Just after the new year, Lithuanian nationalists launched a new campaign against national minority schools. This time against schools with Russian teaching language. Quite recently, an attack was carried out on the Polish Primary School of Andžej Stelmachovski in Senieji Trakai and on Polish Gymnasium of Longin Komolovski in Paluknys in Trakai district. It happened despite the fact that yet in 2000 Lithuania has signed and ratified without exceptions the Framework Convention for the Protection of the Rights of National Minorities, which guarantees autochthonous national minorities, among other things, the right to their national schools.
 
The Presidents of the Association of Teachers of Polish Schools in Lithuania “Macierz Szkolna” and the Association of Poles in Lithuania, Kristina Dzeržinska and Waldemar Tomaszewski, issued a statement in this matter in which they turn to the Prime Minister of Lithuania, Ingrida Šimonytė, and the mayor of Vilnius, Valdas Benkunskas, with the request to stop the illegal campaign against schools of national minorities deriving from words of the Minister of Education, Gintautas Jakštas, and the vice mayor of Vilnius, Arūnas Šileris.

Please find the text of the statement below:

STATEMENT

The latest opinion of the Minister of Education, Science and Sport of the Republic of Lithuania, G. Jakštas, presented at “Žinių radijas” and TV-3 raises justified concerns. Unfortunately, similar attempts to radically reform schools of national minorities have been circulating for a long time, and subsequent actions directly or indirectly affect the education of national minorities. This time we speak about schools with the Russian teaching language. Although just a few months ago, the vice mayor of Vilnius, Arūnas Šileris, tried to close the Polish school in Antakalnis.

Lithuanian citizens of non-Lithuanian nationality, however, still hoped that after correcting the secondary education model, due attention and respect would be shown to the native languages of national minorities in Lithuania, in which education has been taking place since the restoration of Independence. Especially having in mind the fact that, in accordance with generally applicable international standards, including the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities in a European state, ratified by Lithuania in 2000, each national minority has the right to protect and cultivate its identity, native language, culture and traditions, and teaching is most effective when conducted in the native language. This is confirmed by scientific research.

We turn to the Prime Minister of Lithuania, Ingrida Šimonytė, and the Mayor of Vilnius, Valdas Benkunskas, with the request to stop the illegal campaign against national minority schools coming from words of the Minister of Education, Gintautas Jakštas, and the vice mayor of Vilnius, Arūnas Šileris.

Kristina Deržinska, chairwoman of the Association of Polish Schools Teachers in Lithuania ‘Macierz Szkolna’
Waldemar Tomaszewski, president of the Association of Poles in Lithuania