Reporting: the main milestones reached by the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport in Q1 2026
One of the most important developments in education, science and sport in the first quarter of the year was the increase in the salaries of teachers, educational assistance specialists, research staff and sports coaches, effective 1st of January.
The Ministry has also drafted an action plan for discussion on attracting and retaining teachers in schools and improving their working conditions. Draft amendments to the Law on Education and the Law on Higher Education and Research have been tabled in the Seimas, providing for earlier access to learning assistance for pupils, strengthening the training of vocational teachers, and more favourable social guarantees for teachers and research staff.
• Salaries for teachers, research staff at research and higher education institutions and for coaches have increased. As of 1 January 2026, the salaries of teachers, pupil assistance specialists and other teaching staff, of research staff in research and higher education institutions, and of coaches in state and municipal institutions went up by 8.41%, with 0.71% increase in the base amount of official salary (salary) and 7.65% increase in the coefficients of the official salary.
From 2026, amounts of basic social benefits have been increased to €74 (from €70) per basic social benefit. Accordingly, this increase has led to a rise in the level of allowances based on it, including student grants, state scholarships and prizes for athletes.
• Draft amendments to the Law on Education and the Law on Higher Education and Research have been submitted for consideration in the spring session of the Seimas. They provide for earlier access to learning assistance for pupils, and strengthening of the training of vocational teachers, as well as better social guarantees for teachers and research staff, and more efficient planning of state-funded student places.
EDUCATION
• As of this year, assessment of competences of heads of educational institutions shall be valid for an indefinite period of time. Heads of schools and other educational institutions, or candidates for such positions, will only need to undergo one competency assessment and will no longer be required to undergo reassessment every seven years. The procedure for assessing competences has been amended by an Order signed by Minister Raminta Popovienė.
• “School in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (AI): Principles and Guidelines for Responsible Use”, guidelines for schools on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) have been developed. This helps each school to set its own rules for the use of AI, although it is not compulsory to do so. The National Agency for Education’s EdTech Centre provides advice to schools.
• Achievement tests are now better suited to pupils with special educational needs. In order to ensure that pupils with special educational needs (SEN) have equal participation in national examinations, the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport has updated the procedures for adapting the National Pupil’s Achievement Testing, the Basic Education Achievement Testing and the State Matura Examinations for pupils with SEN. The procedures are already valid for this school year. The purpose of the updates is to ensure that individual needs do not prevent objective assessment of learning outcomes of each pupil.
• Funding for Lithuanian language schools increases in 2026. This year, the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport has allocated almost EUR 2 million to 132 Lithuanian language schools abroad, with more than 7,200 children enrolled, to finance their Lithuanian language education programmes. The basic funding per pupil has been increased to €15 per month, compared to €12.5 per pupil per month last year. The funds for a particular school can increase up to €30 per pupil per month, depending on the intensity of the Lithuanian education programme.
• The first phase of centralised admission to state and municipal schools and kindergartens in Lithuania started in March 2026. This year, applications for admission to educational institutions in 24 municipalities for the school year 2026-2027 are being submitted via the newly created Centralised Programme Information System (CPIS), available at www.mokausi.lt. The municipalities of Akmenė, Anykščiai, Biržai, Biržai, Joniškis, Jurbarkas, Kelmė, Kupiškis, Lazdijai, Molėtai, Pakruojis, Panevėžys, Pasvalys, Prienai, Raseiniai, Rokiškis, Šakiai, Šilalė, Švenčionys, Tauragė, Trakai and Varėna districts, Palanga town, Druskininkai and Elektrėnai are carrying out the centralised admission in the first phase. Other municipalities, including the largest ones, will be connected to CPIS in later stages.
• Measures for attracting and retaining teachers have been proposed. The Ministry of Education, Science and Sport has submitted a draft plan of measures for attracting and retaining teachers in schools and improving their working conditions. The proposals were discussed and debated with the social partners, including trade unions. The Teacher Attraction Plan 2026-2028 is focused on two lines of action: attracting new teachers and improving teachers’ working conditions to retain them in education system. It includes adjusting financial support for students, validating the student-intern model, strengthening mentoring of young teachers, and strengthening teachers’ professional security and a psychologically safe working environment.
VOCATIONAL TRAINING
• Winter enrolment in vocational training institutions was organised. It attracted a record number of new students, several hundred more than last year. The most popular choices were healthcare, engineering, social welfare, services sector, transport services, business and administration programmes.
• Vocational education and training enrolment plan approved: significant increase in state-funded places in programmes of vocational training in engineering. The total number of state-funded places in vocational edjucation training schools remains at the same level as in the previous year, i. e. 20.6 thousand students.
STUDIES
• For the first time, Čiurlionis Scholarships have been awarded to art students. Scholarships of EUR 500 per month have been awarded to four MA students of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre and the Vilnius Academy of Arts for implementation of artistic projects. The Scholarships are aimed at giving credit to talented students who are particularly outstanding in their artistic activities, who are able to rethink and interpret the works of M. K. Čiurlionis in a modern way, and who contribute to the promotion and dissemination of the artist’s legacy.
• More state-funded places for nursing, pedagogy and residency (specialty training) studies in 2026. Studies in nursing at universities and colleges are set to increase by 85 state-funded places this year, with a total of 620 students to be admitted. There are 30 more state-funded places projected this year for pedagogical studies, with a total of around 800 state-funded places at universities and colleges. A further 400 state-funded places are envisaged for vocational pedagogical studies, open to those who already have a higher education qualification. The number of state-funded places for medical residency has been increased by 20 this year, with a total of around 430 state-funded places for residency studies in 2026.
SPORTS
• Green light for sports classes. Following the approval by the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport of the Description of the Procedure for Setting up Classes for Pupils who are Athletes in General Education Schools, general education schools (pre-gymnasiums, lower secondary schools and gymnasiums) will be able to set up classes for athletes as from September 2026. This will make it easier for pupils who participate in high-performance sports programmes of sports clubs or federations to balance their school and training schedules and enable them to plan a dual career already at school.
Photo by the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport.
Last updated: 16-04-2026
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