Children attending Lithuanian schools in Belarus will no longer be taught in Lithuanian. Minsk has ordered that all instruction in the country’s schools must be in Russian or Belarusian as of September.
Lithuanian officials say Belarus’s decision is “unacceptable”, adding that they are making effort to at least secure a transitional period.
Meanwhile, Lithuania’s Ministry of Education, Science and Sport is considering to cut off funding to one of the schools.
“The Belarusian side has informed us that all ethnic minority schools have to choose either Russian or Belarusian as their instruction language as of September 1,” Deputy Foreign Minister Egidijus Meilūnas told BNS. “In other words, Lithuanian will remain only as one of the subjects.”
He added, however, that the government was working to keep Lithuanian as the teaching language in these schools.
There are currently two Lithuanian schools in Belarus, situated in Pelesa and Rimdziuny. Built in 1996 on Lithuanian funds, the Rimdziuny school now gets funding from Belarus, and the Pelesa school is funded by the Lithuanian Ministry of Education, Science and Sport.
Dainoras Lukas, spokesman for the education minister, told BNS that Lithuanian diplomats informed Minsk that the decision was unacceptable.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has informed the Belarusian side that such a decision is unacceptable because it violates bilateral agreements and restricts the right of Belarusians of Lithuanian descent to receive education in their mother tongue,” the spokesman said.
However, Belarus said it would not change the decision. Therefore, a transitional period will be requested.
“We are waiting for a response from the Belarusian side to allow children to adapt to the new conditions,” Lukas said.
The Pelesa school has 127 students and 23 teachers, including 11 who are Lithuanian citizens. The Rimdziuny school has 82 students and 18 teachers, including 14 Lithuanian citizens.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
