The Fate of Polish Schools in Old Trakai and Paluknys Rests in the Hands of the Lithuanian Authorities and Polish-Lithuanian Dialogue

At the beginning of the new school year, the Andrzej Stelmachowski Primary School in Old Trakai and the Longin Komołowski Gymnasium in Paluknys began operating as branches of the Trakai Gymnasium and the Henryk Sienkiewicz Gymnasium in Lentvaris, respectively. The future of these schools continues to raise questions and concern within the Polish community.

On July 16 this year, representatives of fifteen Polish social organizations in Lithuania, as well as politicians, endorsed a joint position concerning the unequal treatment of Polish schools on the basis of their language of instruction, which they deemed unacceptable. The statement primarily concerned the Andrzej Stelmachowski Primary School in Old Trakai and the Longin Komołowski Gymnasium in Paluknys. Both schools are currently under the authority of the Trakai District Municipality and, following the reorganization, operate as branches of the Trakai Gymnasium and the Henryk Sienkiewicz Gymnasium in Lentvaris.

The appeal was issued after the Trakai District Municipality decided in 2022 to reorganize these schools. Under the decision, the two Polish schools were transformed into branches of the above-mentioned gymnasiums. The signatories of the appeal include, among others, the “Macierz Szkolna” organization, the Association of Poles in Lithuania, the Trakai District Branch of the Association of Poles in Lithuania, the Parents’ Forum of the Trakai District, the Parents’ Forum of the Šalčininkai District, and the European Human Rights Foundation.

Ministry Considering Establishing a Polish School in Paluknys

According to representatives of the Polish community in Lithuania, the reorganization raises concerns about the possibility of ensuring high-quality education in Polish and preserving the Polish schools operating in these localities as important educational and cultural institutions for the local Polish community.

Trakai District Mayor Andrius Šatevičius said that the decision to transform the schools into branches was primarily prompted by the declining number of students, rising maintenance costs, and the schools’ failure to meet current regulatory requirements. He proposed that the institutions be taken over by the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport.

The ministry told Kurier Wileński that it is considering establishing a Polish school in Paluknys.

“The Ministry of Education, Science and Sport is considering the possibility of establishing a state school in Paluknys with Polish as the language of instruction, intended for members of a national minority. The Trakai District Mayor submitted such a request to the ministry. Implementing this solution would require a detailed legal, infrastructural, financial, and demographic analysis, as well as an assessment of its potential impact on the network of municipal and state schools. This assessment is planned to be completed by October 1. Only then will it be possible to provide specific answers concerning the potential governing authority of the school, its legal status, and its structure.

The purpose of the ongoing considerations is to assess how, taking into account the needs of the local community, high-quality and continuous education in Polish can be ensured in Paluknys over the long term. When assessing possible solutions, consideration will be given not only to the number of students, but also to the quality of education, accessibility of the school, the needs of the community, demographic trends, and financial stability,” the ministry said in its statement.

The School Reorganization Issue Is Known to Polish Authorities

The issue of reorganizing the schools and transforming them into branches has also been raised by representatives of the Polish authorities. The signatories of the appeal addressed separate requests to the Lithuanian and Polish authorities, pointing to the risk of unequal treatment of Polish schools on the basis of their language of instruction.

In August this year, Renata Cytacka, President of the Parents’ Forum of Polish Schools in the Šalčininkai District and an adviser to the Administration of the Vilnius District Municipality, sent an email concerning this issue, among others, to representatives of Poland’s highest authorities, including Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski.

“Toward the end of June this year, I began seeking a meeting with Minister Radosław Sikorski, among others, to discuss this issue. Unfortunately, due to the minister’s busy schedule, the meeting was not scheduled until July 22. During the meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Warsaw, I presented, among other things, the problem concerning the Polish schools in the Trakai District and received a promise from the minister that he would address the matter. In early August, during the anniversary of President Karol Nawrocki taking office, I asked for the actions of the President and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be coordinated on this issue. I was informed that presidential adviser Radosław Gruk would be responsible for dealing with the schools at risk, and we briefly discussed the situation with him on the ground,” Renata Cytacka explains in an interview with Kurier Wileński.

Regarding the schools in the Trakai District, a meeting was held on August 12 at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland between a delegation of the Polish President, led by Radosław Gruk, and the signatories of the appeal issued by 15 social organizations in defense of the schools in the Trakai District.

“Following that meeting, I sent another letter to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski,” the interviewee said.

Polish Foreign Ministry Monitoring the Situation of Polish Schools

On September 2, Renata Cytacka received a response from Agnieszka Wielowieyska, who heads the Department for Cooperation with the Polish Diaspora and Poles Abroad at the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been taking action to defend Polish schools in the Trakai District since the beginning of the conflict in 2022. The Ministry is closely following the proposal for the school in Paluknys to be taken over directly by the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport of the Republic of Lithuania, with the aim of preserving the Polish character of the school. In recent days, we have received positive signals from the Lithuanian side on this matter. In the Ministry’s view, the key to resolving this issue will be the genuine political will of Lithuania’s new government regarding the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport assuming the costs of maintaining the school. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to monitor the actual actions of the Lithuanian side. We hope for continued dialogue with the Lithuanian side, including through participation in the bilateral working group on education recently established by the education ministries of Poland and Lithuania,” the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in its response.

According to Renata Cytacka, having the Lithuanian ministry take over the schools would not solve all of the problems.

“Having the Lithuanian ministry take over the schools at risk in the Trakai District may not be an ideal solution, but it would remove the main argument used by the Lithuanian authorities to evade the issue — namely, that they have no way of resolving the problem because the schools are under municipal authority. Once that happens, resolving the problem will become purely an interstate matter,” Renata Cytacka stated.