24-11-2022

European Commission: changes launched in Lithuania can help narrow gaps in learning achievements of pupils from urban and rural areas

The changes implemented in Lithuania – the Programme of Millennium Schools, changes in the achievement assessment system can reduce achievement gaps, exclusion of rural area and cities, inequal opportunities to pursue quality education.

It is published in the yearly comparative report 'Comparative Report of Education and Teaching 2022' by the European Commission in November, and in the yearly education monitoring bulletin. The main topic of this year's publication is equal opportunities in education and reduction of social-economic differences.

Conditions offering equal opportunities for everyone are being built

'The experts of the European Commission share our opinions and assessments – we have to do our best to minimise the impact of social-economic context on pupils' achievements. It is clearly stated in the report that the programmes implemented in Lithuania, such as the 'Millennium Schools' programme, inclusive education measures, interim assessments of pupils in secondary education will help to deal with the complex and multilayer problems of the gaps in achievements and exclusion.

The report in particular emphasises the highly important interlink between the social-economic context and pupils' achievements, gaps in learning achievements between individual schools. To narrow the gaps in learning achievements, decisions have already been made on strengthening of the network of schools, the system of secondary education and assessment of learning achievements, more precise – assistance to a pupil is already under rearrangement,' said Minister of Education, Science and Sports Jurgita Šiugždinienė.

The EC's report emphasises that the 'Millennium Schools' programme stipulated in the Economic Recovery and Resilience Plan can bring benefits for every pupil, irrespective of their place of residence, provide equal opportunities and improve learning outcomes in general. Implementing the programme, municipalities, and schools willing to join it are promoted to cooperate. Infrastructure, modern laboratories, other resources of the participating schools will be available, and their organised activities will be open to all children residing in that region.

Municipalities together with the educational community must prepare three years' progress plans aimed at improving the quality of education and strengthening of inclusion. Schools selecting pupils are not eligible to the 'Millennium Schools' programme.

Inequality of opportunities of children living in rural areas and cities to pursue quality education is emphasised in the bulletin. Children living in rural areas are less involved in the preschool education system, and the number of children from rural areas who fail to graduate schools is four times bigger than of those who live and attend schools in the cities.

Significantly smaller number of 25-34 year-old young people living in rural areas acquire higher education. E.g., the indicator in 2021 was as follows: 43.6 per cent of rural residents and 70.6 per cent of city residents. There is also a deep gap in digital skills of rural and urban population. According to the report, it partly reflects social and economic differences at a broader scale, which in Lithuania are above the EU average and have been deepening over the last two decades. The positive impact of the rapid economic convergence of Lithuania is mainly observed In Vilnius and Kaunas only, while other cities and municipalities fail to attract more investments.

According to the survey data of the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), pupils from rural areas have lower learning achievements than pupils attending schools in the cities. It is stated in the report that their social and economic status would be the same if the learning outcomes of children from rural areas would actually be even better than the learning achievements of school children from the cities.

Social and economic differences also affect possibilities to acquire higher education. When admission is based on pupils' achievements, participation of pupils from vulnerable groups in the higher education system, especially in university studies, is not promoted. E.g., in 2020, only 17 per cent of school graduates from low-income families and 68 per cent of pupils from families with high incomes entered higher schools.

The Lithuanian education monitoring bulletin emphasises the investment of Lithuania made into the integration of pupils with special educational needs in general education schools. From 2024, all schools will have to ensure accessibility of education and will provide necessary assistance to them. The 'Millennium Schools' programme will also contribute to achievement of this goal – financing will be assigned for improvement of physical environment of schools according to the principles of universality, and skills of teachers working with pupils with special needs will be improved. More active educational assistance is planned to be provided in 2021–2027 in Lithuania, by establishing regional consulting centres for that purpose.

Interim assessments of achievements receive positive valuation

The education monitoring report emphasises that most attention in the present system of assessment of Lithuanian pupils' achievements is focused on subject knowledge rather than on complex skills of pupils. The EC experts give a positive evaluation for the plans to introduce interim achievement assessments in the last two years, the results of which would be included into the final school graduation assessments. It is highlighted that the purpose is to give more incentives for pupils to start focusing their efforts to secondary education programme earlier and in more comprehensive way, instead of focusing unproportionally much attention on two subjects of the graduation exams.

Assessment of academic outcomes during admission to the basic education programmes of schools is not mandatory in Lithuania, however, according to the heads of schools, selection through assessment of academic achievements actually takes place in practice.

Selection to schools is disapproved

Establishment of different criteria of admission to schools and educational programmes can deepen the gap between schools and increase segregation. The PISA report of 2018 shows that Lithuanian pupils in unfavourable situation usually concentrate in the same schools.

'Selection to state schools, except for schools providing specialised education programmes, is prohibited by our legislation. However, we hear that some schools, usually high schools, carry out selections. It should not exist, as it deepens the exclusion and differences between schools.  The network of 'good' and 'bad' schools is building. Municipalities should take a closer look at and plan the network of schools, to prevent such selections', noted Ms. Šiugždinienė.

Planned assistance for pupils experiencing difficulties based on the outcomes of children's achievement assessments in the forms 4, 8, and 10 will help to deal with this problem sensitive for the Lithuanian education. It will enable timely identification and response to pupils' learning gaps. Pupils below the satisfactory achievement level will be offered individual plan for improvement of learning achievements and necessary learning assistance.

The EC report notices that improvement of working conditions for teachers can increase the prestige of teacher's profession. Rising salaries of teachers in recent years in Lithuania can help to attract new teachers, improve attractiveness of this profession. Reorganisation of the network of schools also can have positive impact on the workload and salaries of teachers. Teacher's salary also depends on the number of lessons delivered, which means that teachers working in small municipalities with a small number of forms usually have fewer work hours and have to travel more to earn bigger salary.

Reorganisation of schools by reducing the number of small schools could also contribute to dealing with this problem. The report names the necessity to update the system of continuing professional development and to reduce its segmentation to make it meet the needs of teachers and pupils better, comply with the latest educational knowledge. It is noticed that the money of the European Structural and Investment Funds in 2021–2027 is invested into improvement of quality of educology studies, by enhancing educology research and increasing the number of educology post-graduate students.

Reports on the countries of the education and teaching monitoring bulletin are prepared by the Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture of the European Commission.

More information is available on: europa.eu