Lithuania celebrates the traditional Day of Science and Knowledge on Monday, marking the start of the new academic year in schools, universities and vocational institutions.
Prime Minister-designate Inga Ruginienė is to address first-year students and faculty at Vilnius University’s Faculty of Medicine. Education, Science and Sports Minister Raminta Popovienė will take part in ceremonies at Raudondvaris Gymnasium in Kaunas District and attend a concert at the National M.K. Čiurlionis School of Art in Vilnius.
In a greeting issued Monday morning, Popovienė urged students, parents, teachers and university staff to be bold, inclusive and compassionate.
“Let us be kind and attentive. Do not allow bullying or humiliation to take root in our communities,” she said. “Bullying cannot spread if those who demean others feel that no one supports such behaviour.”
She added that schools and universities should foster safe, creative and inclusive environments: “Togetherness turns individual differences into collective strength.”
The new academic year also brings changes for educators. Starting September 1, teachers’ base salaries will rise 8 percent. Wages for lecturers, researchers and non-academic staff will increase by the same margin. Teachers working under updated general education programs will continue to receive additional pay for complex work through August 2027, an extension of a measure originally set to expire this month.
The Education Ministry said the government will allocate an extra €10 million this year for new textbooks, adding to the €25 million previously planned for 2025.
Reforms are also planned for final examinations. Officials will review the minimum passing threshold for state exams by December 1, following an expert analysis of assignments and grading. A proposal is also under consideration to adjust school vacation schedules so 11th- and 12th-grade students can take Lithuanian language and foreign language oral exams during spring break.
The ministry said it will also continue discussions with the education community on whether to keep the mathematics exam mandatory.
This September, 907 general education schools are welcoming about 340,000 pupils taught by 27,000 teachers. About 29,000 first graders are entering school for the first time. Vocational schools will enrol about 20,600 students.
Lithuania’s 30 higher education institutions will host about 100,900 students this year, including 19,500 new undergraduates. More than 7,000 lecturers and researchers are employed at the institutions.
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