Training
In Lithuania, free and compulsory schooling
for ten years applies to children between the ages of 6
and 16. However, most pupils attend school for a total
of twelve years. The country has Lithuanian, Russian,
Polish and Belarusian language elementary schools. There
are also bilingual and multilingual schools as well as
private schools.
The level of education in the Baltic countries was
higher during the Soviet period (1944–1991) than in the
Soviet Union as a whole. The former Soviet education
system, which was authoritarian and ideologically
colored, has been reformed since independence. Nowadays,
however, a debate is being held that the quality of
education must be further increased in order for the
country's education to be competitive at EU level.
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Allcitypopulation: Offers a list of biggest cities in the state of
Lithuania, including the capital city which hosts major colleges and
universities.
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COUNTRYAAH:
Country facts of Lithuania, including geography profile, population statistics, and business data.
The Polish minority has long demanded increased
linguistic rights for minority schools. The
Polish-speaking group has strongly criticized, among
other things, a new version of the school law from 2011.
It meant that the teaching of Lithuanian language was
increased in minority schools and that it became
compulsory for all schools to carry out the same final
test in Lithuanian. The new school law led to a
political conflict (see further Modern History).
Lithuania has about 20 universities and about the
same number of universities. Most important is Vilnius
University, founded in 1579, and Vytautas Magnus
University in Kaunas. In Vilnius there is also the
Belarusian exile university European Humanity
University, which was moved to Lithuania in 2005 since
the year before had been shut down by the regime in
Belarus.
In the mid-2010s, just over half of all Lithuanian
25- to 34-year-olds underwent some form of higher
education, which was a significantly higher proportion
than the EU average of just over a third. Only two EU
countries had a higher proportion: Cyprus and
Luxembourg.
FACTS - EDUCATION
Proportion of children starting primary
school
98.3 percent (2016)
Number of pupils per teacher in primary
school
13 (2016)
Reading and writing skills
99.8 percent (2011)
Public expenditure on education as a
percentage of GDP
12.3 percent (2015)
Public expenditure on education as a
percentage of the state budget
12.3 percent (2015)
2017
October
Norwegian air defense will protect Lithuania
October 26th
The government signs a contract with the Norwegian arms manufacturer
Kongsberg to buy an air defense system for € 110 million. Defense Minister
Karoblis says the new air defense will give Lithuania sufficiently strong
protection to withstand a full-scale Russian attack long enough for NATO to come
to the rescue.
September
Social Democrats oppose party leadership
September 25
The Social Democratic party group in Parliament votes to remain in government
cooperation, despite the party leadership deciding to leave the government. The
group said in a press release that the decision to cancel government cooperation
was premature and based on emotions. Party leader Gintautas Paluckas says those
who oppose the party leadership may be excluded.
The government is cracking down
September 23
The government loses its majority in Parliament when the Social Democratic
Party breaks off cooperation with the dominant Lithuanian peasants and green
alliance (LVŽS) after less than a year. The Social Democrats say that
cooperation has been grating all the time and that LVŽS has set the tone for
almost all issues. However, the Social Democratic Foreign Minister Linas
Linkevičius says he is leaving his party in order to remain in the government.
LVŽS has 57 of Parliament's 141 seats. The minority government's chances of
survival are expected to be put to the test for the first time when Parliament
will vote on the state budget for 2018, which is expected to take place in early
December.
July
Suspected Internet fraudsters are being handed over to the United States
July 17
A Vilnius court decides that a Lithuanian man accused of swindling US data
giants such as Facebook and Google of more than $ 100 million should be
extradited to the United States. According to the indictment, he has been guilty
of data fraud, money laundering and identity theft. The man's lawyer claims that
the charges are so vaguely worded that they would not hold in a Lithuanian
court.
Ten years for Russian spy
July 7
A man designated as an employee of the Russian security service is sentenced
to ten years in prison for spying. According to the court, he must have traveled
to Lithuania repeatedly using false ID documents. The 40-year-old man is accused
of trying to bug President Grybauskaité's residence and office.
February
spy Judgments
February 28
A Russian citizen is sentenced to 10.5 years in prison and a Lithuanian to 5
years for espionage on behalf of Russia. (28/2)
Russia is suspected of fake news
February 18
In an e-mail to the Lithuanian parliament's president, it is alleged that
German-speaking men raped a 15-year-old girl living near a barracks for German
NATO soldiers. The task quickly turns out to be false and prosecutors initiate a
criminal investigation. The e-mail should have come from a country outside the
EU and NATO spokesmen are pointing the suspicions at Russia. "We can expect more
from this," says Czech General Petr Pavel, head of NATO's military committee. He
is based on data from NATO's intelligence operations.
NATO battalion arrives
February 7
Thousands of soldiers who are part of a German-led NATO battalion are
stationed in Lithuania. Later in the year, a US-led force is sent to Poland, a
British to Estonia and a Canadian to Latvia. They will help to strengthen the
defense alliance's protection of northeastern Europe as a result of Russia's
activities in Ukraine.
January
The fence against Russia
January 16
Lithuania will build a 13-mile-long and two-meter-high fence along the border
with Russian Kaliningrad, the government announces. The fence will be ready by
the end of the year and intends, among other things, to prevent "provocations",
similar to the one when an Estonian intelligence officer was introduced to
Russian soil during the weapons threat 2014. Lithuanian authorities also hope to
put a stop to cigarette smuggling from Kaliningrad.
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