Lithuanian Education Teacher Award granted to Virginija Stukaitė, founder and head of the Lithuanian School “Bitė” in the United Kingdom

This year, the Lithuanian Education Teacher Award went to Virginija Stukaitė, the founder and director of the Lithuanian Ethnoculture and Drama School “Bitė” and the chairperson of the Education Council of the Lithuanian community in the United Kingdom.

“Lithuanian education is much more than teaching language or history. It is also the silent daily work of bringing the community together, of creating a safe environment in which children can unfold their identity. I am happy that Lithuanian education is becoming more and more visible and appreciated. For me, it is a great and strong force that helps children to maintain their connection with their roots and to grow courageously in today’s world,” says Virginija Stukaitė.

Teacher Virginija has been involved in Lithuanian language education in the UK since 2007. The Lithuanian Ethnoculture and Drama School “Bitė” founded by her now has three branches in London and other parts of the United Kingdom, and enrols about 130 children and young people.

Virginija Stukaitė goes beyond mere teaching Lithuanian language and literature. On her initiative, the subjects of Lithuanian history and ethnoculture have been widely integrated into the educational process. She is also a professional leader of a folklore ensemble. In addition, teacher Virginija works in the field of special educational needs law and often helps Lithuanians with children with special educational needs to understand the legal and educational framework.

Every year, together with other teachers, “Bitė” organises events to celebrate national and calendar holidays and other events, which are attended not only by the school community, but also by parents, other Lithuanians, representatives of the local community and government institutions.

Virginija, a vigorous teacher, is well known to all Lithuanian language schools in the UK. Her activities include, but are not limited to seminars for teachers of Lithuanian language schools, Sports Day for Lithuanian language schools, annual celebrations of the International Teachers’ Day, various events for children, the gathering of European Lithuanian mother tongue schools “Bridge of Friendship”, and care for teacher training.

The ties with Lithuania are very closely maintained. For the past ten years, “Bitė” has hosted an international summer camp for children called “Virtual History”, with 100 children from Egypt, Iceland, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France and Lithuania. The project was recognised as the best international project and awarded the Educational Exchanges Support Foundation badge. Virginija’s students are also actively involved in other activities in Lithuania, such as the projects of Gargždai Primary School “Krantas”, Vilkaviškis children’s kindergarten “Pasaka”, Panevėžys Mykolas Karka Basic School, Jurbarkas District Municipality Administration, Vilnius Ethnic Culture Centre, etc. The pupils and the teacher were awarded the eTwinning Quality Label for this activity.

Virginija Stukaitė is also a member of the State Commission of the Lithuanian Language, representing the Diaspora there.

For her active and creative work, the teacher has been awarded several times by the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the State Commission for the Lithuanian Language, the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in the United Kingdom, the Lithuanian educational institutions, and given other acknowledgements.

Few can boast an exceptional reward for their activities: Virginija Stukaitė’s image is depicted on the Lithuanian jubilee postage stamp for her efforts to bring together Lithuanians around the world, and she has been named Lithuanian of the Week in the LRT’s programme “Lithuanian in the Heart” for organising the Lithuanian language activities abroad.

The Lithuanian Education Teacher Award will be given to Virginija Stukaitė during Lithuania’s Teacher of the Year Awards in Lithuania.

This year, 9 Lithuanian educators from the USA, the UK, Poland, Norway, France, Japan, Australia, the Netherlands, Germany and Norway were nominated for the award.

The Lithuanian Education Teacher/Lecturer Award was established by Government Resolution in 2016. The Award is granted through competition to persons for their merits in Lithuanian education, achievements of pupils and students, etc.

Last updated: 08-01-2026

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