating Strategy for 2008–2012 (adopted in 2007), is compliance with the requirements set out in general and educational strategic documents of Lithuania and the European Union. The goals, objectives, strategies and measures for the use of Information and Communication Technologies in general education and vocational training must reflect the general trends, objectives and


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key principles of the education reform in Lithuania and be based on the same values. It is also necessary to ensure a clear link with the strategic and programme documents related to the building of the information and knowledge society in Lithuania and the European Union.

The number of State and European Union financed programmes promoting and supporting the use of Information and Communication Technologies in general education and vocational training has been steadily growing (with more than 30% of schools being involved in the eTwinning programme). With the support from the European Union structural funds, breakthrough projects to help teachers of primary grades apply ICT in education are in progress. Important preparatory work has been completed in developing the digital education content. Pilot projects for testing possibilities of using ICT for the improvement of pupils’ motivation, development of their general competencies and individualised learning are underway in several dozens of schools. Implementation of national and international projects related to ICT application provides ample opportunities to use the best practice accumulated abroad (e. g. Calibrate project, EUN activities www.eun.org).



Strategy for Desing, Evaluation, Updating and Implementation of the General Education Curriculum

Strategy for Implementation of Information and Communication Technologies in Lithuania Education in 2005-2007

11.5.4. Tertiary Education

The international dimension of higher education study programmes is first and foremost stimulated by Lithuania’s involvement in the Bologna process and implementation of its provisions. Active participation in the ES student exchange programmes is another driver for institutions of higher education to get integrated into the common European Higher Education Area. Nearly every host university offers study modules in foreign languages to their incoming students, the content of most study programmes includes international topics and knowledge is presented within the context of European and global experience and practice. Some study programmes that cannot be dissociated from the international dimension may be delivered in foreign languages to Lithuanian students as well. The majority of such subject modules and study programmes can be found in the field of humanities and social sciences. Students of every Lithuanian institution of higher education are expected to know at least one foreign language; therefore, students of all study programmes must continue learning it by taking a course in a foreign language in their first year of studies, devoting special attention to vocationally-oriented language learning. Another important element for ensuring the international dimension of studies is employment of the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) in facilitating student mobility and recognition of partial learning outcomes for students participating in student exchange programmes. Implementation of ECTS is stipulated in the new Law on Research and Higher Education. Since 2006, Diploma Supplements in Lithuanian and English have been issued, free of charge, to all graduates of higher education institutions.

To facilitate implementation of the Lithuanian Higher Education System Development Plan for 2006-2010, specific measures have been planned to promote international dimension and spread of higher education. On the order of the minister of education and science, the Education Exchange Support Fund was established in 2007, which was delegated administration of the Life-Long Learning Programme and other European Commission and the Government of Lithuania-funded initiatives in the field of education and

http://www.eun.org/�


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vocational training. The Fund was created by merging the EC Socrates and ES Leonardo da Vinci support funds that were operating in Lithuania from 1998.

Lithuania has signed cooperation agreements in the fields of culture, education, science and sports with 31 countries. Bilateral academic exchange programmes with Japan and the Swiss Confederation are annually renewed. In 2007, the Education Exchange Support Fund, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science, held a competition for study and research visit grants and administered agreements on study and research visits abroad as well as agreements with Lithuanian research and higher education institutions admitting foreigners to the programmes they provide.

In implementing the Plan for the Development of the Lithuanian Higher Education System for 2006−2010, a Programme for the Promotion of the International Dimension in Higher Education for 2008-2010 was elaborated and approved by the Lithuanian Government in 2008. The objectives of the Programme include partnership-based cooperation between research and higher education institutions, enhancement of the quality of international activities, boosting academic mobility and its quality, development of joint study programmes, improvement of the credit accumulation and transfer systems embracing recognition of study outcomes, study periods, formal and non-formal education and qualifications.

Among the planned measures to implement the Programme are preparation of a national concept of the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS), trainings for the administrative staff of higher education institutions, initiation of ECTS in higher education institutions, promotion of joint degree programmes with HEIs abroad, especially in the second and third study cycles.





11.5.5. Continuing Education and Training for Young School Leavers and Adults

In 20032006, assistance from the European Union Structural Funds was to be allocated for the implementation of the targets set out in the Provisions of the National Education Strategy 2003–2012 within the framework of the Single Programming Document measures intended for the development of conditions to ensure lifelong learning. Over the period from 2004 to 2008, hundreds of projects were implemented. Assistance from the EU Structural Funds is used to develop new adult education programmes and methodological resources, upgrade the qualifications of adult teachers and develop a more efficient system for publicising information about opportunities for adult learners to seek education. The process of upgrading the Strategy for Ensuring Lifelong Learning and shaping the policy on adult learning in Lithuania went through in line with the provisions and objectives specified in the Communication of the European Commission ‘Adult Learning: It is Never too Late to Learn’ and the Action Plan for the implementation of that Communication.

In 2005-2008, the Ministry of Education and Science with its partners − the Teacher Professional Development Centre and Lithuanian Association of Adult Education (LAAE) − was running a joint project ’Development of Opportunities for Adult Education: a Portfolio of Andragogic Literature‘, supported by the European Social Fund. At different phases of the Project implementation, a series ‘Adult Learning’ comprising


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18 publications on various aspects of adult education with a total run of 31 thousand copies was published and reached every region of Lithuania. Supplies of this innovative literature were delivered to various types of educational institutions providing continuing education services to adult learners and also to libraries. This literature is available for constant use not only by practicing andragogues, students and academic staff of interested institutions of higher education and school teachers but also by adult learners whose number annually amounts to over 100,000 people.

One of the books from this array of publications on theoretical and practical competencies is ’The European Lessons‘ that aims at making adult readers aware of Lithuania‘s commitments and opportunities following the country‘s accession to the European Union, the rights and obligations of the citizens as well as the basic facts about the EU Acquis, budget, agriculture, cohesion, etc.

In 2008, jointly with the Lithuanian Adult Education and Information Centre and Vytautas Magnus University, the Ministry of Education and Science completed the implementation of the project ’Development of Institutions of Adult Learning for Provision of Modern Competencies in the Regions‘. In the course of the project, about 100 andragogues and 800 adult learners of adult education centres in every of the ten regions of Lithuania had an opportunity to get innovative training and acquire important competencies in computer literacy, English, entrepreneurship, legal literacy as well as andragogy and management. Development of those competencies will contribute to the creation of better conditions for andragogues and adult learners to participate in European projects, cooperate with other institutions of adult learning in Europe and develop a better understanding of the culture of different European countries.

With the use of instruments for project selection, the Ministry of Education and Science provides funding to projects developed by various organisations (institutions of higher education and research, NGOs, etc.) in the field of non-formal adult education. The significance of projects is determined based on certain criteria related to the context of today‘s Lithuania. In 2006, one of the priorities for the competitive selection was education of adults in active citizenship to enable them to take an active part in the country‘s public life after Lithuania’s accession to the European Union. In 2007, the priorities for the competitive selection included meeting the needs of senior people for non-formal learning, development of non-formal adult education in institutions of formal education and promotion of gender equality. The financially supported projects provided opportunities for senior people, females raising small children and individuals learning in institutions of formal adult education to develop their competencies on issues of vital importance to every citizen of the European Union.

In 2007, the project ’Education and Training 2010: Public Awareness Campaign to Promote the Policy of Lifelong Learning‘, supported by the European Commission, was launched. In the course of its implementation, discussions on possibilities to implement the Strategy for Ensuring Lifelong Learning were organised among social partners in the ten counties of Lithuania. The main goal of the Project was not only to widen the scope of public information about the policy of lifelong learning and opportunities for individuals to continue learning at all stages of their lives but also to rally social partners for the implementation of the Strategy for Ensuring Lifelong Learning in order to stimulate as many adults as possible to pursue learning and facilitate their adaptation to the needs of the labour market.

In 2008, there are plans to implement the project ’Education and Training 2010: Promotion of Partnership among Bodies Active in the Field of Lifelong Learning‘, supported by the European Commission. The key objective of the project is to strengthen the coordination within the lifelong learning system and collaboration among social partners active in this field, develop dissemination of information about access to lifelong learning, consider the needs of different stakeholders in implementing the Strategy for Ensuring Lifelong Learning in Lithuania and present the experience of various ES countries in implementing their strategies for ensuring lifelong learning.


