Unified Lithuanian language exam still unchanged

This year’s graduates still do not know which Lithuanian language exam they will have to pass in just a few months’ time.The regulation concerning facilitated exam for minority schools announced last week by Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius and approved at the Political Council on Monday is still to be signed by the Minister of Education, Dainius Pavalkis.

The regulation will not be signed till Monday, because this week Prime Minister is visiting Brussels. The ministry explains that the regulation cannot be signed at the moment because of technical or bureaucratic issues, since according to the ministry’s schedule the changes in the exam could only be implemented until January 15th.  In order for the minister to sign the regulation, the schedule would have to be changed.

“And this has been done. The regulation can be implemented until the end of February now, so theoretically we still have some time,” says Deputy Speaker of the Seimas, Jarosław Narkiewicz from EAPL.   However, Narkiewicz believes that this delay is somewhat worrying, since, as he notices, the schedule could have been changed much earlier, especially that the exam change was recorded in the government’s programme.
“Specifically, in point 249 of the programme,” emphasises the Deputy Speaker of the Seimas. He also points to the fact that the programme generally mentions postponement of implementation of the unified exam.

“Now, however, we only talk of cushioning its effects on this year’s secondary school graduates, which is not so complicated an action,” adds Jarosław Narkiewicz.
Minister Pavalkis’ regulation was supposed to serve as that cushion. It turns out, however, that it is too complicated for the new government, as the regulation project approved on Monday at the Political Council is the third draft in a row accepted by the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania.

“It is worrying that each time changes are made to the project that has already been accepted,” says the Deputy Speaker of the Seimas. He adds that it was surprising to EAPL to hear an announcement of the Minister of Education after the Monday approval. The minister announced that the facilitated exam would apply only to this year’s graduates and as of next year students would take the exam without any facilitations.
“It is unacceptable for us and we will never consent to this. We do not wish to blackmail our coalition partners, as some media and politicians try to suggest.  We simply ask for something that is already written in the government’s programme,” explains Jarosław Narkiewicz, and adds that EAPL will fulfil its promises given to the coalition partners, and it is also what it expects of them.
Stanisław Tarasiewicz

Source: http://kurierwilenski.lt/2013/02/14/ujednolicony-egzamin-z-litewskiego-wciaz-bez-zmian/

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