Lithuania is going to have difficult new school year.

The  new school year welcomes only 371 thousands of students. It is 20 thousands less than a year before. 9 schools are going to be closed. Also, preliminary estimates says about  one thousand teaches who are going to lose their jobs.

27 thousands of teachers were working last year, about one thousand  is going to lose their job this year some of them are retiring. 1100 thousands of teachers were working in a retire age last year. 100 new teachers are going to be employed this year said minister of education Mr. Gintaras Steponavičius.

Kids who are in the age of attendance the school is smaller with every year, some schools need to closed. This situation is similar to the bankrupt company, when that company is in very bad condition it is close. The same happens to schools, explains the minister. Even though, the number of students is smaller the number of preschoolers is bigger. The number of preschoolers has tendency to grow, there are new kindergartens open so there is need for more teachers.

In September new school year will start 1296 of public schools and 36 private. The number of students is decreasing faster than number of schools during last years in Lithuania. The number of students decreased by 25 percent, the number of schools by 15 percent since 2006-2007  says minister Gintaras Steponavičius. We hope for a stop in the number of less students in 2017. The number of kids at the age to attendance school will be 300 thousands, added the minister. At the same time representatives of trade unions are saying, that today’s situation of education in Lithuania is very bad. Problems from the last year are still unsolved.

The situation of today is very bad, problems are unsolved, schools are still being closed, especially in small towns. Teachers are losing their jobs, villages are without education and the most penalized are kids. Normal situation for them is when they have get up at 6 o’clock in the morning to get to school and this is another stress for them.

About 5 thousands of teachers will lose their job in next two years. Ministry of education is doing nothing to change it, said Audrius Jurgelevičius the chairman of trade unions for education workers.  Jurgelevičius do not believe what says Gintarasa Steponavičiusa, that only 9 schools will be closed this year he thinks there will be more, much more.

Schools need to be save. Teachers live in stress all the time, their work is very hard. Classes are joined so they need to disburse for 30 or more of students. How many hours they will get weekly depends form a director. And the payment  depends from the number of hours, that’s why the conditions of work are getting bad, Also, the guidance should be loyal with its workers but it is not. That situation makes taut atmosphere between teachers, said Rūta Osipavičiūtė the chairman of Vilenus  trade unions for education and science. 

Source:  http://kurierwilenski.lt/2012/08/30/litwe-czeka-trudny-nowy-rok-szkolny/

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