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In Lithuania, adult education centres and adult secondary schools have already been participating in projects and programmes supported by the European Union since 1999. The Lithuanian adult education centres participated in developing and implementing projects of the Socrates Grundtvig programme in accordance with the terms and conditions established by this programme. In 2007, following approval by the European Commission, the new Lifelong Learning Programme incorporating the former Socrates Grundtvig programme was launched. The main aim of the new programme is to contribute, through lifelong learning, to the development of an advanced knowledge-based society, with sustainable economic development, more and better jobs and greater social cohesion. It aims to foster interaction, cooperation and mobility between education and training systems within the European Community. The Grundtvig programme aims at arranging 7,000 individual visits up to 2013. Involvement in the projects of this programme is to help our adult education centres promote interaction and cooperation with other adult education centres across Europe. Nordplus Adult Learning Programme for the Nordic and Baltic countries is designed to improve the quality of education and science and speed up innovations, foster collaboration among educational institutions, promote exchange of experience and outcomes achieved and support cooperation and mobility of institutions of adult education.

In the adult basic and secondary education curriculum, the European dimension finds reflection in the teaching of active citizenship, history, geography and an integrated course of social sciences and also in learning foreign languages. The content of the General Curriculum for the Development of Active Citizenship (2004) includes themes analysing the understanding of Europe and European values, the institutions of the European Union, its legal system and Lithuania‘s involvement in the activities of international organisations. The general programme of history (2002) analyses the process of European integration, Lithuania‘s integration into the Western political, economic and military structures, including the European Union. Geography lessons introduce the topic on Lithuania as a European state, analyse the political map of Europe and the place of the European Union in it, the diversity of its population and the way it is spread over the territory, major European cities, population migration and geographical distribution of the main industries and services. Those topics are also dealt with in the integrated course of social services (2002) that is based on close relations between history and geography. The Long Term Programme for Civic and National Education provides for strengthening of civic education among adults. One of the aims of the Programme is to increase the level of active and effective participation of Lithuanian young people and adults within the country and abroad in the social and political life of the community and sustain the national identity of Lithuanians living abroad.

Since 1993, the Lithuanian Association of Adult Education (LAAE) has been a member of the European Adult Education Association (EAEA). In 2006–2007, LAAE participated in the following projects incorporating the European dimension: Network on Intercultural Learning in Europe (NILE, 2005-2008), A Good Adult Educator in Europe (AGADE 2004–2007), International Adult Learners’ Weeks in Europe (2003–2006). Most of the projects carried out by the Association are based on partnership and cooperation with partners inside and outside the country. The Association’s long term partners include the Nordic Folk Academy and also German, Estonian, Finnish, Latvian and Norwegian Adult Education Associations and Institutions.




European Commission Communication: Adult education: It is never too late to learn



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11.5.6 Teachers and Education Staff

In 2006, international comparative studies of the teaching staff were undertaken in cooperation with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Every year since 1991, MoES and APPLE (American Professional Partnership for Lithuanian Education) have been running summer courses for secondary education subject teachers, school principals, special and social pedagogues and psychologists. Up to the year 2007, the total number of participants who attended the events amounted to 16,000 teachers and specialists providing assistance to pupils, teachers and schools.

The Ministry of Education and Science and Robert Bosch Foundation organise international courses for the professional development of teachers. The ongoing project ’Roads of Youth in Europe’ supported by Robert Bosh Foundation involves about 100 schools every year.

The German language teachers of Lithuania participate in the Goethe Institute project ’The German Language in Europe’.

In 2002, the project ’Young Learners’ Programme’ was run, with 60 teachers – future consultants – trained as a result. In subsequent years, while training other teachers according to the umbrella principle, the number of consultants grew considerably and exceeded a hundred of teachers.

The years 2002-2005 marked a period of very active cooperation with the French Cultural Centre. As a result, in each of the three Baltic countries, including Lithuania, teachers of French, each specialising in a particular field of studies, were trained as professional development consultants. In Lithuania, twelve dynamic and communicative teachers who are still among the most important players in organising and implementing professional development programmes for teachers of French were trained.

The GLOBE programme provides a new opportunity for teachers to participate in the professional development process through teacher training workshops held in various countries, make use of GLOBE resources, receive advisory support from scientists and collaborate with other teachers worldwide representing countries of different levels and educational systems enabling to share not only information but also experience. In 2003, a four-member delegation participated in the international GLOBE teacher training workshop that was held in Colorado State, USA.

In 2002−2005, when developing the National Programme for the Restructuring of Teacher Training and Professional Development, the Ministry of Education and Science organised visits to Germany, Norway, Denmark, Great Britain, France and other countries to get acquainted with the modern systems of initial and in-service teacher training.

In the framework of national and international professional development projects and programmes, the Ministry of Education and Science implemented the following measures:

- Provided schooling to immigrant children. In the context of preparations to implement the EU Directive on the education of the children of migrant workers, three books were prepared and published and three international workshops organised.


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- Continued the on-going joint venture between the Nordic and Baltic countries – the project ‘School for All’. As a result, three publications came out and 110 teachers and school principals were trained to provide consultations on issues of inclusive education. The project ‘Transition’, supplementary to the main project, is still continuing.

- The publication ‘Quality of Education for All: the Basic Skills of Lifelong Learning. The European Dimension and Baltic Vision’ was prepared.

In 1999, Lithuania became a member of the European Centre for Modern Languages in Graz, Austria. The Centre organised more than 80 workshops to language teaching specialists most of which were attended by language teaching specialists from Lithuania. Issues discussed at this Centre contributed to the development of the Lithuanian policy on teaching languages and the country’s practice of the educational use of information and communication technology (ICT) in language teaching and teacher training. Under the influence of the Centre’s programme ‘Early Foreign Language Learning’, the national programme of teaching languages was developed and implemented. The Centre provided valuable assistance to Lithuanian developers of curricula in foreign languages and authors of textbooks who gained experience and innovations through attending conferences and workshops and sharing experience. The experience gained was further developed in programmes for professional development of Lithuanian teachers and used by developers of the national educational policy. The activities of the European Centre for Modern Languages in Lithuania are coordinated by the Ministry of Education and Science.

Most of different types of Lithuanian schools are engaged – either directly or under coordination of teachers’ or adult centres – in joint projects carried out together with schools and non-government organisations of other countries.

The projects are aimed at strengthening the ability of Lithuanian schools to disseminate intercultural values and create conditions for teachers, social pedagogues, specialists working with young people and pupils to develop competencies necessary for implementing intercultural modules of learning.

Members of the Association of Language Teachers in Lithuania, including teachers from associations of other native languages taught in the country, participate in joint projects and conferences together with language teachers and researchers from foreign, mostly European, countries.

11.6. Mobility and Exchange

The former Government’s Programme for 20062008 included plans to implement the Europass (a single Community framework for the transparency of qualifications and competencies) and Lifelong Learning Programmes and double the scope of student and academic staff exchanges.

The Law on Education of the Republic of Lithuania specifies that the residents of Lithuania have the right to study in foreign countries. This right is exercised on the initiative of an individual or through intergovernmental agreements.

Lithuanian education institutions in foreign countries are organised and financial and material assistance is provided to them in the manner prescribed by interstate agreements.

Foreign citizens or stateless persons have the right to teach and study in Lithuania. Conditions for their work and study at Lithuanian education institutions are determined by Lithuanian legal acts and international agreements.


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The Ministry of Education and Science ensures involvement of higher schools in the EU Erasmus programme enabling mobility of students and teachers, participation in projects and admission of foreigners. The numbers of students and teachers participating in the Erasmus programme is annually increasing.

Following establishment of the Support Fund for Education Exchange in 2007, implementation of the Lifelong Learning Programme started. It is based on the best practice of the Socrates, Leonardo da Vinci and e-learning programmes and offers a great number of innovations. The programme will run from January 2007 to December 2013. In 2009, pupil mobility programme will be launched.

In line with the Programme for Provision of Education to the Information Society, work related to the implementation of the information system of Lithuanian science and studies is carried on and the skills of both teachers and pupils to apply information and communication technologies are strengthened. The qualifications of the country‘s ICT specialists have considerably improved through their involvement in various international projects and events, group meetings, mobility and exchange of specialists and their active participation in educational programmes of international organisations.

In 2009, the Education Exchanges Support Foundation announced 18 calls inviting citizens of the Republic of Lithuania to participate in competitions for partial studies and study visits (internships) in 16 countries. In 2009-2010, 121 foreign nationals applied for studies and study visits (internships) in Lithuania. State scholarships were granted for 83 foreign nationals from 19 foreign countries.




