Polish first graders and high school graduates in Lithuania received their vouchers

First graders and high school graduates in Lithuania received vouchers issued by The Foundation Aid to Poles in the East.

The financial support in the form of vouchers for the first graders and the high school graduates in the amount of 100 and 50 euros respectively, have been given at the end of December. Jozef Kwiatkowski, the president of the Polish Educational Society, informed the Radio “Znad Wilii” that almost all students – 1,011 first graders and 900 high school graduates – received the money.

In September, school starter kits were sent to Polish students in Lithuania – backpacks with full equipment, books, educational games and breakfast sets. Mikolaj Falkowski, the president of The Foundation Aid to Poles in the East, said the backpacks and accessories provided to students constituted about 40% of the predicted financial support per student. “The other part of the project, worth in total 1 million Polish Zloty, is dedicated for the schools’ support, calculated proportionally in the same scale for each child. We will sign a contract for the implementation of the first graders voucher with each school, and that contract will concern specific expenses. The school principal in the agreement with the parent-teacher association will decide whether the money will be provided in the form of the “Family 500+” income in an envelope for children from poorer, large or requiring social support families, which are our primary target, or in a non-monetary form that would contribute to the functioning of a clubhouse, supporting of teaching Polish language, retrofitting first graders’ classrooms, purchasing of sportswear or organizing of children’s transport to their extracurricular activities. Schools have entire freedom to decide what they want to spend this amount on. If the parent-teacher association and the school principal have a will to give the money to children in the form of a cash support – that’s wonderful, as the project allows it. If the school decides on a partial direct financial support and a partial refinancing of development activities, it is also possible”, explained Falkowski.

The project is co-financed within the framework of the Senate of the Republic of Poland guardianship of the Polish Diaspora and Poles abroad.