On 29th July the Council of Vilnius city adopted a resolution regarding the transformation of Vilnius secondary schools into basic ones. According to the adopted document, 9 schools of the capital had to be degraded into basic ones before 31th August 2015.
The list of schools included: Aleksandro Puškino Secondary School, Ateities Secondary School, Centro Secondary School, Fabijoniškių Secondary School, Lazdynų Secondary School, Levo Karsavino Secondary School, Senamiesčio Secondary School, Simono Konarskio Secondary School, and Saulėtekio Secondary School.
This resolution was the continuation of disgraceful actions of the current government in Vilnius against minority schools - Polish and Russian - functioning in the capital. On 15th July the Council of the capital adopted resolutions which in the intentions of the authorities had to deprive a number of Polish and Russian schools in Vilnius of the status of a secondary school.
Representatives of school communities regretted, that such decisions were made without taking into account the needs and appeals of schools and even without paying attention to some legal acts. As it was already mentioned, on 30th June, the last day of the spring session, Lithuanian Seimas voted on the amendments of the Law on Education. According to the amended law, Polish schools have two more years to receive accreditation.
Is seems, that by implementing educational changes, Vilnius authorities are not only attacking the education of national minorities, but also satisfying their needs and interests. At the beginning of July, vice mayor of the Vilnius city, conservatist Valdas Benkunskas, was blackmailing the secondary school of Joachimo Lelevelio in Vilnius by stating that if the school moved to A. Vivulskio school in the Žirmūnai district, Vilnius authorities would help the school to get the status of so-called 'long' gymnasium. He said, that if the school did not agree to move, there would be no chance to get any help from the authorities.
The search for justice in courts
After numerous rallies, appeals and protests it was time for lawsuits: schools and school communities are fighting for their rights in courts.
Last summer Vilnius Adomo Mickevičiaus Gymnasium won the case in court with the Council of the Vilnius City - the Lithuanian court has suspended the validity of the controversial resolution of the Council regarding the cessation of completion of new 5th grades as of the new academic year in this educational institution.
In the first half of August 2015 Vilnius Regional Administrative Court adopted a decision favourable for the Polish Simono Konarskio Secondary School. The school and parents challenged in court the July resolutions of the Vilnius Council pursuant to which it was decided to degrade the institution to the status of a basic school and eliminate 11-12 grades.
On 20th August Vilnius Regional Administrative Court suspended the validity of Vilnius Council resolutions from 15th July and 29th July 2015 under which Vilnius Centro Secondary School with the Russian teaching language would be degraded to the status of a basic school as of 1th September.
At the end of August, Vilnius Regional Administrative Court adopted a decision favourable to the community of the Lazdynų Secondary School in Vilnius with the Polish and Russian languages of instruction. The Court granted the applicants' request for the suspension of the resolutions of the Vilnius Council, pursuant to which the school had to be degraded to the status of a basic school.
Protest by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
'Leave our schools alone! The authorities forced us to strike by ignoring our requests! Secondary education without stress! Dear Mr Linkevičius, you have ratified international conventions and now need to implement them,' these were the slogans of the picketing which took place next to the building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The picketing was organised by national minorities of Lithuania on 31th August.
Autumn and new protests
The strike of empty desks took place in the schools of national minorities in Lithuania on 2nd September. Parents did not let their children to schools on that day. It was an expression of protest against the actions of authorities directed at educational institutions educating children in Polish, Russian and other minorities' languages.
'We, parents of children of Polish schools, state, that we announce general strike from the beginning of the new academic year. We are forced to take such radical actions due to the fact that our requests and demands have not been heard and implemented so far,' stated Strike Committees of the Polish Schools in Lithuania, Forum of the Parents of Polish Schools in Lithuania, and Committees of the Defence of Schools.
Participants of the general strike demanded the immediate cancelation of the revised Law on Education from 17 March 2011 in the part regarding the education of national minorities discriminating Polish education, the abolition of the unified examination of the Lithuanian language, the restoration of mandatory status for the examination of the native language (Polish) on the list of mandatory school leaving examinations, provided that the points from this examination will be counted when starting higher education, the discontinuation of the discriminatory practice which prioritizes a Lithuanian school by maintaining it at the expense of the schools of national minorities, and the increase of the so-called 'student basket' in the schools of national minorities by 50 percent. More than 90 percent of Polish schools in Lithuania took part in the strike.
There were attempts made through the media to intimidate parents and disrupt the strike. False information about the alleged threat of penalties for parents who join the strike appeared in the media.
Prayers for Polish schools
The Holy Mass in the intention of defence and development of Polish education in the Vilnius region took place at the open window of the Chapel of Gate of Dawn on 2nd September. It was attended by more than 1000 people. People prayed for the development of the Polish education in Lithuania and for all the persons who are not indifferent to its fate.
Polish supported by other minorities
In the beginning of September parents of children attending schools of national minorities stated that they support the demands of Forum of the Parents of Polish Schools in Lithuania and expressed their worries about the continuation of illogical and discriminatory actions of the authorities in matters concerning the education of national minorities.
"This project is co-financed from the funds granted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland."
