In response to concerns over the situation of Polish national minority schools in Lithuania, the Association of Poles in Lithuania (ZPL) organized a march in Vilnius that attracted approximately a thousand participants.
The event began at noon on Independence Square in front of the Parliament and concluded at Simono Daukanto Square near the Presidential Palace, where a rally was held.
The demands outlined in the resolution, include halting changes to the model of national minority schools, maintaining the traditional model where education and instruction are conducted in the Polish language (except for the state Lithuanian language), preparing appropriate curricula and textbooks, training teachers, and dividing classes into three parallel groups for Lithuanian language lessons (instead of the current two).
The organizers issued a resolution criticizing what they perceive as a “radical reform of ethnic minority schools” in Lithuania. The ZPL specifically opposes proposals by the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport that involve gradually increasing the number of Lithuanian language lessons and the use of Lithuanian in national minority schools. According to the ZPL, if these proposals were left in the power of school boards, they could further diminish the role of national minority languages in these facilities.Manifestacja w obronie szkół mniejszości organizowana przez Związek Polaków na Litwie rozpoczęła się pod Sejmem Litwy. pic.twitter.com/Al3IQUnVwV
— Karol Kaźmierczak (@KKazmierczakK) March 23, 2024
The demands outlined in the resolution, include halting changes to the model of national minority schools, maintaining the traditional model where education and instruction are conducted in the Polish language (except for the state Lithuanian language), preparing appropriate curricula and textbooks, training teachers, and dividing classes into three parallel groups for Lithuanian language lessons (instead of the current two).
Furthermore, ZPL wants the Ministry to ensure equal preparation opportunities for the Polish language state exam as those available for Lithuanian language schools, allowing for the Polish language state exam to be taken at two levels, and increasing funding for national minority schools by 25% among others.
Amid public debates about the future of ethnic minority schools in Lithuania, students, parents, and teachers of these schools face uncertainty and fear for their future. Participants in the protest ensured that the time was not right for stirring discord and closing ethnic community schools, arguing that such actions would not contribute to the integration of the Polish and Russian minorities into Lithuanian society.
History of Polish schools in Lithuania
According to a comprehensive research done by Danuta Kamilewicz-Rucińska in her paper titled “Students of Polish Schools in Lithuania – Free but Enslaved” published in 2022, the evolution of Polish education in Lithuania, beginning in 1944 under USSR, has seen various phases. Initially thriving with 225 Polish-only and 30 mixed schools in 1947/48, the Soviet era saw a decline due to enforced Russification, leaving Polish schools in a precarious state by the 1980s with attendance declining to 10,000 by 1988.
The late 20th century saw a resurgence in Polish national consciousness and education, with student numbers rebounding to 21,913 by 1999. This period of revitalization culminated in over 60% of Polish-descent children attending Polish-language classes by the turn of the century.
However, the 21st century has witnessed a gradual decline in enrollment, attributed to demographic shifts and a push towards Lithuanization, with Polish school attendees dropping to 11,100 by the 2018/2019 academic year, making up 3.43% of all students in Lithuania.
Amid public debates about the future of ethnic minority schools in Lithuania, students, parents, and teachers of these schools face uncertainty and fear for their future. Participants in the protest ensured that the time was not right for stirring discord and closing ethnic community schools, arguing that such actions would not contribute to the integration of the Polish and Russian minorities into Lithuanian society.
History of Polish schools in Lithuania
According to a comprehensive research done by Danuta Kamilewicz-Rucińska in her paper titled “Students of Polish Schools in Lithuania – Free but Enslaved” published in 2022, the evolution of Polish education in Lithuania, beginning in 1944 under USSR, has seen various phases. Initially thriving with 225 Polish-only and 30 mixed schools in 1947/48, the Soviet era saw a decline due to enforced Russification, leaving Polish schools in a precarious state by the 1980s with attendance declining to 10,000 by 1988.
The late 20th century saw a resurgence in Polish national consciousness and education, with student numbers rebounding to 21,913 by 1999. This period of revitalization culminated in over 60% of Polish-descent children attending Polish-language classes by the turn of the century.
However, the 21st century has witnessed a gradual decline in enrollment, attributed to demographic shifts and a push towards Lithuanization, with Polish school attendees dropping to 11,100 by the 2018/2019 academic year, making up 3.43% of all students in Lithuania.
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