“It symbolic that the Centre for Baltic Studies is opened at the university named after Taras Shevchenko who was a promoter of the Ukrainian national revival and started his artistic career in Vilnius. Throughout his life and work he declared the ideas of the national revival and freedom which are so important for both the Ukrainian and Lithuanian people”, Diana Nausėdienė said in the opening address.
Taras Shevchenko University started teaching the Lithuanian language as a major in the autumn of 2020, but no official launch of the study programme was held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is the first university in Kyiv where the Lithuanian language is taught, previously it was an optional subject, and the second in Ukraine, as a similar study programme was also launched at the Chernivtsi National University a few years ago.
The establishment and the activities of the Centre for Baltic Studies are supported by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Sports according to the programme of the Lithuanian Language Centers Abroad. The newly established center is involved in the expert level cooperation with Vytautas Magnus University – internships and programs for students and lecturers are available.
The First Lady wished that this center would become another point of attraction uniting the people of Ukraine and Lithuania.
Diana Nausėdienė is a patron of education in the Lithuanian language abroad and takes an active part in various activities in the field.
