School headmasters against standardization of Lithuanian language examination.

On Wednesday, 35 headmasters of Polish schools in Lithuania turned to the country’s Minister of Education, Gintaras Steponavičius, in a bid to reject the A-level Lithuanian language standardisation in Lithuanian schools and those of ethnic minorities.

“Taking into consideration the parents’ and children’s disapproval of the new Education Act and its implementation, in the name of  the school community we appal for rejection of  the standardisation. We consider its concept to be rushed and ill-conceived, as, while being a mother tongue to some, it is still a foreign language to others” – can be read in the Polish schools headmasters’ appeal.

An opinion has also been expressed that “ The ministry of education should aid solving of the conflict and initiate an amendment to the education act”.

The letter was delivered to the minister during the meeting of school headmasters with a deputy minister of education, Vaidas Bacys.

According to the meeting’s participants, the deputy minister offered to create a committee in cooperation with the department, which would put into practice the A-level standardisation start as early as 2012.

Zbigniew Maciejewski, a headmaster of St R. Kalinowski Junior High School in Nemėžis, informed that the headmasters unanimously refused participation in the committee. “An attitude of parents and children is clear; they are against standardization of A-level Lithuanian language exam. In the process of education their vot is th most significant one” – said Maciejewski.

The Headmasters are wary that their participation in the committee could be interpreted as an approval of standardisation.

According to education act, which was approved in March,  the exam taken by students of Lithuanian schools, and those of ethnic minority’s education systems, are tho be the same. However, the program of teaching the language in Lithuanian schools is wider than the others. Ministry of Education has issued a decision to standardise the examination process by 2013.

http://www.znadwilii.lt/aktualnosci/20110914/dyrektorzy-szkol-przeciwko-ujednolicaniu-egzaminu-z-litewskiego

Tłumaczenie Karolina Krześniak w ramach praktyk w Europejskiej Fundacji Praw Człowieka, www.efhr.eu Translated by Karolina Krześniak within the framework of a traineeship programme of the European Foundation of Human Rights, www.efhr.eu

Korekta Agata Woznicka  w ramach praktyk w Europejskiej Fundacji Praw Człowieka, www.efhr.eu Corrected by Agata Woznicka  , as a part of vocational training in the European Foundation of Human Rights,  www.efhr.eu