11.6.1. Mobility and Exchange of Pupils/ Students

Lithuania’s integration into the economic area of the European Union accelerated youth mobility processes.

Nationals of foreign countries come to study at universities and other educational institutions of Lithuania under various programmes of the European Union or other international exchange schemes, most often on their own initiative. The majority of those who arrive to study in Lithuania are students from Asia and the Near East (China, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Turkey, etc.) and the neighbouring countries (Belarus, Latvia, Poland, Russia).

Nationals of foreign countries come to study at colleges of Lithuania under various programmes of the European Union or other international exchange schemes and on their own initiative.

The number of international students receiving higher education diploma diplomas from Lithuanian higher education institutions is increasing. The most popular programmes among foreign students are medicine, teacher training and technical sciences. Almost every fourth trainee was a student of Vilnius University.

In 2005, having regard to the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on Ratification of the Council of Europe/UNESCO Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region and the Law on Higher Education of the Republic of Lithuania, the Lithuanian Government adopted the Regulations Concerning the Assessment and Academic Recognition of Qualifications Granting a Right to Higher Education that were Obtained Abroad and also of Qualifications Attesting to Higher Education. Subject to these Regulations, the Lithuanian Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education


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was designated as an institution for the assessment of foreign qualifications granting a right to higher education and also of qualifications attesting to higher education. The Centre is also a member of the Network of European National Information Centres for Academic Recognition and Mobility (ENIC). The Ministry of Education and Science will be the implementing agency for the academic recognition of qualifications acquired in foreign countries. The Lithuanian Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education was designated to perform the functions of the National Academic Recognition Information Centre (NARIC).

As specified in the Regulations, foreign qualifications are equivalent to discrete qualifications provided in Lithuania on condition that the assessment of the qualifications reveals no essential differences from the statutory requirements raised for the acquisition of similar qualifications in the Republic of Lithuania.

Acceptance of academic degrees and pedagogical titles obtained abroad as equivalent to academic degrees and pedagogical titles received in the Republic of Lithuania is conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Resolution of the Lithuanian Government ’Concerning the Nostrification of Academic Degrees and Pedagogical Titles and Registration of Diplomas (Certificates)’ adopted on 15 July 1992. Assessment and academic recognition of partial studies completed abroad is carried out in accordance with the procedure for the acceptance of study outcomes established by the Ministry of Education and Science. Assessement of foreign qualifications as equal to qualifications obtained in the Republic of Lithuania upon completion of secondary or higher education programmes is carried out by the Lithuanian Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education. Recognition of education acquired abroad is made by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Lithuania on the basis of the conclusions drawn by the Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education. The Centre analyses the documents filed and identifies the essential differences between the requirements for the study outcomes, their duration, curriculum and assessment of academic achievements leading to the qualifications obtained abroad and the corresponding requirements established in the Republic of Lithuania. The qualifications obtained abroad may be assessed as being equal, not equal or equal on condition that certain additional requirements are met.

Lithuanian higher schools formally recognise:

● the outcomes of students from a Lithuanian higher school studying at a foreign higher school if the latter is recognised according to the statutory requirements established in that country; ● the outcomes of foreign students who arrived from their home country’s higher school to study at Lithuanian higher schools if the higher school of the home country is recognised according to the statutory requirements established in that country.

In 2009, the Ministry of Education and Science was authorised to implement the Memorandum of Understanding between the Republic of Lithuania and the Government of the United States on the Fulbright Academic Exchange Programme.



11.6.2. Mobility and Exchange of Teaching and Academic Staff

The Comenius programme provides an opportunity for teachers and other staff of educational institutions to deepen their knowledge and improve their professional skills and competencies and also to familiarise themselves with other European education systems and innovations. Through participation in the activities of the programme, Lithuanian teachers can make themselves familiar with their foreign colleagues’ experience, innovation in pedagogical methods and the management of school. In addition, the programme


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facilitates establishment of professional relations, promotes international cooperation between schools and pre-school education institutions. In 2009, 86 Comenius multilateral partnership projects were financed (126 in 2007 and 80 in 2008).

A higher school can invite visiting lecturers and researchers from other countries to come to Lithuania for a period of not longer than two years to do the teaching or research according to a short-term employment contract. The procedure for appointment to the positions stipulated in the Law on Higher Education is not applied to visiting lecturers or researchers.

In the event of a placement not exceeding one year, a visiting lecturer of a higher school is paid the average amount of his/her salary throughout the period.

Scholars, researchers and lecturers may be paid, in addition to their official salary, a premium for the spread of their educational experience abroad. Scholars, researchers and lecturers may be also paid a premium for their participation in international projects related to various programmes of scientific and technological development.

Under the Regulations Concerning the Assessment and Recognition of Pedagogues‘ Professional Activity, professional qualification obtained abroad and in Lithuania that gives a right to its holder to go into teaching is assessed by the Board for the Assessment and Recognition of Professional Qualifications of Pedagogues and other Educational Staff, if necessary, with the help of qualified experts.

11.7. Statistics

Lithuanian university students who studied abroad for an academic year

2005−2006 2006-2007 2007-2008

Total number of outgoing students 2,298 2,568 3,200

Outgoing students under the EU programmes and other international exchange programmes 2,175 2,460 3,037

Outgoing students under their own initiative 123 108 163

Incoming students as foreign nationals in universities of Lithuania (at the beginning of the academic year)

2005−2006 2006−2007 2007-2008 2008-2009

Total number of foreign incoming students 1,198 1,872 2,955 3,844

Incoming students under the EU programmes and other international exchange programmes

- - 762 1,025

Incoming students under their own initiative - - 2,193 163

Out of them, 1,017 students (or 26.5%) from the EU member states.

Planned numbers of participants in the Leonardo da Vinci mobility projects for 2007–2009

Participants 2007 2008 2009 Vocational education and training professionals (VETPRO)

503 551 432

Pupils of the primary vocational (IVT) 489 542 484

Staff (PLM) 16 40 69

Total 1,008 1,133 985


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Changes in student/teaching staff mobility under the Erasmus programme

2000-2001 2003-2004 2005-2006 2006-2007 2007-2008 2008-2009Outgoing students 624 1,194 1,910 2,082 2,656 2,492+

581 for practice

Outgoing teachers 174 427 648 755 823 961

Outgoing other staff - - - - 167 202

Numbers of state grants for studies and study visits (internships) abroad allocated for Lithuanian citizens

2008-2009 2009-2010 Hungary 3 3

Switzerland 2 1

Poland 11 22

Latvia 2 11

China 5 8

Israel 1 2

Iceland 1 1

Estonia 0 7

Denmark 9 15

The Czech Republic 3 14

Belgium (Wallonia) 2 2

Belgium (Flanders) 0 3

Belarus 0 7

Source: Department of Statistics (Statistics Lithuania); the Ministry of Education and Science; Education Exchanges support Foundations





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GLOSSARY

Adaptuota programa (Adaptuota programa, Adaptuotos programos) : A simplified general education programme adapted to meet the capabilities of pupils with special needs and the level of learning actually achieved and not conforming to the General Education Standards. Diplomas (Diplomas, Diplomai) : A certificate attesting to the person’s acquired professional qualification or professional qualification and qualification degree as well as research degree which is issued upon completion of undergraduate studies, special professional studies, Master’s studies, graduate studies in fine arts and upon defence of a doctoral thesis (dissertation). Disertacija (disertacija, Disertacijos) : A publicly defended thesis for obtaining a research degree (of a doctor or a habilitated doctor). Gimnazija (gimnazija, Gimnazijos) : A separate type of secondary school providing a more in-deph profiled general education, setting higher requirements or providing a specialized teaching. Išlyginamoji klasė (Išlyginamoji klasė, Išlyginamosios klasės) : The levelling (developmental) class of primary schools for pupils with specific disorders of cognition; a class in youth schools (after grade 10 or other grade) for students wth educational problems seeking to acquire basic education; a class in gymnasiums, secondary or basic schools for pupils with socializing or learning difficulties, also for pupils who interrupted their schooling or did not study certain subjects and are seeking to acquire secondary education. Jaunimo mokykla (Jaunimo mokykla, Jaunimo mokyklos) : An educational institution offering basic (lower secondary) general education for pupils aged 12-16 who have been found unsuited for mainstream general education schools or are lacking motivation. Kolegija (Kolegija, Kolegijos) : An institution of higher education (college) where non-university studies prevail and the majority of students follow non-university study programmes. Colleges are engaged in the development of applied scientific studies and/or research activities or professional fine arts. Lopšelis-darželis (Lopšelis-darželis, Lopšeliai-darželiai) : An institution of pre-school education offering pre-school and pre-primary education of 5–6 years for children from 1.5 to 6–7 years of age. Meno aspirantūra (Meno aspirantūra) : University studies of the third stage intended for the training of subject teachers in fine arts for institutions of higher education and offering graduate studies for artists, inclusive of completion and defence of an art project. Modifikuota programa (Modifikuota programa, Modifikuotos programos) : A modified general education programme adjusted to a person with special needs enabling him/her to attain an education level in conformity with the General Education Standards. Mokykla-darželis (Mokykla-darželis, Mokyklos-darželiai) : A type of educational institutions comprising pre-school groups and primary school grades for children from 3 to 10–11 years of age. Mokyklinis brandos egzaminas (Mokyklinis brandos egzaminas, Mokykliniai brandos egzaminai) : An examination that is set according to the school level matura examination programme (requirements). The examination is administered and marked at schools (local centres) based on a grading scale 1–10 and a criteria-related assessment. Priešmokyklinis ugdymas (Priešmokyklinis ugdymas) : Universal one-year (two-year in exceptional cases) pre-primary education intended for children from five years of age to help them prepare for school. Pre-primary education is provided in pre-primary groups according to th;e pre-primary curriculum. Vaikų socializacijos centras (Children Socialisation Centre) : A corrective rehabilitation type of public special regime institution of general education for juveniles of antisocial behaviour.


