- June 10, 2013
- 248
The court considers the case of simplifications in Lithuanian language Matura exam for students from non – Lithuanian schools
On Monday high school graduates are taking Matura exam of history, while the Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania has to consider some complaints against the decision of the Education Minister, Dainius Pavalkis, regarding simplifications for high school graduates from non – Lithuanian schools in the standardized compulsory Lithuanian language Matura exam. The court is to consider the case on recommendation of some parliamentarians, like former minister of education, Gintaras Steponavičius, among the others. The decision of the court doesn’t concern this year high school graduates, who were taking Lithuanian language Matura exam last week, on Monday, as the only compulsory exam.
The representatives of opposition took proceedings against the decision of minister Pavalkis, according to which high school graduates from non – Lithuanian schools were obliged to write minimum 400 words (not 500 – 600 like in case of Lithuanian schools) in written work essays. Students from non – Lithuanian schools, writing the same exam, and having the same topics to choose, in order to illustrate an assumption of a topic, could make use of 7 (not 3) authors.
Suing this decision parliamentarians revolt against these simplifications, claiming that the introduction of the concessions on the Lithuanian language exam was disloyal to assumptions of the education law, in which one of the article says, that “the exam of the obtained knowledge of Lithuanian language, on high school level, is identical for every school, independently of the teaching language”.
Parliamentarians strived for the court to look into the matter without delay and make decision before starting Matura exams, but the Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania refused, explaining the decision with complexity of the case and the fact that case of this type is being considered in Lithuania for the first time.
The court, opening the trial on the 10th oh July, is planning to end it in mid July. In the opinion of the court, it is necessary to implement careful legal analysis, deeply investigate the rights of both sides, take care of explanatory motions, call experts. The court has already announced, that it has turned to legal experts from Vilnius University, Michał Romer University, Witold the Great University and to legal experts from European Department to make an opinion.
The decision of the education minister about concessions on the Lithuanian language Matura exam, was the aftermath of coalition agreement between Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania (AWPL) and governing majority. Specialists claim also, that Lithuania was made to make concessions on account of possible negative opinions of European institutions. High school graduates from non – Lithuanian schools, during all their education time, have been learning according to different program than high school graduates from Lithuanian schools, in total they had 700 less class periods than their peers from Lithuanian schools. New procedure of taking the exam was introduced in force of controversial law about education from 17th of March 2011, that is two years ago. In the opinion of Polish minority it was decidedly too short time to prepare to the new exam. Form of the exam also arouses reservations. Until now students from Lithuanian schools were taking it as native language exam, and students from non – Lithuanian schools – as national language exam. Current formula is only one, and specialists of Lithuanian language agree, that it is exam of native language. Often comes out an opinion, that Poles are bound to have worse marks, as Lithuanian language will never be their native language.
Unfortunately, the decision of exam concessions wasn’t favourably accepted in Lithuanian society. The president poured oil onto the fire, when in public she scolded the minister of Education for introduction of the exam concessions, what some people took as a possible influence over the decision of the court, which originally subordinates to the president.
Polish high school graduates in majority describe proceeding last week Lithuanian language exam as very difficult or quite difficult. The results will be known not until the last days of June.
Tłumaczenie by Zuzanna Horbacz w ramach praktyk w Europejskiej Fundacji Praw Człowieka, www.efhr.eu. Translated by Zuzanna Horbacz within the framework of a traineeship programme of the European Foundation of Human Rights, www.efhr.eu.
