Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė signed amendments to the Law on Education adopted by the Seimas during the last day of spring session, on 30th June.
Signing a document by the Head of State increases the chances of national minorities' schools in the Vilnius Region (Vilnius district, Šalčininkai district and Trakai district) to survive. These schools most certainly will continue their activity.
The situation in Vilnius is worse. Here schools of national minorities still have to fight for themselves, since vice mayor of the Vilnius City, conservative Valdas Benkunskas, announced not long ago that he will not be executing records of the Law on Education. There is no doubt that similar statements of such officials are unacceptable in any democratic country.
The determination of Polish community in Lithuania has led to the situation when the Lithuanian Seimas has accepted the amendments to the Law on Education.
The amendment to the law provides 2 more years for schools to prepare properly for the accreditation.
After the document was signed by the President, talks about the victory of Polish people in the battle for their schools can be lead. There is no possibility to contest the fact that Polish community with Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania and Association of Poles in Lithuania being ahead won the right to continue the activity of Polish secondary schools in Baltoji Vokė, Zujūnai, Egliškės, Dieveniškės, Palūknė, and Medininkai.
Authorities of Vilnius district, Šalčininkai district and Trakai district are not going to question amended Law on Education, which means that the national minorities' schools, that have been threatened earlier and are operating on the territories of the mentioned districts, can continue their educational activity.
To add, no one can question the accreditation of the Vilnius Vladislovo Sirokomlės Secondary School, but the battle is still going on for the Vilnius Joachimo Lelevelio Secondary School and schools of other national minorities, i.e. Vilnius Centro Secondary School, Vilniaus Aleksandro Puškino Secondary School, Vilnius Ateities Secondary School, and Vilnius Levo Karsavino Secondary School.
Lithuanian authorities already had an opportunity to become convinced that Polish community is determined in the fight for their rights, so there is a very big chance that the battle regarding the mentioned schools will be won too.