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Valstybinis brandos egzaminas (Valstybinis brandos egzaminas, Valstybiniai brandos egzaminai) : An examination that is set according to the national level matura examination programme (requirements). The examination is administered in local matura examination centres and marked centrally at the National Examination Centre based on a grading scale 1–100 and a norm-referenced assessment.


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LEGISLATION

Action Programme for Human Resources Development (European Commission Decision) : 24/09/2006, K (2007) 4475, Action Programme of the 15th Government of the Republic of Lithuania (Resolution of Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania) : 09/12/2008, XI-52, Valstybės žinios, 2008, No 146-5870, http://www.lrs.lt Amendment of the Action Programme for Implementation of the New System of Payment for Teachers' Work (Government Resolution) : 24/04/2008, 399, Valstybės žinios, 2008, No 51-1897, http://www.lrv.lt Amendment of the Description of Renumeration Rates and Conditions for Heads and Deputy Heads of Research and Higher Education Institutions, their Academic Divisions, Scientific Secretaries, Other Researchers and Teaching Staff (Government Resolution) : 19/12/2007, 138, Valstybės žinios, 2007, No 42, http://www.smm.lt Appraisal Regulations of School Teachers and Specialists Providing Assistance to Pupils (Excepting Psychologists) (Ministerial order) : 24/11/2008, ISAK-3216, Valstybės žinios, 2008-12-11, no 142-5669, http://www.smm.lt Career Guidance Strategy (Ministerial order) : 19/11/2003, 1635/A1-180, http://www.smm.lt Concept of Assessment of Learners' Progress and Achievements (Ministerial order) : 25/02/2004, ISAK-256, http://www.smm.lt Concept of Developing Talents in Lithuania (Ministerial order) : 17/06/2005, ISAK-1128, http://www.smm.lt Concept of Primary Education (Ministerial order) : 03/02/2003, 113, Valstybės žinios, 2003, No 18-798, http://www.smm.lt The mission of the Concept is to define primary education as one of the levels of education in the Lithuanian system of education setting forth its goal, objectives, principles of curriculum design, methods of education, principles of assessment, relations between primary education and other stages of education, its organisation and process. Concept of the Formal Education Quality Assurance System (Ministerial order) : 24/11/2008, ISAK-3219, http://www.smm.lt Conception of a Teaching Aid for Pre-Primary Education (Ministerial order) : 15/10/2003, ISAK-1434, http://www.smm.lt Conception of Montessori Pedagogy in Lithuania (Minsterial order) : 23/06/2004, ISAK-1009, http://www.smm.lt Conception of Waldorf Pedagogy in Lithuania (Ministerial order) : 17/05/2004, ISAK-761, http://www.smm.lt Conceptual Framework for Non-Traditional Education (Ministerial order) : 05/03/2010, V-299, Valstybės žinios, 2010-03-16, No 30-1400, http://www.smm.lt Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania (Constitution) : 25/10/1992, Valstybės žinios, 1992, No 33-1014, http://www3.lrs.lt/home/Konstitucija/Konstitucija.htm In 1996, 2002, 2003 and 2004, separate articles of the Constitution were amended. Description of Criteria for Curriculum Acreditation and the Procedure for its Accomplishment (Ministerial order) : 22/02/2010, V-238, Valstybės žinios, 2010-02-27, No 24-1167, http://www.smm.lt


352

Description of General Procedure for Provision of Schools with Textbooks and Teaching Aids (Ministerial order) : 19/05/2009, ISAK-1051, Valstybės žinios, 2009-05-26, No 61-2450, http://www.smm.lt Description of the Rules and Procedures for Granting State and State-Supported Loans to Students of Higher Education Institutions, their Administration and Repayment (Government Resolution) : 27/05/2009, 480, http://www.smm.lt Detailed Description of the Secondary Education Curriculum (Ministerial order) : 30/06/2006, ISAK-1387, http://www.smm.lt/ugdymas/ European Commission Communication: Adult education: It is never too late to learn (Communication) : 23/10/2006, COM (2006) Final, http://eur-lex.europa.eu/ General Classification of Study Areas and Fields According to Which Consecutive University and Non-University Study Programmes Are Delivered at Lithuanian Higher Education Institutions and the List of Classifications Awarded on Completion of Programmes in These Fields (Government Resolution) : 04/04/2001, 368, Valstybės žinios, 2001, No 31-1027; 2007, No 15-550, http://www.smm.lt General Curriculum of Pre-primary Education (Ministerial order) : 24/06/2002, 1147, Valstybės žinios, 2003, No 5-214, http://www.smm.lt The Programme regulates education in pre-primary groups. It describes the main purposes and principles of education and self-education and also the competences that children in the age group from 5 to 6–7 are expected to have. The Programme defines the directions and ways in the activities of both the children and their educators that create conditions for the child to get ready, over a period of one year, for schooling. The Programme is designed for pre-school educators. It is also intended for parents and ther education specialists. General Regulations on Supervision of Educational Institutions; the Regulations on the State Inspectorate of Education (Ministerial order) : 18/10/2000, 1284, Valstybės žinios, 2000, No 90-2809, http://www.smm.lt General Requirements for Study Programmes (Ministerial order) : 22/07/2005, ISAK-1551, Valstybės žinios, 2005, No 93-3461, http://www.smm.lt General Teaching Plan of the Primary Education Curriculum for 2009-2011 (Ministerial order) : 18/05/2009, ISAK-1047, http://www.smm.lt General Teaching Plans for the Basic and Secondary Education Curricula for 2009-2011 (Ministerial order) : 15/05/2009, ISAK-1027, http://www.smm.lt General Teaching Plans for Vocational Education and Training for 2009-2011 (Ministerial order) : 24/07/2009, ISAK-1644, Valstybės žinios, 2009, No 90-3908, http://www.smm.lt Guidelines for Municipalities on Centralized Admission of Children to Groups of Pre-school and Pre-primary Education of Educational Institutions (Ministerial order) : 25/06/2003, ISAK-918, Valstybės žinios, 2003, No 69-3147, http://www.smm.lt The purpose of the Recommendations to Municipalities with regard to the centralised admission of children to pre-school and pre-primary education groups of educational institutions is to assist the educational departments of municipal administrations in establishing the centralised procedure for admission of children to pre-school and pre-primary education groups of educational institutions and develop a database on children attending or wishing to attend the pre-school and pre-primary education groups. Guidelines for Restructuring of General Education Institutions’ Network (Ministerial order) : 04/02/1999, 150, Valstybės žinios, 1999, No 15- 407; 2002, No 39-1443, http://www.smm.lt/teisine_baze/docs/isakymai/99-150.htm The Guidelines provide for the stages and objectives of the reform in general education schools. The first stage is planned for the years 1999-2005 when the network of primary and basic schools will undergo restructuring alongside the introduction of the ten-year basic education and profiled secondary education.


