Later this week, the Lithuanian government should endorse the proposal of the Education and Science Ministry, which suggests that the student basket granted to students from refugee families should be 30% higher.
Education and Science Vice-Minister Natalja Istomina told BNS Lithuania that the additional money should cover the expenses of specialists who should help their faster integration into classes of peers.
"The overall strategy is to integrate the children into the education system, i.e., schools of general education, as soon as possible – having a child in a levying class for a very long time would be too too much of a luxury. The additional sum is projected for paying a teacher's assistant and educational assistance specialists to help faster integration of the children in our schools," said the vice-minister.
Lithuania has committed itself to receiving 1,105 refugees fleeing violence in Syria, Iraq and Eritrea over the next two years. The first family arrived in Lithuania last week. In Istomina's words, the refugees are calculated to have a maximum of 700 children.
"If there are about 700 children – this is the maximum number – we would need about 0,5 million euros per year (for education)," she added.
Increased students baskets are also earmarked to children with special needs, mainly disabilities.
