2nd Educational Fair of Polish Schools in Lithuania

On 14^th September, at the Cathedral Square, Polish schools from the Vilnius region presented their educational offer during the 2^nd Educational Fair ‘100 colours’ organized by the Association of Polish School Teachers’ in Lithuania ‘Macierz Szkolna’.

– The slogan of this year’s fair is: ‘From kindergarten to university in the mother tongue’. I am very happy that this slogan is being fully implemented and that today we can offer educational opportunities at all levels of education – Krystyna Dzierżyńska, vice president of Macierz Szkolna, commented for ‘Kurier Wileński’.

– I am very happy that we are in the Cathedral Square together. Today, we are even more resilient, stronger than before and offer high-quality education. I am pleased that from 1^st September we have another middle school [Polish: gimnazjum, TN], Szymon Konarski Middle School, and both the school in Lazdynai and the Adam Mickiewicz High School no 1 in Vilnius, have grades 11 and 12. Our cooperation really pays off. We work for our youth. We know that a Polish child must learn at a Polish school – Edyta Tamošiūnaitė, the deputy mayor of Vilnius, emphasized in her speech.

In the official part of the fair, the following speakers also took the floor: Marta Poznańska, representative of the Consular Department of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Vilnius, Robert Komarowski, deputy mayor of the Vilnius region, and Józef Kwiatkowski, president of Macierz Szkolna. Bożena Kisiel, president of the Vilnius and Vilenshchina Admirers Society in Gdańsk, talked about cooperation between Vilnius and Gdańsk.

– I am filled with feelings of thrill and joy. I walk around the Cathedral Square and keep meeting my friends. It wasn’t until today that I realized that even though I had left when I was a baby, I still have friends here, like the students of the J. I. Kraszewski Middle School, who gave me a flower. My joy also comes from the fact that the cooperation between Gdańsk and Vilnius is growing – said the president of the Pomeranian organization, which attended the fair as part of the ‘Gdańsk in Vilnius’ event.

Observing the fair, she saw new opportunities for cooperation between the two cities.

– We do not have contact with the parents of students of Polish schools in Lithuania yet. I think this is a field for development. Many of Vilnius school graduates live in Gdańsk. They are wonderful people who voluntarily help us implement programmes related to our friendship – said Kisiel.

During the fair, stands were presented by Adam Mickiewicz High School, Primary School in Pavilnys, Primary School in Kyviškės, School in Lazdynai, Konstanty Parczewski Middle School, Joachim Lelewel Engineering Middle School, ‘Green Hill’ School-Kindergarten, John Paul II Middle School, Józef Ignacy Kraszewski Middle School, Władysław Syrokomla Middle School, Szymon Konarski Middle School, Poznań School of Health, Beauty and Education, Vilnius Branch of the University of Bialystok, Centre of Self-Defence Arts, and the Polish Scouts Association in Lithuania. Each institution prepared not only information about their school, but also interesting activities for children. At the centre of the participants’ interest was undoubtedly the stage where bands, soloists, students and sometimes even graduates of Polish schools performed.

– I think we need this kind of event very much. It is not only an opportunity for specific schools to present their achievements, but also to exchange experiences and learn from each other. After the first edition, we had no doubt that this project should be continued, however, we want it to grow. This year, we have also invited district schools to participate, maybe next year, if we manage, we will introduce more novelties so that the fair will help to get information about Polish education to the widest possible range of people – vice-president of Macierz Szkolna, Krystyna Dzierżyńska, summed up in an interview with ‘Kurier Wileński’.

The project was co-financed through the Polish Senate’s programme for the Polish diaspora and Poles abroad. The fair’s partners are the Local Government of Vilnius, the House of Polish Culture in Vilnius, the Consular Department of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Vilnius.

More about the 2nd Educational Fair ‘100 colours’ in the upcoming issue of the magazine.