Lithuania MP Demands Language Parity for Minority Schools

Lithuanian Member of Parliament Laurynas Kasčiūnas has formally challenged the Ministry of Education, Science, and Sport to close the gap in state language instruction between Lithuanian-language schools and those serving the country’s ethnic minorities. The proposal, aimed at ensuring all citizens have equal opportunities to master the state language, highlights a persistent disparity in the national curriculum that critics argue hinders the social integration and professional prospects of minority students.

The debate centers on the number of hours allocated to Lithuanian language and literature in primary schools. While the Ministry is currently revising general education plans to increase instruction time for minority schools, Kasčiūnas argues that the proposed changes still fall short of true equality. Under the current draft, first-graders in minority schools would receive seven hours of Lithuanian instruction per week, while their peers in Lithuanian-language schools would receive eight.

Bridging the Proficiency Gap in Primary Education

The discrepancy in language instruction has long been a point of contention in Lithuania’s educational landscape. Historically, schools serving the Polish and Russian-speaking minorities—remnants of the country’s complex demographic history—have operated with a curriculum that prioritized mother-tongue instruction. However, this has often resulted in a proficiency gap that manifests later in life, affecting university admissions and employment.

According to data cited by Kasčiūnas, the historical gap was significant. Under previous regulations, primary students in minority schools received only five hours of Lithuanian per week, compared to the seven or eight hours in mainstream schools. Over the course of four years of primary education, this resulted in a cumulative difference of 315 lessons. “Arithmetically, this difference in knowledge and skills is equivalent to almost two additional years of learning,” Kasčiūnas noted, emphasizing that such a system fails the principle of equal opportunity.

The Ministry’s new proposal seeks to address this by mandating that minority schools provide at least as many Lithuanian lessons as they do mother-tongue lessons, following a ruling by the Supreme Administrative Court of Lithuania. However, the MP points out that even with these improvements, a 35-lesson deficit would remain over the four-year primary cycle due to the specific allocation for the first grade.

The Legislative Push for Educational Equity

The push for reform is grounded in the Law on Education, which enshrines the principle of equal opportunity. Kasčiūnas argues that the current system is socially unjust, as it limits the ability of minority students to exercise their constitutional rights to the fullest extent. Without a robust and identical foundation in the state language, students from minority backgrounds may find themselves at a structural disadvantage.

“The conditions for learning the state language have been extensively analyzed in scientific literature,” Kasčiūnas stated. “The fact that an effective system has not yet been created to allow minority students to properly learn the state language is an ignore of the principle of continuous equality.”

The MP’s initiative is not merely a suggestion to the Ministry; it has also been escalated to the Office of the Controller for the Protection of Children’s Rights. Kasčiūnas has requested an assessment of whether the lower number of lessons for minority first-graders constitutes a violation of children’s rights or their legitimate interests.

Assessing the Impact on Minority Communities

For the families of the roughly 15% of Lithuanian students who attend minority schools, the outcome of this legislative push could be transformative. Proponents of the change argue that it is a necessary step toward a more cohesive society, where language is a bridge rather than a barrier. By standardizing the curriculum at the earliest stages of education, the state aims to ensure that every child, regardless of their ethnic background or the language spoken at home, starts their academic journey on a level playing field.

Critics of such reforms in the past have occasionally raised concerns about the preservation of minority cultural identity. However, the current proposal focuses specifically on the “leveling up” of state language hours rather than the reduction of mother-tongue instruction. The goal is to create a bilingual proficiency that empowers students to navigate both their cultural heritage and the broader national society.

As the Ministry of Education continues to finalize the General Education Plans for the upcoming school year, the focus remains on whether the government will take the final step to achieve absolute parity in instruction hours. The decision will serve as a significant indicator of Lithuania’s commitment to educational equity and its long-term strategy for national integration.

Source: ELTA

Context & actions About this article Report Share

Source check Legislative proposal tracking

This report is based on an official press release from a member of the Lithuanian Seimas regarding education policy changes.

Checks

• Verified the current curriculum hours for Lithuanian primary schools.
• Confirmed the Supreme Administrative Court ruling regarding minority school language hours...
• Cross-referenced the MP's appeal to the Children's Rights Ombudsman.

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elta

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Lithuania

Updated

2026-05-18 08:01

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Article contextPeople & topics1#4

Laurynas Kasčiūnas

#Education Reform#Language Policy#Lithuania#Minority Rights

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