353

Guidelines for Self-Evaluation of Quality in General Education School Performance (Ministerial order) : 30/03/2009, ISAK-607, Informaciniai pranešimai, 2009-04-08, No 27-367, http://www.smm.lt Internal Audit Methodology for Schools of Pre-school Education (Minsterial order) : 22/07/2005, ISAK-1557, http://www.smm.lt Law on Amendment of the Law on Education of the Republic of Lithuania (Law) : 17/06/2003, IX-1630, Valstybės žinios, 2003, No 63-2853, http://www.smm.lt The new law specifies the goals of education in the Republic of Lithuania, the basic principles of its educational system, the general foundations of the structure, activities and governing of the educational system of the Republic of Lithuania and the obligations of the state in the sphere of education. Law on Amendment of the Law on Education of the Republic of Lithuania (1998) (Law) : 02/07/1998, VIII-854, Valstybės žinios, 1998, No 67-1940, http://www.smm.lt The Law was in force up to 2000 05 10. Law on Amendment of the Law on Vocational Education and Training (Law) : 03/04/2007, X-1065, Valstybės žinios, 2007, No 43-1627, http://www.smm.lt Law on Education of the Republic of Lithuania (Law) : 25/06/1991, I-1489, Valstybės žinios, 1991, No 23-593, http://www.smm.lt The law established the structure of the Lithuanian educational system and the basis for the activities and governance/management of the educational institutions. In 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2004, laws amending separate articles of the Law on Education were adopted. Law on Higher Education and Research of the Republic of Lithuania (Law) : 30/04/2009, XI-242, Valstybės žinios, 2009-05-12, No 54-2140, http://www.smm.lt The activities of institutions of science and higher education are regulated by this law. Law on Non-formal Adult Education of the Republic of Lithuania (Law) : 30/06/1998, VIII-822, Valstybės žinios, 1998, No 66-1909, http://www.smm.lt The law regulates the system of non-formal adult education, determines the fundamentals of its structure, activities and management. Law on Social Support to Pupils of the Republic of Lithuania (Law) : 13/06/2006, X-686, Valstybės žinios, 2006, No 73-2755, http://www3.lrs.lt Law on Special Education of the Republic of Lithuania (Law) : 15/12/1998, VIII-969, Valstybės žinios, 1998, No 115-3228, http;//www.smm.lt The law determines the structure and administration of special education as well as the procedure for organizing education for people with special needs. Law on Vocational Education and Training of the Republic of Lithuania (Law) : 14/10/1997, VIII–450, Valstybės žinios, 1997, No 98-2478, http://www.smm.lt The law defines the structure and administration of the vocational education and training system, the activities of vocational schools and institutions of vocational education and training in the Lithuanian Republic. List of General Criteria for Admission of pupils to State and Municipal General Education and Vocational School (Ministerial order) : 25/04/2004, ISAK-1019, Valstybės žinios, 2004, No 103-3809, http://www.smm.lt Amended in 2007 Lithuanian Higher Education and Research System Development Plan for 2006-2010 (Government Resolution) : 05/04/2006, 335, Valstybės žinios, 2006, No 39-1394, http://www.smm.lt


354

Long-term Development Strategy of the State (Decree of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania) : 11/09/2003, 1160, Valstybės žinios, 2003, No 89-4029, http://www3.lrs.lt The strategy sets out three priorities: development of information society, provision of its security and creation of competitive economy. In particular, the strategy places a special emphasis on education. Long-term Development Strategy of the State (Decree of Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania) : 12/11/2002, IX-1187, Valstybės žinios, 2002, No 113-5029, http://www3.lrs.lt Measures for the Implementation of the Lithuanian Government Programme for 2006-2008 (Government Resolution) : 17/10/2006, 1020, Valstybės žinios, 2006, No 112-4273, http://www.lrv.lt Methodology for Calculating Funds for the Initial Vocational Training (Ministerial order) : 23/12/2003, ISAK-1871, Valstybės žinios, 2004, No 5, http://www.smm.lt Methodology for Calculating the Pupil's "Basket" and the Number of Notional Pupils (Government Resolution) : 11/12/2002, 1947, Valstybės žinios, 2002, No 119-5339, http://www.smm.lt Methodology for Determining the Need of Funds from the Republic of Lithuania State Budget and their Allocation to Institutions of Science and Studies (Government Resolution) : 11/10/2004, 1272, Valstybės žinios, 2004, No 151-5493, 2006, No 108-4114, http://www.lrv.lt Methodology for Estimating Funds for Vocational Training per Pupil Following a Formal Vocational Training Curriculum (Government Resolution) : 08/12/2008, 1320, Valstybės žinios, 2008, No 5709, http://www.smm.lt Minimum Qualification Requirements for the Positions of Research Fellows, Other Researchers and the Teachers of Public Research and Higher Education Institutions, of the Procedure for Organising Competitions to Hold Positions of Research Fellows, Other Researchers and Teachers of Public Research and Higher Education Institutions, the Procedure of Certification of Research Fellows, Other Researchers and Teachers and Awarding of Pedagogical Titles in Universities (Government Resolution) : 11/07/2001, 899, Valstybės Žinios, 2001, No 63, http://www.smm.lt Model for Improvement of the Living and Education Conditions for Children from their Birth to the Beginning of Compulsory Education (Government Resolution) : 11/11/2009, 1509, Valstybės žinios, 2009-11-21, No 138-6073, http://www.smm.lt Model for Provision of Pedagogical and Psychological Assistance (Minsterial order) : 25/06/2003, ISAK-897, Valstybės žinios, 2003, No 74-3451, http://www.smm.lt Model for Provision of Special Teaching Aids (Ministerial order) : 31/12/2004, ISAK-2095, http://www.smm.lt National Anti-Discrimination Programme 2006–2008 (Government Resolution) : 19/09/2006, 907, Valstybės žinios, 2006, No 100-3872, http://www3.lrs.lt National Lisbon Strategy Implementation Programme for 2008-2010 (Government Resolution) : 01/10/2008, 1047, Valstybės žinios, 2008-10-28, No 124-4718, http://www.smm.lt National Programme for Career Guidance in Education (Ministerial order) : 03/12/2007, ISAK-2332, Valstybės žinios, 2008, No 7-258, http://www3.lrs.lt National Programme for the Restructuring of Initial Training and Professional Development of Teachers (Government Resolution) : 25/05/2006, 468, Valstybės žinios, 2006, No 60-2139, http://www.lrv.lt National Programme of Education for Sustainable Development for 2007-2015 (Government Resolution) : 02/10/2007, 1062, Valstybės žinios, 2007, No 106-4348, http://www.lrs.lt


355

National Social Integration Programme for People with Disabilities for 2003-2012 (Government Resolution) : 07/06/2002, 850, Valstybės žinios, 2002, No 57-2335, http://www.smm.lt Outline of Criteria for Pre-school Education Curricula (Ministerial order) : 18/04/2005, ISAK-627, http://www.smm.lt Outline of Procedure for Organizing Pre-primary Education (Ministerial order) : 22/06/2005, ISAK-1180, Valstybės žinios, 2005, No 34-118, http://www.smm.lt Outline of Qualification Requirements for Teachers Working in Accordance with the Pre-school, Pre-primary, Non-formal Children Education, Primary, Secondary, Special and Vocational Education Curricula (Ministerial order) : 29/03/2005, ISAK-506, http://www.smm.lt Outline of the Models for Organizing of Pre-primary education (Ministerial Order) : 29/10/2003, ISAK-1478, http://www.smm.lt Outline of the Procedure for Assessment of the Child's Maturity to follow the Pre-School and Pre-Primary Education Curriculum (Ministerial Order) : 29/10/2005, ISAK-2173, http://www.smm.lt Outline of the Procedure for Providing Education Assistance to Families Raising their Children of Pre-shool Age at Home (Ministerial Order) : 04/06/2004, ISAK-842, http://www.smm.lt Plan of Measures for Testing Achievements in Basic Education and Improving Matura Examinations for 2008-2012 (Ministerial order) : 30/05/2008, ISAK-1568, http://www.smm.lt Practical Training Resource Development Programme (Ministerial order) : 03/12/ 2007, ISAK-2333, Valstybės žinios, 2008, No 7-259, http://www.smm.lt Amended in 04/12/2008, No ISAK-3329, Valstybės žinios, 2008-12-23, No 147-5919 Pre-primary Education Standard (Ministerial order) : 09/07/2003, ISAK-1015, Valstybės žinios, 2003, No 77-3525, http://www.smm.lt Procedure for Admission Children with Special Needs to Special Educational Institution (Ministerial order) : 22/02/2000, 158, Valstybės žinios, 2000, No 17-421, 33-940., http://www.smm.lt The Procedure describes how children with special needs are admitted to special pre-school educational institutions, pre-school groups of educational centres, general or special groups of pre-school education establishments. Procedure for Admission to State-run Schools of Vocational Education and Training (Ministerial order) : 08/02/2005, ISAK-190, http://www.smm.lt Procedure for Appointment of Heads of State-run and Municipal Schools (Ministerial order) : 03/08/2001, 1192, Valstybės žinios, 2001, No 69-2486 The order was amended by the order 1089 of 22/07/2003. Procedure for Assessment of Individual Special Educational Needs (Ministerial order) : 24/10/2000, 1221/527/83, Valstybės žinios, 2000, No 85-2608, http://www.smm.lt Procedure for Assignment of Special Education (Ministerial order) : 17/08/2000, 1056, Valstybės žinios, 2000, No 85-2608, http://www.smm.lt Procedure for Awarding Certificates and Matura Attestations (Ministerial order) : 22/04/2008, ISAK-1113, Valstybės žinios, 2008, No 48-1785, http://www.smm.lt Procedure for Consecutive Learning in Accordance with General Education School Curricula (Ministerial order) : 05/04/2005, ISAK-556, Valstybės žinios, 2005, No 46-1256, http://www.smm.lt Amended in 2009.


