Pavalkis: I understand that there are differences in education, but students should watch Lithuanian television more frequently

Minister of Education and Science Dainius Pavalkis in the political corner of Radio Znad Willi said that he will not support the idea that AWPL has concerning the Matura exam, to return to the rules from before the amendment to the educational law.

‘We have several facts and court’s decision, about which everybody knows – the regulation about leniencies had been cancelled. Until 2019 we are in a transitional period which was approved by Minister Stepanavičius. Third case, with those small, actually insignificant leniencies that were introduced for schools of national minorities, we see that students from Lithuanian and national minorities schools passed the exam very similarly,’ said the Minister of Education.

Leaders of the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania (AWPL) had been saying repeatedly that the current amendment of the educational law is discriminating for national minorities and the previous one should be restored.

‘I won’t support this idea. I believe that we need to follow the same rule of equality and write the exam just like Lithuanians in Poland. I understand that there are differences in education or environment, but perhaps they should turn the Lithuanian TV on more frequently, or something like that. I think that we have to standardize the exam from Lithuanian language until 2019,’ emphasized Pavalkis.

The Minister said that this year the requirements for teaching in small schools will change.

‘This year, for Eastern Lithuania (Vilnius region – reminds zw.lt) it will be current that small schools will have possibilities to form classes with smaller number of students. It means that small schools won’t be closed. Another issue, which will be current also for smaller cities, is a possibility to form only one class – eleventh grade. Previously two eleventh grades were obligatory,’ explained the Minister.

Ministry data shows that this school year there will be more than 351 thousands students, including around 29 thousands freshmen. They will go to over 1200 schools in which works almost 36 thousands teachers.

89 thousand children will go to 674 kindergartens.

About changes, which are to be introduced during this school year, said the guest of today’s political corner, Dainius Pavalkis.

Source: http://zw.lt/salon-polityczny/dainius-pavalkis-ulatwienia-w-utrzymaniu-malych-szkol/

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