The graduates’ statements after the exam sounded scandalous: experts say that now it is necessary to raise a poster

The critic and philosopher Paulius Gritėnas is convinced that literature, like all other cultural productions, is intended to explain certain perspectives: it cannot be separated from current events. “If we start looking at literature as a separate entity, it will lose its meaning. There will be some tool in the air unrelated to our everyday problems. So in this case, I would dare to argue,” he said.

There is no lack of artificiality.

According to Lithuanians, this year’s student essay evaluators will have to be wise, as they are not topical and will not be avoided in student essays, they do not want to provoke you to the topics of reasoning and literary essays. When asked if this should be viewed positively, P. Gritėnas noted that the reasoning process cannot do without important and important issues.

If we ask students to think about what is relevant to teachers, because it is the textbook material, the reasoning process will be artificial, as it is at the moment.

An abstract question, as if art influences reality, a philosopher or an academic person, according to P. Gritėnas, could be a point of resistance, but not a graduate.

“To provoke a young man to reason and see how much he is capable of thinking in a relevant way, to understand what is happening around him, the question must be formulated as a recognizable problem,” he explained. The spirit of the time.

Realizing that in this way it might be more desirable to pay attention to the classics, to examine their works, without a future perspective, P. Gritėnas declared that they do not contradict each other.

In the works of Jonas Biliūnas and Juozas Aputis there are the same existential and ethical problems that are important even now. “That’s why they are classic,” he said with a smile. “Unfortunately, the way tasks are presented is not contextualized.”

The cartel should rise higher

Problems such as exclusion from social class, a person’s relationship with death, are found in J. Biliūnas’ short stories. “It is possible to update, to allow young people to express their opinion on the Black Lives Matter movement, to post other human rights issues, their relationship with social networks. It would be much more relevant than asking the same questions that were relevant several decades ago “, The philosopher did not doubt.

Overall, he saw a big problem in shaping exam tasks: there is an attempt to find a neutral means, to ask in a way that even the least advanced understands. “If you set a goal, which is called reasoning, the poster should be elevated. It is better to think of questions that are complex, require expression of thought, logical argumentation, ability to interpret, rather than writing a text according to structure , cliche thesis, that the teacher “will give” six months before the exam, “said P. Gritėnas.

Incidentally, those cliches are used in many graduate trials to date. Taking the synopsis of a high school graduate a few years ago would not break even current students. “A more relevant training would serve both writers and publishers; there would be less standardization, cliches,” said the interlocutor.

Why don’t the essay topics change year after year? “In part, the problem is that there is a fear of risk, of updating. Someone will not like it, someone will complain that the changed subject ruined their lives: both prepared for one subject and got another,” said P They scream.

Scandinavian, according to the interlocutor, is the phrase of a student who said after the exam: I was disappointed, because with the tutor I learned to write on a different subject, in a different context. “If the exam becomes a matter of learning, there is nothing more to be said about reasoning. This is a type of billing form filler. However, it is not the students who are to blame, but the system,” he said.

Therefore, the poster should be lifted now. Especially when research shows that Lithuanian children have more problems with understanding the text, the humanities than with the exact disciplines.

Promote standardized thinking.

According to P. Gritėnas, independent thought without education will later affect the future of a young person.
Today there is much talk about the application of the humanities in a variety of fields. This requires a creative approach, the ability to think and write in a non-standard way.

“It just came to our attention then. The client (in this case, the state) requires compliance with standardized capabilities. Just like in the advertising market: a standardized essay is mandated to be written, the student signs, receives a grade and the process continues to rotate. But it is flawed, “emphasized the interlocutor.

We can propagate this, but still, according to the philosopher, it is worth thinking about the change of form, questions, bibliography, involving more authors.

This year, one of the most modern authors is Marius Ivaškevičius. When asked if such a change could be treated as a way forward, P. Gritėnas replied, fearing that the front would be further and further away from us.

“Of course, M. Ivaškevičius is younger than the classics, but he has been known in the country for almost two decades. If we are so shy to include authors whose works are somewhat relevant, it will not be a big change,” he said, adding This is more like trying to pay homage to the present without forgetting the shadows of the past.

According to P. Gritėnas, the literary reasoning process is connected to the present, so it is important that young people can talk about what they read for their enjoyment. Therefore, it is not only the classics that can discover their place in the school curriculum, but it only suits them.

Fearful of the authors of foreign literature, aren’t we that good?

