In the Seimas – problems and achievements of the national minorities’ education in Lithuania

The conference “National minorities’ education in Lithuania: past, present, future” will take place on 16th March in the Lithuanian Seimas.

It will start at 9.00 a.m. in the conference room (Building 1 of the Seimas, al. Giedymina 53).

On 12th January the Parliamentary Committee on Education, Science and Culture gave permission for the suggestion put forward by Jaroslav Narkevič, the Deputy Chairman of the Lithuanian Seimas. He proposed organising a conference on problems and achievements of the national minorities’ education in Lithuania.

Members of Parliament, representatives of the Government and Ministry of Education and Science, communities of the national minorities’ schools, and others are being invited to take part in the conference.

Agenda:

8.30-9.00 – Registration of the participants

9.00-9.15 – Opening of the conference

9.15-9.30 – Introduction. An overview of the national minorities’ education in Lithuania. Jaroslav Narkevič, the Deputy Chairman of the Lithuanian Seimas

9.30-9.45 – Speech of Audronė Pitrėnienė, the Minister of Education and Science

9.45-10.00 – Welcome by Raimundas Paliukas, the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Education, Science and Culture

10.00-10.15 – National minorities’ rights are the natural human rights. Elżbieta Kuzborska, PhD

10.15-10.30 – The policy of national minorities’ education: where does it lead to? Józef Kwiatkowski, a member of the Lithuanian Parliament and the chairman of the Association of Polish Schools Teachers in Lithuania “Macierz Szkolna” [trans. Educational Society]

10.30-10.45 – Schools with Russian as a language of instruction in the light of the educational system in Lithuania. Tamara Lachankina

10.45-11.00 – National minorities’ schools: a vision of a hidden trail and quagmire. Prof. Vilija Targamadze, PhD

11.00-11.20 – Teaching children in their native language through the eyes of parents. Renata Cytacka, the chairman of the Parents’ Forum at Polish Schools of the Šalčininkai region; Mirosław Szejbak, a representative of the Parents’ Forum at Polish Schools of the Vilnius City

11.20-11.30 – Speech of Rimantas Vaitkus, First Deputy Chancellor of the Government of Lithuania

11.30-12.00 – Discussion

12.00-12.30 – Break

12.30-12.40 – National minorities’ education in the educational system of Lithuania. A representative of the Lithuanian Association of the Employees in the Field of Education

12.40-12.55 – Challenges and difficulties while teaching and learning Lithuanian in the national minorities’ schools. Problematic aspects of the unified exam in Lithuanian. A teacher of Lithuanian in a secondary school

12.55-1.10 – Problems and achievements of the national minorities’ secondary schools. A representative of one

1.10-1.25 – Importance of acts on education and their projects in the improvement of the national minorities’ educational system. Edyta Tamošiūnaitė, a Vilnius City Councillor

1.25-2.00 – Discussion

2.00-2.30 – Wrap-up. Rūta Kačkutė, the Lithuanian presidential counsellor; Jaroslav Narkevič, the Deputy Chairman of the Lithuanian Seimas

2.30 – End of the conference