[ad_1]
“Our Government’s mission in the field of education is to create educational conditions such that quality education for all becomes a real goal, not on paper, of our state. We will strive to ensure that all children, regardless from their place of residence, social condition or special needs, have the same opportunities to acquire an education in perspective, ”says the government program.
The document states that achieving this goal requires a long-term national consensus on changes in the education system.
The new government also promises:
- Early childhood education would be of high quality and accessible to all;
- Science and studies would be world class;
- A sports system would increase physical activity, inclusion, and high excellence.
We will remove financial incentives not to send a child to kindergarten, we will link the child’s money to kindergarten attendance for families at social risk.
The indicators by which the Government intends to assess the quality of its work in 2024 are the following:
- All children who live in families at social risk from the age of three will attend preschool educational institutions.
- 1.5% will be used to finance R&D. GDP, of which state allocations – 0.75%. GDP (R&D at present – 0.88%, of which 0.55% – higher education and government sector).
- At least 35 percent. general education graduates will have a vocational education (currently – 24%).
- At least 80 percent. employees will work in a position corresponding to the level of qualification and field (currently – 65.1% corresponds to the level of qualification and the same part – to the field).
Photo by Julius Kalinskas / 15min / Jurgita Šiugždinienė
Money for children only for those who take children to kindergarten?
To achieve these indicators, the new government intends to make it possible for all children to attend kindergarten.
“We will remove the financial incentives not to send a child to kindergarten, we will link the child’s money to kindergarten attendance for families at social risk,” the document says.
It is also intended to agree that higher pedagogical education is necessary for preschool educators.
The government plans to review the school network together with the municipalities and create a “new generation of schools, a generator of educational change.”
“We will simplify and modernize the school’s evaluation and self-evaluation system. We will expand mobile teams of consultants and provide real help to schools struggling to succeed. 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 document says.
The local government program also included the “Millennium” gyms mentioned in the conservative election program.
“These gyms will be designed to reduce the educational gap between city and district schools so that children have every opportunity to receive a modern and quality education. Teachers who demonstrate the highest educational results and the most talented graduates of pedagogical studies will be invited to work in these schools, all the necessary modern educational infrastructure will be found (STEAM laboratories, non-formal education system, 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. We will set a goal for these gyms to become generators and catalysts of educational and pedagogical change in the districts, ”the program reads.
These gyms will be designed to bridge the educational gap between city and district schools so that children have every opportunity to receive a modern and quality education.
Curricula based on language arts, numeracy, science, computer science, finance, culture, and civics will also be reviewed. Special attention will be paid to programs to promote reading and mathematics.
“We will also ensure that the curricula pay sufficient attention to civic education, cultural education, promotion of creativity, socio-emotional skills and health, including mental health and sex education. We will expand the coverage of the basket. of non-formal education to 80 percent. Children attend at least one non-formal education activity, “said the program, and this last provision was explicitly included at the request of the Liberal Movement.
With regard to educational institutions, the Government assigns a special role to the National Education Agency (NSA) in its program. The program focuses on Lithuanian schools abroad and national minority schools in Lithuania.
“We will evaluate the possibilities of employing teachers from Poland, Ukraine and Belarus to work in national minority schools in Lithuania,” the program promises.
Teachers’ salaries and their training Centers of “excellence”
The new government promises teachers a “Teacher’s Future Package 2024”.
“We will ensure a constantly growing remuneration, which in 2024. will be 130 percent. Average salary. We will review the principles of the structure of the workload of teachers and staff training. The most important criterion for determining financial reward it will be direct work with children ”, says the program.
It is also intended to provide each teacher with a development basket to improve their qualifications and acquire skills to teach a second subject.
“We will adhere to the position that a general education teacher needs a long-term college education and master’s degree. We will gradually implement this principle by financially incentivizing teachers with master’s degrees and evaluating age restrictions, ”the document says.
It is also planned to create centers of “Excellence” for educators, that is, training, and organize an international leadership training program for school leaders.
“The remuneration of school leaders will be commensurate with the responsibilities of this position. The manager’s career planning will be carried out – prior consultations on the possibility of continuing the career in another school or educational institution after the end of the period. We will train a pool of school leaders, ”says the Government.
The document dedicates space to digital technologies. We are going to allow schools to go up to 25 percent after the pandemic. Carry out the educational process remotely.
“We will use the opportunities of distance education to solve the lack of quality services in geographically remote areas or areas that are experiencing difficulties for other reasons. By mobilizing the best teachers and researchers, we will invest in the creation and dissemination of digital content. This will help both Lithuanian schools and pupils, as well as Lithuanian schools operating abroad, to use the distance learning content of Lithuanian general education schools, ”states the Government.
More focus and money on science
The government program also pays close attention to science and its funding, promising “the most favorable conditions” for researchers to carry out scientific activities.
“We will improve the funding conditions for world-renowned Lithuanian scientific leaders and international research groups, and provide them with funding for a period of at least seven years. We will strengthen the incentives to study a doctorate ”, the program reads.
The intention is to focus on the humanities as well and to encourage businesses to support not only directly beneficial fields of science, but also those that are important in ensuring statehood, supporting the development of forward thinking, and strengthening the welfare of the state.
In the study system, the government aims to compete globally rather than locally.
“We will strive so that only students who are strongly prepared and motivated to study higher education enter higher education. We will unify the access requirements for places financed and not financed by the State ”, states the Government program.
It is also planned to review the amounts of the scholarships and the procedure of payment of the loans for studies, but free higher education is not promised.
The salary of academic staff will be at least 150 percent. the national average salary
He intends to link the funding of the higher education institutions themselves with performance quality indicators: “We will strive to reach up to 20%. funding for the study is directly related to performance. “
“The salary of academic staff will be at least 150%. Average salary in the country,” says the government.
The program also pays attention to vocational education. There is promise to make a clear assessment of vocational schools, measured by concrete indicators, to give up surplus assets.
“We will develop a long-term strategy, according to which all vocational teachers will have a long-term higher education. Understanding that the remuneration of a high-level vocational teacher should not differ from the remuneration of a high-level professional in the corresponding field, we will create and implement a system for the selection and hiring of vocational training teachers ”, the document reads.
[ad_2]