356

Procedure for Evaluation of Quality of Education in Vocational Schools (Ministerial order) : 18/01/2001, 73, http://www.smm.lt Procedure for Extramural Studies (Ministerial order) : 31/08/2007, ISAK-1757, Valstybės žinios, 2007, No 95-3859, http://www.smm.lt Procedure for Following the Adapted General Education Curriculum (Ministerial order) : 03/06/2004, ISAK-839, Valstybės žinios, 2004, No 92-3386, http://www.smm.lt Procedure for Independent Learning (Ministerial order) : 31/08/2007, ISAK-1759, Valstybės žinios, 2007, No 95-3860, http://www.smm.lt Procedure for Modular Studies (Ministerial order) : 31/08/2007, ISAK-1756, Valstybės žinios, 2007, No 95-3858, http://www.smm.lt Procedure for Provision of Assistance to Children Aged 5-6 who do not Attend School (Ministerial order) : 16/12/2003, ISAK-1809, Valstybės žinios, 2003, No 101-4566, http://www.smm.lt Procedure for Provision of Financial Support to Students with Disabilities in Higher Education (Government Resolution) : 29/08/2006, 931, Valstybės žinios, 2006, No 93-3655, http://www.lrv.lt Procedure for Provision of Psychological Assistance to the Pupil (Minsterial order) : 03/06/2004, ISAK-837, Valstybės žinios, 2004, No 92-3384, http://www.smm.lt Procedure for Provision of Special Pedagogical Assistance (Minsterial order) : 03/06/2004, ISAK-838, Valstybės žinios, 2004, No 92-3385, http://www.smm.lt Procedure for Provision of Special Pedagogical Assistance to Pre-school Children with Special Needs at Home (Order of the MInister of Education and Science and Minister of Health Security) : 05/07/2000, 916/385, Valstybės žinios, 2000, No 66-2004, http://www.smm.lt Procedure for Recognition of Disabilities and their Degrees in Accordance with which Persons are Classified as Belonging to an 'in Need of Special Support' Category (Ministerial order) : 12/07/2002, 1329/368/9, Valstybės žinios, 2002, No 84-3672, http://www.smm.lt Procedure for Setting up a Special Education Commission and Organizing its Work (Ministerial order) : 17/08/2000, 1057, Valstybės žinios, 2000, No 71-2215, htttp://www.smm.lt Procedure for State Education Monitoring (Ministerial order) : 10/11/2005, ISAK-2240, Valstybės žinios, 2005, No 141, http://www.smm.lt The procedure defines the goal and objectives of education monitoring, determines the object of monitoring, its organisation and implementation, financing, and indicators. Procedure for the External Evaluation of Performance Quality in General Education Schools (Ministerial order) : 30/03/2009, ISAK-608, Valstybės žinios, 2009-04-08, No 40-1517, http://www.smm.lt Procedure of Salary Payment to the Staff of Educational Institutions and Educational Employees (Ministerial order) : 14/12/2009, ISAK-2711, Valstybės žinios, 2009, No 150-6739, http://www.smm.lt Procedure of the Salary Payment System for the Staff of Educational Institutions and Pedagogical Staff of Other Institutions (Government Resolution) : 21/01/2005, 57, http://www.smm.lt Programme for Development of Pre-school and Pre-primary Education for 2007-2012 (Government Resolution) : 19/09/2007, 1057, Valstybės žinios, 2007, No 106-4344, http://www.smm.lt


357

Programme for Establishment of Pedagogical-psychological Services in Municipalities (Ministerial order) : 30/04/2004, ISAK-642, http://www.smm.lt/teisine_baze/docs/isakymai/04-04-30-ISAK-642.htm Programme for Implementation of the Compulsory Early Foreign Language Teaching (Ministerial order) : 17/07/2006, ISAK-1519, Valstybės žinios, 2006, No 81, http://www.smm.lt Programme for Implementation of the Provisions of National Education Strategy 2003-2012 (Government Resolution) : 24/01/2005, 82, Valstybės žinios, 2005, No 12-391, http://www.smm.lt Programme for Improvement of School Structure for 2006-2009 (Ministerial order) : 05/12/2006, ISAK-2301, Valstybės žinios, 2006-12-12, No 135-5109, http://www.smm.lt Amended in 2007, 2008, 2009 Programme for Increasing Remuneration Rates for the Research and Higher Education Institution Staff for 2009-2011 (Government Resolution) : 28/05/2008, 509, Valstybės Žinios, 2008, No 63, http://www.lrv.lt Programme for Optimization of the Initial Vocational Training School Network (Ministerial order) : 05/05/2000, 496, http://www.smm.lt/teisine_baze/docs/isakymai/00-496.htm Programme for Provision of Yelow Buses to Schools for 2009-2012 (Government Resolution) : 14/10/2008, 1052, http://www.smm.lt Programme for Returning School Dropout Children back to School (Government Resolution) : 24/11/2008, 1261, http://www.smm.lt Programme for Special Education Provision (Government Resolution) : 22/11/2004, 1475, Valstybės žinios, 2004, No 170-6263, http://www.smm.lt Programme for the Development of Citizenship and National Identity (Decree of Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania) : 19/09/2006, X-818, Valstybės žinios, 2006, No 102-3939, http://www.smm.lt Programme for the Development of Special Education (Mnisterial order) : 03/09/2009, ISAK-1796, Valstybės žinios, 2009-09-14, No 110-4699, http://www.smm.lt Programme for the Promotion of the International Dimension in Higher Education for 2008-2010 (Government Resolution) : 09/07/2008, No 732, http://www.smm.lt Programme for the Renovation of the Teachers' and Adult Education Centres and their Equipment with Modern Teaching Aids (Ministerial order) : 27/07/2007, ISAK-1580, Valstybės žinios, 2007, No 86-3452, http://www.smm.lt Programme for the Use of the Lithuanian Sign Language and Provision of the Sign Language Interpreting Services 2005–2008 (Government Resolution) : 17/08/2005, 896, Valstybės žinios, 2005, No 101-3745, http://www.smm.lt Provisions of National Education Strategy 2003-2012 (Decree of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania) : 04/07/2003, IX-1700, Valstybės žinios, 2003, No 71-3216, http://www.smm.lt The provisions of the State Educational Strategy for the period 2003–2012 complement the Long-term Development Strategy of the State and describe the goals of developing the Lithuanian educational system and the means of achieving them. The State Education Strategy started a new stage in the educational reform of Lithuania. Regulation of Teachers' Training (Ministerial order) : 08/01/2010, V-54, Valstybės žinios, 2010-01-23, No 9-425, http://www.smm.lt