This is the second part of the publication 'Fighting Polish school'
On 29th July the Council of Vilnius city adopted a resolution regarding the transformation of Vilnius secondary schools into basic ones. According to the adopted document, 9 schools of the capital had to be degraded into basic ones before 31th August 2015.
The list of schools included: Aleksandro Puškino Secondary School, Ateities Secondary School, Centro Secondary School, Fabijoniškių Secondary School, Lazdynų Secondary School, Levo Karsavino Secondary School, Senamiesčio Secondary School, Simono Konarskio Secondary School, and Saulėtekio Secondary School.
This resolution was the continuation of disgraceful actions of the current government in Vilnius against minority schools - Polish and Russian - functioning in the capital. On 15th July the Council of the capital adopted resolutions which in the intentions of the authorities had to deprive a number of Polish and Russian schools in Vilnius of the status of a secondary school.
Representatives of school communities regretted, that such decisions were made without taking into account the needs and appeals of schools and even without paying attention to some legal acts. As it was already mentioned, on 30th June, the last day of the spring session, Lithuanian Seimas voted on the amendments of the Law on Education. According to the amended law, Polish schools have two more years to receive accreditation.
Is seems, that by implementing educational changes, Vilnius authorities are not only attacking the education of national minorities, but also satisfying their needs and interests. At the beginning of July, vice mayor of the Vilnius city, conservatist Valdas Benkunskas, was blackmailing the secondary school of Joachimo Lelevelio in Vilnius by stating that if the school moved to A. Vivulskio school in the Žirmūnai district, Vilnius authorities would help the school to get the status of so-called 'long' gymnasium. He said, that if the school did not agree to move, there would be no chance to get any help from the authorities.
The search for justice in courts
After numerous rallies, appeals and protests it was time for lawsuits: schools and school communities are fighting for their rights in courts.
Last summer Vilnius Adomo Mickevičiaus Gymnasium won the case in court with the Council of the Vilnius City - the Lithuanian court has suspended the validity of the controversial resolution of the Council regarding the cessation of completion of new 5th grades as of the new academic year in this educational institution.
In the first half of August 2015 Vilnius Regional Administrative Court adopted a decision favourable for the Polish Simono Konarskio Secondary School. The school and parents challenged in court the July resolutions of the Vilnius Council pursuant to which it was decided to degrade the institution to the status of a basic school and eliminate 11-12 grades.
On 20th August Vilnius Regional Administrative Court suspended the validity of Vilnius Council resolutions from 15th July and 29th July 2015 under which Vilnius Centro Secondary School with the Russian teaching language would be degraded to the status of a basic school as of 1th September.
At the end of August, Vilnius Regional Administrative Court adopted a decision favourable to the community of the Lazdynų Secondary School in Vilnius with the Polish and Russian languages of instruction. The Court granted the applicants' request for the suspension of the resolutions of the Vilnius Council, pursuant to which the school had to be degraded to the status of a basic school.
Protest by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
'Leave our schools alone! The authorities forced us to strike by ignoring our requests! Secondary education without stress! Dear Mr Linkevičius, you have ratified international conventions and now need to implement them,' these were the slogans of the picketing which took place next to the building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The picketing was organised by national minorities of Lithuania on 31th August.
Autumn and new protests
The strike of empty desks took place in the schools of national minorities in Lithuania on 2nd September. Parents did not let their children to schools on that day. It was an expression of protest against the actions of authorities directed at educational institutions educating children in Polish, Russian and other minorities' languages.
'We, parents of children of Polish schools, state, that we announce general strike from the beginning of the new academic year. We are forced to take such radical actions due to the fact that our requests and demands have not been heard and implemented so far,' stated Strike Committees of the Polish Schools in Lithuania, Forum of the Parents of Polish Schools in Lithuania, and Committees of the Defence of Schools.
Participants of the general strike demanded the immediate cancelation of the revised Law on Education from 17 March 2011 in the part regarding the education of national minorities discriminating Polish education, the abolition of the unified examination of the Lithuanian language, the restoration of mandatory status for the examination of the native language (Polish) on the list of mandatory school leaving examinations, provided that the points from this examination will be counted when starting higher education, the discontinuation of the discriminatory practice which prioritizes a Lithuanian school by maintaining it at the expense of the schools of national minorities, and the increase of the so-called 'student basket' in the schools of national minorities by 50 percent. More than 90 percent of Polish schools in Lithuania took part in the strike.
There were attempts made through the media to intimidate parents and disrupt the strike. False information about the alleged threat of penalties for parents who join the strike appeared in the media.
Prayers for Polish schools
The Holy Mass in the intention of defence and development of Polish education in the Vilnius region took place at the open window of the Chapel of Gate of Dawn on 2nd September. It was attended by more than 1000 people. People prayed for the development of the Polish education in Lithuania and for all the persons who are not indifferent to its fate.
Polish supported by other minorities
In the beginning of September parents of children attending schools of national minorities stated that they support the demands of Forum of the Parents of Polish Schools in Lithuania and expressed their worries about the continuation of illogical and discriminatory actions of the authorities in matters concerning the education of national minorities.
