Kwiatkowski: the most important thing is how many students will choose the state exam and how many the school one

Students of non-Lithuanian schools, together with their peers from Lithuanian schools, today (3^rd of June) are taking an examination of Lithuanian language, which is standardized for the first time. Students from non-Lithuanian schools are going to have concessions on the exam.

“For us the most important thing is how many students will take the state exam, and how many the school one. Wouldn’t students be frightened of the state exam. We told them not to be afraid. Since if they wouldn’t pass the state exam, they will have a chance to take the school exam once again. It is very important for us, for statistics. If the results are very bad, we will have to see the concessions through once again – explained to PL DELFI Józef Kwiatkowski, deputy of the RL Sejm and chairman of “Alma Mater”.

Optimistic youth

Adam Błaszkiewicz, the headmaster of Vilnius John Paul II junior high school, said to PL DELFI, that the majority of high school graduates has chosen the state exam. “From 111 students, 14 have chosen the school exam. It is more than last year. If I am not wrong, last year, from 127 students, only 6 or 7 had chosen the school exam” – pointed out Błaszkiewicz.  The headmaster added, that he hadn’t noticed any panic moods among the students. “The youth is optimistically-orientated” – added Adam Błaszkiewicz.

Whereas the headmaster of Zujuny high school in Vilnius region claims, that the majority of high school graduates are going to take the exam at school. “30% of our high school graduates has chosen the state exam. Everything depends on an individual student’s plans for the future. If one doesn’t intend to get in to a university, he doesn’t need the state exam” – explained to PL DELFI Marek Pszczołowski, the headmaster of this school.

Concessions on the exam

The exam starts at 9 a.m. and is going to last 4 hours. The results must be known in a few weeks.

The minister of education confirmed exam concessions in the Lithuanian language Matura exam. High school graduates from non-Lithuanian schools were ought to write an essay containing less words than an essay of Lithuanian schools’ graduates: in a state exam it should number from 400 to 500 words, whereas in a school exam it’s 250 to 350 words.

Students from non-Lithuanian schools can also make more mistakes and they can use dictionaries. Furthermore, students from all schools can choose not from 3, but from 7 given authors, whose literary production they will respond to in their essays.

Source: http://pl.delfi.lt/aktualia/litwa/kwiatkowski-najwazniejsze-jest-ilu-uczniow-wybierze-egzamin-panstwowy-a-ilu-szkolny.d?id=61532048

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.