Fewer Students in National Minority Schools. Local Officials: This Addresses the Problem, Not Its Cause

The Lithuanian government has lowered the minimum number of students required in national minority schools in the Vilnius, Šalčininkai, Trakai, and Švenčionys districts. Local officials assess that the change may help preserve some classes but will not solve the problems related to the declining number of students.

“We’re addressing the effects, not the cause”

The mayor of the Švenčionys district, Rimantas Klipčius, believes that lowering the limit is a temporary fix that does not eliminate the main problem.

As he emphasized, in smaller classes it is necessary to simultaneously ensure high-quality education for students, access to extracurricular activities, and appropriate conditions for integration.

The mayor of the Trakai district, Andrius Šatevičius, assesses the change similarly. According to him, the new regulations do not solve the problems facing national minority schools in his municipality.

The dispute over Polish schools

The issue of the future of national minority schools has been particularly pronounced in the Trakai district. In 2022, the municipality decided to reorganize the Andrzej Stelmachowski Primary School in Senieji Trakai and the Longinas Komołowski Gymnasium in Paluknys.

The institutions were to be transformed into branches of other schools. The municipality justified the decision by citing declining student numbers, rising maintenance costs and the need to bring the institutions into compliance with applicable regulations.

The decision met with opposition from the school communities, representatives of the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania–Christian Families Alliance, and politicians from Poland. Among other things, they pointed to the risk of restricted access to education and a threat to Polish-language schooling.

Not all schools will benefit from the changes

According to the mayor of the Švenčionys district, the new regulations will make it easier to maintain classes at the “Žeimena” Gymnasium in Pabradė. At the same time, the number of enrollment applications for the coming school year indicates that classes taught in Polish and Russian should be formed even without the change in regulations.

Klipčius emphasizes that the main long-term challenge remains the declining number of residents and students. In his view, exceptions to the general rules alone will not solve the problems facing the school network.

Last school year, 57 gymnasiums in Lithuania offered instruction in national minority languages. Of these, 33 were located in the Vilnius, Šalčininkai, Trakai, and Švenčionys districts.

It is estimated that maintaining smaller gymnasium classes of 8 to 11 students will cost the state budget approximately 1.03 million euros in 2026–2027.