The Ministry of Education has established an advisory group on national minority education.

On July 3, the Minister of Education, Science and Sport, Raminta Popovienė, signed a regulation establishing an advisory group on national minority education. The group’s goal is to analyze and develop proposals related to the education of national minorities in Lithuania.

The newly formed advisory group will be led by the Ministry of Education advisor, Kęstutis Bartuškevičius.

The group includes researchers from the Lithuanian Institute of Social Sciences, Vilnius University, and Vytautas Magnus University, as well as representatives of the Association of Teachers of Polish Schools in Lithuania “Macierz Szkolna,” the Association of Polish Language Specialists, the municipalities of the Vilnius and Šalčininkai districts, and schools providing instruction in minority languages – the ministry explained to LRT.lt.

The group members will be responsible for proposing recommendations related to the education of national minorities.

This decision aims to improve dialogue between state institutions and minority communities and to better adapt the education system to their specific needs.

The group’s task is to prepare concrete solution proposals for minority education – both at the systemic and practical levels. The team’s work is intended to improve the quality of instruction, increase access to educational materials in minority languages, and ensure equal educational opportunities for all students, regardless of their nationality or language background.

LRT.lt recalls that in June of this year, following a meeting between the Lithuanian Minister of Education, Science and Sport, Raminta Popovienė, and Joanna Mucha, State Secretary at the Polish Ministry of National Education, the Lithuanian minister announced the formation of an advisory group on national minority education within the ministry.

– We will soon announce the creation of the group and invite both practitioners and researchers specializing in minority education to join – said Raminta Popovienė.

– We proposed that it should be established quickly, and that we are ready to delegate our representatives to such a group. The minister said she is interested in this kind of cooperation, so I think we will set it up promptly. I don’t want to get into terminology or what it will be officially called. What matters is that it gets the job done. We know very well what topics it should focus on – stated Popovienė.

Earlier, the Lithuanian Ministry of Education, Science and Sport launched the development of a National Training Program aimed at enhancing the qualifications of teachers working in national minority schools. The program has been prepared and will soon be accredited.