Until now, foreign literature, as ignored by the creators of maturity exam tasks, has only played an auxiliary role. “For some reason, we look at our literature with caution, we are afraid to compare it with global authors. They consider themselves unsuitable for reasoning. Today’s young people live in a global environment, so I don’t think racial or existential problems can be incomprehensible for them, “emphasized the philosopher.

Mr. Gritėnas opened another pain: we need to learn to see our culture in the world, not be afraid and look at it from a broader perspective, compare our authors with Westerners, not be afraid to say that we are not so good, but also we have something to show.

A well-known reviewer was asked to predict how the maturity test of Lithuanian language and literature will change in the future, there are indications that someday essay topics will become something we talk about or not, he wanted to believe that the black dash will not come true: something will change.

“It is difficult to say that the exam formation process takes decades. People who decide on a particular format of exams are cautious about any changes. As in all Lithuanian politics, more drastic steps in organizational decisions are feared,” said P. You scream.

He hoped that as society changed, as certain topics opened up, so too would the format of the exams: “I hope the humanities are seen as equally significant and decisive for a good career or salary. If we consider these sciences to be promising, the exam tasks will correspond to reality. Questions will be asked that demonstrate competence rather than the ability to account for one task or another. “

However, until now, according to P. Gritėnas, we were very late with literary and world perception, everything has remained the same as it was a few decades ago. This is not fair to students as they have to jump the barrier of that decade later in life and become modern people.

How much will it change and how much will it be transformed into political will? P. Gritėnas left the question open.

Everything as always, nothing changes

Vilnius University (VU), Faculty of Philology, Associate Professor dr. Antanas Smetona told Delfi that everything is as usual: some are expecting a scandal, a third is not satisfied with the exam procedure and programs, and fourth, they did not find literature on the literature exam, generally called the Lithuanian language exam. .. And nothing changes.

According to him, perhaps the new thing is that there were no major disputes on the issues, more or less everyone liked it. “First of all, when we listen to the exam evaluations, let’s not forget who are the eyes that see this whole phenomenon in our lives: the examined student, the teacher-teacher, the teacher-advisor, the literary scholar, the tutor, the parents, the NEC employee, the ministry employee. This year, in my opinion, the most satisfied with the exam are the students and the tutors; Compared to the previous experience, everything seems clearer, simpler and more direct. But I think these are all sandbox games, “said the linguist.

The actual scandals, according to A. Smetona, will probably start, as always, after the evaluation results are published. After all, evaluators will again have the most difficult test: the themes seem narrow or secondary to the main themes of the recommended literary works and do not focus on the analysis of the literary work, but on abstract socio-ethical reasoning, therefore unconventional, more picturesque. , which will not allow all works to be objectively and mathematically weighed and placed correctly on the progress shelves, which is a scandal in the first place for evaluators, but also for parents (with graduates applying through the bat).

“And if we add, it is no secret that the” correct attitude “and” correct evaluations of the characters and their actions “demanded and often demonstrated by graduates and the resulting” correct evaluation of the essay “are the most real scandal”, said.

Problems are not test related.

According to A. Smetona, the old problem is an unpleasant one: the vague difference between a reasoned essay and a literary one, which arose after the introduction of the necessary reference to a literary work in both cases.

“After reviewing the recommendations of the methodological methods of government institutions and teachers, the differences are only formal. Well, add a word:” the boundary between joke and bullying in the literature “, with the mentioned authors, this it is already a literary essay, “said the Lithuanian.

On the other hand, according to him, the topics formulated allow not only to write extensively and abstractly (speculative) about literary works, to analyze and evaluate them, but also to successfully tackle the social and ethical problems of the authors (about, of course, authors nor imagined), forgetting what a literary work is, who needs it in general and how it is valuable in the literary sense.

“In a word, there are problems, just about the exam. The exam is the simplest annual opportunity to talk about it … and successfully leave everything as it was before next year.” A. Smetona assessed the situation.

According to the researcher, the big problems are hidden in the depths of the content of the topic, sometimes the clergy of the ministry discourage them: “I do not dare to say it ignorantly, but the works show … And the threatening tsunami of the program reforms reaches our shores. ” And how else can it be: how many times have we seen old ideas that tried to be presented “in an innovative way” without realizing that old wine is not poured into new wine bags, and that the great reformers have been the same during decades “.

Lack of mutual trust

Paulius Vaidotas Subačius, professor at the A. J. Greimas Center for Semiotics and Literary Theory, VU Faculty of Philology, thinks that the orientation towards gym exams is not good. Lack of trust in each other. “Almost a police procedure was introduced in the exams. It looks more like the eastern countries, perhaps even Southeast Asia. At the university, I notice fewer and fewer cases of copying, awareness is increasing,” said PV Subačius, adding than the current system: competition for financing in universities and colleges presupposes such verification.