358

Regulations on Changes in Intensified Teaching (Ministerial order) : 21/03/2000, 292, Valstybės žinios, 2000, No 25-655, http://www.smm.lt Regulations on Pre-school Institutions (Ministerial order) : 10/07/1998, 1080, Valstybės žinios, 1998, No 110-3034, http://www.smm.lt The Regulations set out the character of the activities, goals, objectives, functions, structure, admission requirements, management and other aspects of the pre-school education institution irrespective of its founder. The order was amended in 2001, 2002. Regulations on Professional Development of the Public and Municipality School Heads, their Deputies for Education and Managers of Departments in Charge of Organising Education, Teachers and Specialists Providing Assistance to Pupils (Ministerial order) : 23/04/2009, ISAK-817, Valstybės žinios, 2009-04-30, No 48-1926, http://www.smm.lt Regulations on Professional Development of Vocational Teachers (Ministerial order) : 23/04/2009, ISAK-818, Valstybės žinios, 2009-04-30, No 48-1927, http://www.smm.lt Regulations on State Supervision of Education (Government Resolution) : 01/07/2004, 834, http://www.smm.lt Regulations on the Certification of School Heads, their Deputies and Managers of Departments in Charge of Organising Education in State and Municipality Schools (Except for Higher and Advanced Vocational Schools) (Ministerial order) : 30/04/2008, ISAK-1282, Valstybės žinios, 2008, No 55-2087, http://www.smm.lt Remuneration Procedure for the Work of Scientists, Other Researchers and Lecturers Working in Institutions of Science and Studies (Government Resolution) : 25/06/2003, 828, Valstybės žinios, 2003, No 61-2808, http://www.smm.lt Requirements for Statutes of State- and Municipality-Run Schools (Ministerial Order) : 16/07/2004, ISAK-1162, Valstybės žinios, 2004, No 124-4495, http://www.smm.lt School Improvement Programme (Decree of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania) : 28/05/2002, 759, Valstybės žinios, 2002, No 54-2130, http://www.smm.lt The School Improvement Programme is aimed at a radical enhancement of the quality of teaching and learning and improvement of the teaching environment for pupils attending grades 5–10 at schools of general education (basic and secondary). The Programme is a long-term integrated effort covering the entire system of general education. School Improvement Programme Plus (Ministerial order) : 03/12/2007, ISAK-2331, Valstybės žinios, 2008, No 7-257, http://www.smm.lt Single Programming Document (SPD) of Lithuania for the period of 2004-2006 (Government Resolution) : 02/08/2004, 935, Valstybės žinios, 2004, No 123-4486, http://www.smm.lt State Support to Doctoral Students and Post-graduate Art Students (Government Resolution) : 11/09/2002, 1431, Valstybės žinios, 2002, No 91-3895, http://www.smm.lt Strategy for Desing, Evaluation, Updating and Implementation of the General Education Curriculum (Ministerial order) : 23/05/2007, ISAK-970, http://www.smm.lt/ugdymas/ Strategy for Ensuring Lifelong Learning (Order of the Ministry of Education and Science and the Ministry of Social Security and Labour) : 15/10/2008, ISAK-2795/A1-347, Valstybės žinios, 2008, No 122-4647, http://www.smm.lt Strategy for Implementation of Information and Communication Technologies in Lithuania Education in 2005-2007 (Ministerial order) : 14/12/2004, ISAK-2015, http://www.smm.lt


359

Understanding of Education Based on Jesuit Pedagogical Teachings (Ministerial Order) : 02/12/2008, ISAK-3236, Valstybės žinios, 2008-12-11, No 142-5670, http://www.smm.lt 'Yellow Bus' Programme for Pupils with Special Educational Needs for 2005-2008 (Minstreial order) : 07/12/2004, ISAK-1953, Valstybės žinios, 2004, No 179-6627, http://www.smm.lt


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INSTITUTIONS

Generolo Jono Žemaičio Lietuvos karo akademija Šilo g. 5A LT-10322 Vilnius Tel: (+370 5) 212 63 13, 210 36 88 Fax: (+370 5) 212 73 18 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.lka.lt ISM Vadybos ir ekonomikos universitetas Arklių g. 18 Vilnius LT-01305 Lithuania Tel: +370 5 212 3960 Fax: +370 5 212 3961 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.ism.lt Kauno medicinos universitetas A.Mickevičiaus g. 9 LT-44307 Kaunas Tel: (+370 37) 32 72 01 Fax: (+370 37) 22 07 33 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://info.kmu.lt Kauno technologijos universitetas K. Donelaičio g. 73 LT-44029 Kaunas Tel: (+370 37) 30 00 00, 32 41 40, 30 00 99 Fax: (+370 37) 32 41 44 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.ktu.lt/ Klaipėdos universitetas H. Manto g. 84 LT-92294 Klaipėda Tel: (+370 46) 39 89 00 Fax: (+370 46) 39 89 02 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.ku.lt Klaipėdos universiteto Tęstinių studijų institutas Sportininkų g. 13 LT-92257 Klaipėda Tel: (+370 46) 41 02 39, 41 01 34 Fax: (+370 46) 41 02 38 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.tsi.lt Kvalifikacijų ir profesinio mokymo plėtros centras Geležinio vilko g. 12 LT-01112 Vilnius Tel: (+370 5) 249 71 26 Fax: (+370 5) 249 81 83 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.kpmpc.lt Lietuvos darbo birža Geležinio Vilko 3a LT-03131 Vilnius Tel: (+370 5) 236 07 70 Fax: (+370 5) 236 07 88 E-mail: [email protected]


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Website: http://www.ldb.lt Lietuvos darbo rinkos mokymo tarnyba (LDRMT) Aguonų 10 LT-03213 Vilnius Tel: (+370 5) 231 03 69, 231 06 77 Fax: (+370 5) 231 06 20 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.ldrmt.lt Lietuvos kūno kultūros akademija Sporto g. 6 LT-44221 Kaunas Tel: (+370 37) 30 26 21 Fax: (+370 37) 20 45 15 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.lkka.lt Lietuvos mokinių informavimo ir techninės kūrybos centras Žirmūnų g. 1b LT-09101 Vilnius Lithuania Tel: (+370 5) 276 65 78, 277 36 14 Fax: (+370 5) 276 32 05 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.lmitkc.lt Lietuvos mokslo taryba Gedimino pr. 3 LT–01103 Vilnius Tel: (+370 5) 212 49 33 Fax: (+370 5) 261 85 35 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.lmt.lt Lietuvos muzikos ir teatro akademija Gedimino pr. 42 LT-01110 Vilnius Tel: (+370 5) 261 26 91 Fax: (+370 5) 212 69 82 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.lmta.lt Lietuvos Respublikos kultūros ministerija J. Basanavičiaus g. 5 LT-01118 Vilnius Tel: (+370 5) 261 94 86 Fax: (+370 5) 2623120 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.lrkm.lt Lietuvos Respublikos Seimo Švietimo, mokslo ir kultūros komitetas Gedimino pr. 53 LT–01109 Vilnius Tel: (+370 5) 262 14 05 Fax: (+370 5) 239 64 59 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.lrs.lt Lietuvos Respublikos socialinės apsaugos ir darbo ministerija A. Vivulskio g. 11 LT-03610 Vilnius Tel: (+370 5) 266 42 01 Fax: (+370 5) 266 42 09 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.socmin.lt


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Lietuvos Respublikos sveikatos apsaugos ministerija Vilniaus g. 33 LT-01119 Vilnius Tel: (+370 5) 266 14 00 Fax: (+370 5) 266 14 02 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.sam.lt Lietuvos Respublikos švietimo ir mokslo ministerija A.Volano g. 2/7 LT–01516 Vilnius Tel: (+370 5) 274 30 80 Fax: (+370 5) 261 20 77 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.smm.lt Lietuvos studentų sąjunga (LSS) Geležinio Vilko g. 12 LT-01112 Vilnius Tel: (+370 5) 268 53 30, 268 53 31 Fax: (+370 5) 261 17 97 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.lss.lt Lietuvos suaugusiųjų švietimo asociacija (LSŠA) Geležinio Vilko 12–439 LT-01112 Vilnius Tel: (+370 5) 231 23 09 Fax: (+370 5) 261 90 31 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.lssa.smm.lt Lietuvos suaugusiųjų švietimo ir informavimo centras Didlaukio g. 82-306 LT-08303 Vilnius Tel: (+370 5) 2777690 Fax: (+370 5)2771550 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.lssic.smm.lt Lietuvos švietimo darbuotojų profesinė sąjunga Palangos g.3 LT-01117 Vilnius Tel: (+370 5) 261 75 10 Fax: (+370 5) 262 80 96 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.lsdps.lt Lietuvos veterinarijos akademija Tilžės g. 18 LT-47181 Kaunas Tel: (+370 37) 36 23 83, 36 32 59 Fax: (+370 37) 36 24 17 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.lva.lt Lietuvos žemės ūkio universitetas Studentų g. 11 LT-53356 Akademija Kauno r. Tel: (+370 37) 39 75 00 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.lzua.lt Mokslo ir studijų stebėsenos ir analizės centras (MOSTA) Geležinio vilko g. 12 LT-01112 Vilnius Lithuania Tel: +370 5 212 6898


