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At the Martynas Mažvydas National Library, politicians who debated the reorganization of the school network on Thursday moved in different directions: some explained that small schools should not be left out, as this ultimately leads to poorer quality education; Please note the age of the students and manage the network accordingly.
For the little ones: a home school
“By preschool age, children should be educated as close to their homes as possible. It really shouldn’t be transported to schools then. The older the kids, the more influential the choice. And if we talk about gyms, we think that children of this age can also go to more schools, ”said Nijolė Putrienė, representative of the Liberal Movement.
She was joined by Vytautas Mitalas, a member of the Freedom Party, a potential minister of education, science and sports, if the opportunity exists.
“I totally agree that younger children can get a good education in smaller or closer schools, if that education is really good,” he said.
But the older people, according to the politician, cannot study, for example, in joint classes, without choice, without sufficient workload and competent educators.
What can be done to make municipal network management initiatives more active? V. Mitalas proposed taking sanctions – to reduce state funds allocated by the school: “We have to think about the mechanism of incentives or fines – in no other way.”
You have to think about the mechanism of incentives or fines.
Ieva Kačinskaitė-Urbonienė, a member of the Labor Party, also reacted negatively to learning in joint classes: it is difficult to properly develop a personality when children of different ages study together.
“We will eliminate joint classes and where there is no normal class – 12-16 students – there should be no such classes,” he said, adding that buildings cannot be kept empty.
Offers to leave it all to yourself
United classes are a temporary solution, said Social Democrat Algirdas Raslan.
He believes that in the regions, at least upper secondary students could also travel to other schools due to better education. However, this should not apply to young people.
“The municipality makes drastic decisions. We are in favor of primary education, as well as preschool education, being available in some places, perhaps for a small number, ”said A. Raslan.
And in big cities, he said, older people could also make more active use of learning at home. This, the politician believes, would help reduce congestion.
Speaking about the school network, Valius Ąžuolas, representative of the Lithuanian Peasants and Greens Union, began to give examples of the benefits of small schools and what happens when they close: that there are transport problems and that the savings do not come.
“The educational network, the focus of education must be in the hands of the communities. Parents and children alike have to decide which school to send their children to and which one not to, ”she said.
Photo by Luke April / 15min / Valius Oak
According to the politician, the school to which parents will no longer send their children will close.
You want to establish new gyms
Edita Tamošiūnaitė, candidate of the Lithuanian Polish Electoral Action Christian Families Union in the Seimas elections, spoke similarly. She is convinced that the school network must be decided by the municipalities, and a model, according to politicians, cannot be applied to the whole country.
“It is difficult to find a single answer that works for both large cities and small towns or regions. In the regions, the rural school is often the only center for culture and education, which not only fulfills the function of education, but also fulfills the cultural function of mobilizing communities, ”said E. Tamošiūnaitė.
Photo by Julius Kalinskas / 15min / Edita Tamošiūnaitė
Jurgita Šiugždinienė, who is going to the elections with the Lithuanian Christian Democrats of the Union of the Fatherland, advocated that only those schools that do not meet the agreed quality criteria be closed.
Millennium gyms need to be established in districts.
“But a little stimulus is also needed for the municipalities. […] We believe it is necessary to establish millennial gyms in the districts, which could be catalysts for educational change in the districts. They could give a certain boost to the quality of education, ”said J. Šiugždinienė.
And after the closing of the schools, the function of community centers, according to the plaintiff, could be carried out by cinemas.
“Perhaps where we cannot leave school, we should think of a cultural center, we have a proposal to expand cinemas in the regions,” he said.
Decisions on teachers’ workload
The transformation of the school network is inevitable, said Regimantas Čiupaila, representative of the Freedom and Justice party. And yes, according to him, it is because the number of students is decreasing, education in the big cities is becoming more attractive.
Sigismund Gedvila / 15min photo / Regimantas Čiupaila
The politician suggested addressing the issues of employment and remuneration of teachers, resisting the network of schools: “If we have a central school or several central schools in the municipality, we can solve the problem of teachers’ salaries by hiring them all in the school central. run, break down your hours. And then it goes without saying that educators walk through various schools, they don’t collect publications. “
The Seimas elections, in which all the participants of the aforementioned discussion will present themselves, will take place on October 11.
ALSO READ: Seimas Candidates Debate: What can be done to make children with special needs feel good in schools?
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