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The school network is mentioned several times in the program of the new government. In the first place, it promises to review it together with the municipalities and “create a new generation of schools, a generator of educational change.”
The number of schools will not decrease, but will increase.
It is true that the plan does not say that some will be closed, for example, the smaller or less advanced schools. The government hints at its intention to introduce a uniform level of education in all schools in the country.
„[Standartas] not only will provide requirements for the quality of activities and education, access to non-formal education, but will also describe the main parameters for strengthening the school network (teacher / student ratio, suppression of joint classes, number of sets of classes, standardization of administrative and economic personnel, etc.) “.
At that time, additional aid is promised to the poorest schools.
“We will start with the lowest rated schools and turn their successful change into an ongoing program to address the quality of education and performance in the weakest schools,” the program said.
According to the government program, not only will the school network not be reduced, but it will be expanded through the creation of new schools: the “Millennium” gyms.
“These gyms will be designed to bridge the educational gap between city and district schools so that children have every opportunity to receive a quality, modern education,” the program said.
These schools are promised to employ high-level teachers, to develop a modern educational infrastructure, and to be united by a universal design.
“In those areas where similar types of gyms already operate, we will strengthen them and improve the infrastructure, where such opportunities do not exist, we will establish new ones,” says the program.
Quality of education is prioritized
At the time, the Minister of Education, Science and Sports, Jurgita Šiugždinienė, avoided talking about reorganizing schools or closing small educational institutions. According to her, priority should be given to the quality of education and the national agreement on education.
“In the first place, priority would be given to initial and general education: it is very important that the content of general education changes and is strengthened.
We see that there are great differences between schools, urban and rural, great differences in educational level and it is very important that all our children have the widest possible access to a promising education and that these opportunities do not depend on where they live or their situation. social. “J. Šiugždinienė has told the BNS news agency a bit earlier.
Just closing schools is difficult
The president of the Education and Science Committee of the Seimas, Artūras Žukauskas, emphasizes that the network of educational institutions must be reorganized so that final-year students do not have to study in poor conditions. However, he recognizes that the issue is complex and depends on many variables. One of the problems is the municipalities.
“On the one hand, there are indications that in small schools there is suspicion that there is a surplus of agricultural personnel, who may not work very much. And the other problem is that the municipalities manage all those economic personnel. Now huge sums of money go there and nobody knows how they get to the end, “said A. Žukauskas on tv3.lt.
He says that the Seimas has planned changes to solve this problem so that the economic personnel of the schools can be optimized and the money destined to finance education should go specifically to education.
Another problem, according to A. Žukauskas, is simply the closure of schools. According to him, municipalities will not be interested in closing schools if they do not receive any incentives.
“There could be such incentives: adjust the salaries of the teachers themselves if the municipality optimizes the network according to a certain procedure, or pave the way,” commented the commission president.
The idea of ”Millennium” gyms has not been refined
It is true that A. Žukauskas believes that the aforementioned “Millennium” gyms would help to partially solve the problem of optimizing the school network. However, as one member of the Seimas points out, the concept of these schools is not completely refined.
“In my opinion, those Millennium schools could be the ones that take children from lower schools. I believe that in all municipalities there are those gyms, after making one of those gyms like this, investing in it, gathering teachers there for those schools that are in such separation …
Certainly there are schools in which, per year, no child enters university. Here, of course, we should consult with the Minister and kill two bunnies, both to optimize the network and to improve the quality of education ”, commented A. Žukauskas.
However, if the Millennium Gymnasiums were awarded to less advanced children, it would be contrary to the original idea of the Government program that these schools bring together gifted children.
“Neither for the Millennium Schools nor for the implementation of network optimization has the idea been refined yet. I think the government should now draw up a plan for the implementation of the program. We will see those things there and discuss how to implement those ideas” added A. Žukauskas.
According to him, the plan to implement the government program will reach the public eye only in the spring.
Not everything is in the hands of the Government
It is not possible to put all dogs in the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport and the central government because of the school network, says Gintaras Sarafinas, editor-in-chief of “Reitingai” magazine. It depends much more on self-government politicians.
“They know better what has happened in their municipality for 20 years. Know the level of each school. Up to 15 of the 60 municipalities have put their own network in order and are able to get the highest quality from what they can create.
And other municipalities do not even intend to do that. Simply demanding that the ministry somehow start doing everything, especially now, during quarantine conditions, it doesn’t shut down, ”said G. Sarafinas on tv3.lt.
Here, he adds, it is not so difficult for municipalities to optimize the school network or to provoke other changes related to education. G. Sarafinas presents the example of the municipality of the Raseiniai district, where in 2019. after the election of a new mayor in the spring, joint classes were abolished in the same September.
“It depends more on the municipalities, because they are the founders of the schools. They could have decided everything a long time ago. Especially since the state, with a little pressure on financial instruments, has done it so that if there are too few children in a school or classroom, for example, funds are reduced. She gave the financial tools to realize that the municipalities are behaving incorrectly, “said G. Sarafin.
But right here, he adds, some municipal politicians have a peculiar understanding of the school network. In some municipalities, school closings are avoided because they simply employ their own people.
“If the wives or husbands of municipal politicians work in the school administration, they will never be interested in closing it, no matter what happens around them. They have their own personal interests, they don’t think about the students.
They can manipulate, saying that our residents want to have many small schools. They say so and what can you undo for them? They manipulate and say they have 16 signatures to approve that school. And time, “Sarafin said.
Beautiful ideas can easily degenerate
At the time, G. Sarafin is quite skeptical about the idea of ”Millennium” gyms. Remember that gymnasiums, at the beginning of their establishment in Lithuania, were also prestigious schools where the most talented students had to study. Now the reality is a little different.
“Now the gym is for anyone, but how anyone wants to come. It has moved away from that original goal. I don’t know if we should always look again, “Sarafin said.
Here, he also mentions the Basic Education Achievement Test, which students take at the end of 10th grade.
“It just came to our attention then. If after the tenth grade [patikrinimą] Stay on some level, you go to the gym. But it doesn’t work anywhere, even though it was invented and installed, “Sarafin recalled.
It is for these reasons, according to G. Sarafin, that the Millennium Gymnasium, while a beautiful idea on paper, will degenerate into the hands of various politicians.
“We will establish Millennium schools, it’s good, the idea itself is progressive, but as it unfolds over the next 6 to 7 years, I really don’t think it’s written as it is. Our local government politicians, school administrations can make those good ideas convenient for them and then the idea itself becomes something like this … ”said G. Sarafin.
In 2019-2020, there were 1,056 general education schools in Lithuania.
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