A completely hysterical atmosphere is said to be created by the complete mistrust of teachers towards themselves, the community, and even examiners. According to P. V. Subačius, this year’s Lithuanian Language and Literature Maturity Exam assignments showed a general context: Additional arguments about the severity of the condition appear each year.

PV Subačius also spoke about the fact that a big problem was scheduled in the construction of the exam itself, being an expert in the working group, in 2010. At that time, the concept of the exam changed slightly, but for ten years it has been what was introduced then: the authors are referred (recommended) to the reasoning essay task.

“Then the teachers of the higher schools, the employees of the ministry had a different idea, but the teachers, experts, Lithuanians, who met, strongly advocated for the construction as it is now. They failed to convince them that it would be wrong. If we are talking from a reasoning trial, it is difficult to understand why it would not be possible to trust any of the mandatory authors ”, the researcher lacked freedom of choice.

For a literary essay, the opposite is true. After pointing to the two authors, P. V. Subačius understands, the subject becomes self-abstract. “In this case, I say strictly, as a literary scholar. We repeat and we repeat: the themes are not literary. It is repetitive, boring and predictable: the writing of the topics itself is about life, not about literature, “he said.

There’s no point in hiding topics

The interlocutor did not doubt that the graduates who chose reasoning essays would not remain indifferent to the realities of today. “I wonder how those essays will be evaluated if a student decides to consider what was joking here in Lukiškės square in the capital and what the Seimas was joking about when adopting the law,” said P. V. Subačius with a smile about the adventures of the famous “beach”.

The procedure for receiving, issuing and storing exam tasks is clear: the tasks before the exam are specially protected. Has such an order yet been carried out? “Again, the old idea has been repeatedly suggested to change the order, there is no point in hiding the issues,” said the professor.

As an alternative, see a theme bank that would store all three hundred publicly known themes. “On the morning of the exams, according to certain criteria, a computerized tool would select the subjects for that year, nothing should be hidden. The statement that then a book of three hundred subjects would come out and everyone would memorize it made no sense. You can record ten , twenty, but not three hundred topics ”, explained the interlocutor.

After the maturity examination of the Lithuanian language and literature, Fr. V. Subačius had to listen to the young man say that when he returned home he would like to forget everything that was there. “It just came to our attention then. An accusation from everyone involved in the education system, both politicians, critics and experts. That should not be the case,” P. V. Subačius reacted sensitively.

Exams, he says, encourage conformity. Although in theory there is talk of free thinking, creativity, having an opinion, practice seems to show the opposite. When a person is nineteen years old and already an adult, he says what he thinks: he suffers.

Still, democracy allows a little bit of conformity. “But adapting is not about adapting. Some educational systems teach, encourage adaptation, others liberate. The educational system is state and integrated, its separate parts are beginning to draw opposite vectors of education, we have many sparks that are not very necessary, “said the professor, adding that for the psychologically weaker it can even lead to traumatic experiences.

You have to “knock out” the things learned in the gym

P. V. Subačius said that there are many situations in which a higher school has to “knock out” or deny what it has taken out of the gym: knowledge of the subject, way of thinking, spiritual psychological relationship. The question is: how much can I think freely or do I have to dedicate myself to how to handle the study material? “While I suggest shortening my studies, I first look at it from that perspective, how long does it take to change your mind. It takes a long time to accept the idea that you can speak your mind here. Because he has been teaching for decades that this cannot be done. Just say what you think and it will cross your mind. Some are not released anyway, “he said.

The researcher urged that the current situation begin to change from the adequate training of teachers. “It is impossible to say more than three thousand Lithuanians: it will be different now, because several university professors have decided to do it.” We can be sure of our justice, but an agreement is needed, “he shared his vision.

People have to make their own decisions: the totalitarian system no longer exists when someone lowers order “from above”. “To accept this, you need to have the necessary education. For many years, teachers have been trained in special schools, which is a great strategic mistake. Not a person, but a general policy”, – PV Subačius spared no criticism of the system .

Vytautas Magnus University (Vytautas Magnus University) has been deprived of the right to train teachers, but this right is being restored. “Very slowly, hardly and without problems. Still, we will have professional teachers, freer and more modern ideas. Languages, literature and the humanities can be taught differently. I think things will gradually improve. I wish it had happened sooner, the politicians’ commitments were not just in words or money. Strategic courage is also needed. Courage to decide who the real experts are. And just to appoint the strongest, free-thinking and internationally experienced people to a decision-making position, “said the professor.