From 2026, schools will be able to offer Spanish as the first foreign language
Starting in September 2026, Spanish will available as the first foreign language to be taught in schools alongside English, French and German, according to a decree signed today by Minister Radvilė Morkūnaitė-Mikulėnienė. Pupils will be able to learn Spanish since the second grade if a school offers this opportunity.
“We want to make it possible for students to learn as many EU languages as possible, so we are expanding the list. Since around 2019, we have seen a trend towards Spanish as a second language of choice in major cities. Last school year, 491 sixth-graders chose Spanish. Although this represents just over 2% of all sixth-grade students, the increase is significant. It is very important that this decision will also allow to offer students to take the state-level Matura exam in Spanish as a foreign language,” says Vice-Minister Ignas Gaižiūnas.
As of the autumn 2026, Spanish, English, French and German will be offered as the first foreign language in primary education from autumn 2026 and both as the first and second foreign language in basic education.
The list of second foreign languages remains the same: English, French, German, Spanish, Polish, Ukrainian and Russian.
Pupils who will have reached the B2 level will also be able to take the state-level Matura exam in Spanish.
Pupils start learning the first foreign language in the second grade. A pupil’s parents must decide which language their child will learn. The second foreign language is chosen in the sixth grade. Pupils can learn foreign languages from the first grade already (as the first foreign language) or from the fifth grade (as the second foreign language) if the school chooses to offer such opportunity and parents request this.
Last updated: 18-10-2024
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