Lithuania’s National Agency for Education on Tuesday said it was scrapping a list of recommended literary works for pupils after coming under fire over Russian authors included in the Lithuanian literature program.
According to the agency, the list is being scrapped because it “did not meet the expectations of the education community and other users”.
“The National Agency for Education asks to use the information on authors and works provided in the updated Lithuanian language and literature program,” the agency wrote on Facebook.
On Monday, children’s literature expert Kęstutis Urba criticised the list of recommended books. In his words, the list included “an unprecedented emphasis on Russian literature”.
According to Urba, there were four Russian writers on the list published in January. He also questioned whether certain works were suitable for children.
In response, Rūta Krasauskienė, head of the National Agency for Education, said on Tuesday it was Urba’s personal opinion and stressed that the list was “recommended and not compulsory”.
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