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Fax: +370 5 243 0402 Website: http://www.mosta.lt Mokyklų tobulinimo centras (MTC) Klaipėdos 6 – 406/407 LT-01117 Vilnius Tel: (+370 5) 212 71 83 Fax: (+370 5) 212 71 73 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.mtc.lt Mykolo Romerio universitetas Ateities g. 20 LT-08303 Vilnius Tel: (+370 5) 271 46 47 Fax: (+370 5) 267 60 00 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.mruni.lt Nacionalinė mokyklų vertinimo agentūra Didlaukio g. 82 LT-08303 Vilnius Tel: (+370 5) 271 16 01 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.nmva.smm.lt Nacionalinis egzaminų centras (NEC) M. Katkaus g. 44 LT–09217 Vilnius Tel: (+370 5) 275 61 80 Fax: (+370 5) 275 22 68 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.egzaminai.lt Šiaulių universitetas P.Višinskio g. 25 LT-76285 Šiauliai Tel: (+370 41) 52 44 27 Fax: (+370 41) 52 49 51 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.su.lt/ Šiaulių universiteto Tęstinių studijų institutas Stoties g. 11 Šiauliai 77156 Tel: (+370 41) 59 58 50, 59 58 57 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.tsi.su.lt Specialiosios pedagogikos ir psichologijos centras Viršuliškių g. 103 LT-05115 Vilnius Tel: (+370 5) 242 64 03 Fax: (+370 5) 242 70 02 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.sppc.lt Statistikos departamentas prie Lietuvos Respublikos Vyriausybės Gedimino pr. 29 LT-01500 Vilnius Tel: (+370 5) 236 48 00 Fax: (+370 5) 236 48 45 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.stat.gov.lt


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Studijų kokybės vertinimo centras Suvalkų g. 1 LT–03106 Vilnius Tel: (+370 5) 210 47 77 Fax: (+370 5) 213 25 53 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.skvc.lt Švietimo aprūpinimo centras (ŠAC) Geležinio Vilko g. 12 LT-01112 Vilnius Tel: (+370 5) 264 94 52 Fax: (+370 5) 264 94 50 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.sac.smm.lt Švietimo informacinių technologijų centras (ITC) Suvalkų g. 1 LT-03106 Vilnius Tel: (+370 5 ) 235 61 50 Fax: (+370 5 ) 235 61 55 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.itc.smm.lt Švietimo mainų paramos fondas Geležinio Vilko g. 12 LT–01112 Vilnius Tel: (+370 5) 261 05 92, 212 33 64 Fax: (+370 5) 249 71 34 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.smpf.lt Ugdymo plėtotės centras (UPC) Didlaukio 82 LT–08303 Vilnius Tel: (+370 5) 276 38 31 Fax: (+370 5) 277 21 91 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.upc.smm.lt Valstybinis studijų fondas A. Goštauto g. 12-407 LT-01108 Vilnius Lithuania Tel: +370 5 2639152 Fax: +370 5 2639153 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.vsf.lt Vilniaus Dailės akademija Maironio g. 6 LT-01124 Vilnius Tel: (+370 5) 261 30 04 Fax: (+370 5) 261 99 66 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.vda.lt Vilniaus Gedimino technikos universitetas Saulėtekio al. 11 LT-10223 Vilnius Tel: (+370 5) 274 50 30 Fax: (+370 5) 270 01 12 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.vgtu.lt Vilniaus pedagoginis universitetas Studentų g. 39 LT-08106 Vilnius


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Tel: (+370 5) 279 05 48 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.vpu.lt Vilniaus universitetas Universiteto g. 3 LT-01513 Vilnius Tel: (+370 5) 268 70 01 Fax: (+370 5) 268 70 96 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.vu.lt Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas Donelaičio g. 58 LT-44248 Kaunas Tel: (+370 37) 22 27 39 Fax: (+370 37) 20 38 58 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.vdu.lt


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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bendrosios programos ir išsilavinimo standartai. Priešmokyklinis, pradinis ir pagrindinis ugdymas = General Curriculum Framework and the Education Standards. Pre-primary, Primary and Basic Education / Švietimo plėtotės centras . - Vilnius : Education Provision Centre , 2003 . ISBN ISBN 9986-03-524-4 Ikimokyklinio ugdymo gairės. Programa pedagogams ir tėvams . - Vilnius , 1993 . http://www.smm.lt Lietuvos bendrojo lavinimo mokyklos bendrosios programos ir išsilavinimo standartai XI-XII klasėms = General Curriculum Framework ant the National Education Standards for forms 11-12 / Švietimo plėtotės centras . - Vilnius : Švietimo aprûpinimo centras , 2002 . ISBN ISBN 9986-03-492-2 Lietuvos ekonominė ir socialinė raida : 2009/12 = Economic and Social Development in Lithuania . - Vilnius : Statistics Lithuania , 2010 . ISSN ISSN 1392-2874 http://www.stat.gov.lt Lietuvos Respublikos ūkio ekonominės ir socialinės būklės apžvalga : 2009 m. sausio-rugsėjo mėn. apžvalga = Review of Economic and Social Status of Republic of Lithuania. Review of January-September 2009 . - Vilnius : Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Lithuania , 2009 . http://www.ukmin.lt Lietuvos švietimo klasifikacija = Clasification of Education in Lithuania / Lietuvos Respublikos švietimo ir mokslo ministerija . - Vilnius : Statistikos departamentas , 1999 . ISBN 9986-589-61-4 http://www.smm.lt Lietuvos švietimo klasifikacija. Sritys ir posričiai. Vartotojo vadovas (informacinis leidinys) = Classification of Education in Lithuania. Fields and Sub-fields. User's Guide (Newsletter) . - Vilnius : Lietuvos Respublikos švietimo ir mokslo ministerija , 2000 . ISBN ISBN 9986-587-74-2 Lietuvos švietimo koncepcija = The General Concept of Education of Lithuania / Lietuvos Respublikos kultūros ir švietimo ministerija . - Vilnius : Leidybos centras , 1992 . Mokyklų tinklo pertvarkos metodinės rekomendacijos = Methodological Recomendations for Reorganization of the School Network / Lietuvos Respublikos švietimo ir mokslo ministerija . - Vilnius : Homo liber , 2004 . ISBN 9955-449-77-2 Pradinio ir pagrindinio ugdymo bendrosios programos = General Curriculum Framework for Primary and Basic Education . - Vilnius , 2008 . ISBN 978-9986-03-631-9 http://www.upc.smm.lt Pradinio ir pagrindinio ugdymo bendrųjų programų pritaikymo rekomendacijos : Specialiųjų poreikių mokinių, turinčių vidutinį, žymų ir labai žymų intelekto sutrikimą, ugdymui = Guidelines on Adaptation of the General Curriculum Framework for Primary and Basic Education to Teach SEN Pupils with Slight, Moderate or Severe Mental Health Difficulties / Specialiosios pedagogikos ir psichologijos centras . - Vilnius : Sapnų sala , 2009 . ISBN 978-9955-611-48-6 http://www.smm.lt


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Pradinio ugdymo bendrųjų programų pritaikymo rekomendacijos : Specialiųjų poreikių mokinių kalbiniam, matematiniam ir socialiniam bei gamtamoksliniam ugdymui = Guidelines of Adaptation of the General Curriculum Framework for Primary Education to Teach SEN Pupils Languages, Mathematics, Social and Natural Sciences / Švietimo plėtotės centras . - Vilnius : Sapnų sala , 2009 . ISBN 978-9955-611-47-9 http://www.smm.lt Svarbiausi Bolonijos proceso dokumentai (Bolonijos-Bergeno laikotarpis 1995-2005 m.) : Informacinis leidinys = The Bologna Process Key Documents (Bologna-Bergen period 1995-2005) (Newsletter) . - Vilnius : Lietuvos Respublikos švietimo ir mokslo ministerija , 2005 . http://www.smm.lt Švietimas 2008 = Education 2008 . - Vilnius : Statistics Lithuania , 2009 . - p.92. ISSN 1392-978X http://www.stat.gov.lt Vaikų darželių programa: Vėrinėlis = The kindergarten programme Vėrinėlis (The String) / Lietuvos Respublikos kultūros ir švietimo ministerija . - 1 - Vilnius : Leidybos centras , 1993 .