Saulius Jurkevičius: Are maturity exams needed this year?

Many people will probably be surprised to learn that in Lithuania the maturity certificate is issued after passing only two exams i.e. Lithuanian language and literature and another elective subject or writing a maturity thesis. These two exams are essentially a formality that does not focus on the actual examination of student maturity nor does it respond to a serious state approach to the meaning of maturity exams.

Given the difficult situation in the country, graduates who do not intend to enter higher education this year could receive certificates of maturity without taking exams. If they needed the test results in the future, he could survive them not only in safer conditions, but also by choosing them with more determination. Such a decision during the COVID-19 pandemic would be fully justified and would not require the imitation of a so-called maturity test, which is not logically necessary in the current circumstances.

However, a key circumstance does not allow him to abandon the maturity exams this year. They are unequivocally necessary for institutions of higher education, which would find themselves in a more than difficult situation admitting students without maturity exams. The knowledge of the graduates evaluated in the schools does not objectively reflect their actual achievements. Maturity exams are the only way that graduates can not only take the exams on an equal footing, but also to get reliable evaluations of them.

In general, it should be noted that the transparent organization of maturity exams is one of the most significant achievements of the Lithuanian educational system, which in various ways ensures that the teaching process maintains a certain standard and the school does not lose its main purpose. The current period clearly reveals that a fundamental problem in education is that students’ knowledge in schools is assessed without methodologically developed assessment criteria. Each teacher evaluates the students according to a reference system that they have developed and that is neither methodologically nor subjectively reliable.

Therefore, it is not surprising that even in the context of a school, we can see different translations of the same topic. If we tried to compare different Lithuanian schools, the differences in the assessment would be even more obvious. This problem is systemic and only a centralized evaluation in Lithuania can guarantee the reliability of the results.

In the context of the need for examinations, the problem of the assessment of the Lithuanian language and literature maturity exam arises with particular clarity. The reliability of the assessment for this exam varies within an unacceptably high breadth range. If graduates were admitted to higher education institutions only according to the results of the Lithuanian Language and Literature Maturity Exam, a similar situation would arise with the intention of selecting students without exams. The syllabus, essay topics, execution procedure, and assessment instructions for this exam focus on imaginary results that clearly overlap with the actual purpose of the exam.

For many well-educated students, admission to free study programs is guaranteed only by objective evaluation of other passed exams. Especially during this exam, students who are creative and who like and admire literature are poorly evaluated. The indifference of those responsible to this problem and the reconciliation with the scandalous situation has always aroused and continues to amaze. The situation is similar with the organization of the oral part of the foreign language exam, which requires high implementation costs and little value for the reliability of the results. Abandoning the oral part of the exam, at least this year, would make its implementation safer and easier.

Admission to higher education is largely guaranteed by a reliable test in mathematics, information technology, biology, physics, chemistry, history, and geography. It is these exams that should become the starting point for higher education institutions to select students. The latter would certainly feel correctly assessed and would not suffer the painful traumas that many graduates experience every year after the Lithuanian language and literature exam.

If students are really to be thought about in these difficult circumstances, then this year the most rational and effective way of organizing examinations should be chosen only for those entering higher education. The current situation provides a unique opportunity not only to see the fundamental problems of education, but also to start tackling them soon. The maturity exam simulation process must be completed and an exam system developed to ensure the student’s actual maturity.

The problem of the Lithuanian language and literature maturity examination, which has become chronic and creates preconditions for mistrust in the entire examination system, needs to be resolved immediately. Foreign language test programs, which should focus on a higher level of language proficiency, should also be reviewed. Addressing these few key issues would be of greater benefit to the education system as a whole than declaring a national agreement, detached from reality.

In summary, it should be noted that:

1. The current system of matriculation examinations is not focused on the maturity of students and only serves to select students for higher education.

2. The Lithuanian Language and Literature examination not only does not guarantee a reliable assessment of students’ abilities, but also discredits the entire examination system;

3. under current circumstances, there is no obvious need for all graduates to take matriculation exams;

4. Now is a good time to make fundamental decisions that would ensure not only the maturity of students and the responsible use of public funds in the future, but would also raise the pride of the Lithuanian educational system.