The meeting between Olekas and the Association of Polish School Teachers in Lithuania “Macierz Szkolna”. Polish schools signalize problems and wait for actions.

On Monday 7 September, by the initiative of Juokaz Olekas who is the Speaker of the Seimas in Lithuania, a meeting with the Association of Polish School Teachers in Lithuania “Macierz Szkolna” took place. The discussion was centered around the key problems and challenges that Polish education in Lithuania is facing at the moment.

• One of the main subjects of discussion was the instruction of Lithuanian language in Polish schools. The representatives of the Association of Polish School Teachers in Lithuania “Macierz Szkolna” highlighted that the knowledge of the state language is extraordinarily important and Polish schools are actively pursuing that goal. At the same time, they emphasize that artificial enhancement of class hours in Lithuanian is not going to help improve the situation. We need effective tools and conditions that will help teach pupils the Lithuanian language. They signalized, among other things, the significance of the number of students in each grade. Smaller groups give teachers more opportunity for individual approach toward every student. There was also a proposal to divide grades into two, or even three groups, to ensure that the instruction of Lithuanian language is fully adapted to the needs of students – states in conversation with “Kurier Wileński” Krystyna Dzierżyńska, the chairwoman of “Macierz Szkolna”.

According to her, the lack of teachers, including professors of Lithuanian language as well as insufficient amount of textbooks remain a problem. The issue of translating textbooks adapted to the new core curriculum into Polish is especially urgent. It was emphasized during the meeting that the realization of this task requires more financial resoruces.

Schools are not just buildings.

A lot of time was dedicated to the topic of the ongoing optimization of the school network, especially small instituins operating in the regions.

The representiatives of Polish education system argued that small schools should be kept open, because their importance goes far beyond the education process itself. They are often the epicenter of social and cultural life, which concentrates the local community of small towns and villages.

• In case of merging schools or turning them into branches, the issue of transportation for children should always be taken into consideration. 30 km drive in one way, every single day, can be a significant burden on students and their parents. It may also be detrimental to the students’ health and decrease their involvement in school’s life and extracurricular activities. – evaluates Krystyna Dzierżyńska.

The situation of the L. Komołowski Gymnasium in Paluknys and the elementary school in Old Trakai was discussed during the meeting. Both schools lost their independent status and were turned into branches of other institutions.

Polish school is important for maintaining indentity.

The Board of Directors of “Macierz Szkolna” presented a whole list of problems that Polish schools are currently facing.

• The significance of Polish education in keeping the national integrity of Poles in Lithuania was addressed in the course of the meeting. It was highlighted that the Polish community constitutes an integral part of Lithuanian society for generations and the youth from Polish schools actively participates in the life of the country. The students of Polish schools take part in festivities and marches organized on most important dates for the State of Lithuania – 16 February and 11 March. These are moments that unite all of country’s citizens, no matter the nationality. The national, state media should present this participation much more extensively. – emphasizes in talks with “Kurier Wileński.”

The purpose of the meeting was not just diagnosing problems. The participants expect the implementation of concrete actions: the resolution of textbook translation and Lithuanian language instruction issue, the protection of small institutions and providing adequate conditions for further functioning of Polish education in Lithuania.

• In education, as in any other domain of life, the time flies by fast. However, the assurances and promises made are being delayed in realization. It definitely does not affect the development of our schools and preschools positively. That is why the declarations need to be turned into real actions as soon as possible. – claims the chairwoman of “Macierz Szkolna”.

Less and less students

The Speaker of the Seimas Juozas Olekas, in talks with “Kurier Wileński”, said that during the meeting with representatives of schools with Polish as the language of instruction there were talks about the most serious problems that Polish education is facing today.

• Which are, among others, the diminishing number of students, the issues with textbooks, the organization of grades and the instruction of Lithuanian language for children from Polish families. Demography remains the most fundamental issue. Smaller amounts of students influence the possibilities of organizing the classes and obtaining funding. The crucial challenge, as for everybody else, is the number of students, which grows smaller. – informs us Juozas Olekas.

Another serious challenge is providing schools with new textbooks. Due to the changes in the core curriculum there is a need for new educational materials in the Polish language. Meanwhile, preparing them is much more time-consuming than we initially assumed.

• The problem is related to the process of translation, as well as printing the textbooks. The talks also covered the topic of organizing and assembling the grades. The recent decision of the government to reduce the minimal threshold of students per grade is significant here. Thanks to these changes, the schools with Polish as the language of instruction will have a much greater chance of upkeeping their grades, even despite the decreasing amount of students. For smaller institutions, it may be a guarantee of their further operation. – evaluates the Speaker of the Seimas.

The instruction of Lithuanian language

The needs of pupils from Polish-speaking families and communities, who are starting to learn Lithuanian language with insufficient abilities are another issue.

• We need adecuate teaching methods, textbooks and teachers who are experienced with instructing Lithuanian to kids who do not use it daily at home. It’s not just about the number of class hours, but also about the ways these children are introduced into the subject and if they are given the tools that correspond to their actual needs. – comments Olekas.

Further talks in the future

The meeting was open and constructive. Its participants exchanged information and presented the problems that plague schools these days.

• I found this conversation very kind and open. We exchanged information, we stated our cases, and most importantly we had a chance to talk directly about the problems of Polish schools. We are going to try and resolve these issues and challenges, by cooperating with the executive powers: both the representiatives of local municipalities and the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport. It’s crucial that the problems discussed will find an actual solution. I hope that through further cooperation we’ll be able to fulfill the most pressing needs of Polish schools. – concludes Olekas.