Teaching in vocational schools only in Lithuanian?

The Ministry of Education proposes that starting in September, teaching in state vocational education institutions should be conducted only in Lithuanian. This includes, for example, the Vilnius Agroecology Training Center.

The government’s proposal to teach in vocational schools exclusively in Lithuanian, with certain exceptions, will be reviewed by the Seimas as part of amendments to the Vocational Training Act.

According to the assumption, teaching in another language may be possible when foreign teachers are teaching or conducting educational activities, or as part of joint programs, such as Erasmus.

The teacher registry data as of November 25, 2024, shows that nine foreigners were employed as teachers in Kaunas, Visaginas, Utena, Vilnius, and the Trakai region.

According to ministry data, in the years 2023-2024, 204 students were taught in Russian and 89 in Polish in vocational education institutions. Russian is taught at the vocational school in Visaginas, while Polish is taught at the Vilnius Agroecology Training Center.

In December, 120 institutions in Lithuania offered vocational training programs.

Source: BNS