MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE...Education and Science on the state of education in Lithuania....

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCEOF THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA

EDUCATION IMPROVEMENT PROJECT,COMPONENT B

EDUCATION IN LITHUANIA

Facts and Figures

2 0 0 6

Vilnius, 2006

Ministry of Education and Science published the fifth annual review of education in Lithua-nia. The review is intended for politicians, education managers, scholars, and everyone in-terested in the country's education and the context of education. The publication presentskey statistical indicators related to the international education indicator systems (UNESCO,OECD, and EU) as well as short explanations of the said indicators.

By publishing education related information which is of interest to various categories ofreaders, the Ministry aims at providing a publication which can help readers to analyse andevaluate the status of education. If you have any recommendations, comments and propos-als please send them to the Ministry of Education and Science Department of StrategicPlanning and Analysis head Rièardas Aliðauskas, e-mail [email protected], or tochief officer Dr. Rita Dukynaitë, e-mail [email protected]

Editorial group:

Alvydas Puodþiukas (chairman),Rièardas Aliðauskas, Vaino Brazdeikis, Dr. Rita Dukynaitë, Dr. Pranas Gudynas, JolantaNavickaitë, Arûnas Plikðnys, Mirga Skakunova, Audronë Ðuminienë, Dr. Antanas Valantinas.

The following institutions collected and provided statistical data: data on state fundedgeneral education schools was provided by Education IT Centre director Vaino Brazdeikisand deputy director Algis Cibulskis, Education Management Information System departmenthead Eduardas Daujotis; data on pre-primary, vocational, post-secondary, adult andnon-state funded education was provided by the Department of Statistics under Republic ofLithuania Government Education and Culture Statistics Department head Gailë Dapðienëand officer Daiva Marcinkevièienë.

The concept of the publication, analysis of data and preparation of texts was carried

out by Policy Analysis Division of Education Development Centre: Dr. Antanas Valantinas,Jolanta Jevsejevienë, Dr. Albinas Kalvaitis, Veronika Koþemiakina, Rimvydas Labanauskis,Laima Paurienë, Dr. Ramutë Skripkienë, and Dr. Vaiva Vaicekauskienë.

Advice and additional data was provided by Ministry of Education and Science officersTeresa Aidukienë, Rièardas Aliðauskas, Nijolë Bazarienë, Auðra Birietienë, OnaÈepulënienë, Dr. Rita Dukynaitë, Virginija Kaminskienë, Leokadija Kasperavièienë, ReginaKlepaèienë, Danutë Kolesnikova, Dr. Almeda Kurienë, Regina Labinienë, Antanas Levickas,Daina Lukoðiûnienë, Kostancija Mikolajevièienë, Egidija Nausëdienë, Rûta Norkienë, ArûnasPlikðnys, Alvydas Puodþiukas, Audronë Razmantienë, Edita Sederevièiûtë, Mirga Skakunova,Stasë Skapienë, Marytë Speièienë, Elena Stasiulienë, Marytë Strièkienë, GraþinaÐeibokienë, Audronë Ðuminienë, Dalia Ðvelnienë, Rièardas Totoraitis, Algirdas K.Urnavièius, Ligita Vaicekauskaitë, Giedrë Vësulaitë, Dr. Loreta Þadeikaitë, Dr. AlbertasÞalys, and Dr. Stanislovas Þurauskas.

Design by Vaida TotilaitëLayout by Gediminas Ðinkûnas

© Ministry of Education and Scienceof the Republic of Lithuania, 2006

“Education in Lithuania: Facts and Figures” is the fifth publication of the Ministry of

Education and Science on the state of education in Lithuania. The document gives

a brief overview of ideas and steps of education reform, discusses changes in the

education system and achievements at different education levels in the last five

years, and compares the state of education in Lithuania and other countries in Eu-

rope and worldwide.

Today, as Lithuania continues to develop its knowledge society, strengthen its in-

tellectual potential and train specialists that are in high demand in the modern la-

bour market, education plays a crucial role. It is becoming increasingly important

to develop new competences in youth, ensure accessibility and high quality of ed-

ucation, and prepare the young generation for life and work in the knowledge soci-

ety, which uses and develops new technologies. Challenges of the 20th century

encourage us to set ambitious education goals, regularly monitor, analyse and

evaluate the state of education in Lithuania, and to point out the most important

and distressing developments to the public, politicians and scholars.

We hope that essential information on education in Lithuania outlined in this publi-

cation as well as brief explanations of educational changes will be interesting and

important to everyone contributing to the future of education in Lithuania and in-

volved in day-to-day education activities.

Minister of Education and Science

Dr. Remigijus Motuzas

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OVERVIEW OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF EDUCATION IN LITHUANIA,

IN 1990–2005

GENERAL FIGURES

How many pupils and students are there in Lithuania? . . . . . . . . . . 13What are the changes in the number of pupils (students) and youth? . . . . 14How many pupils are there with special needs? . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Where do pupils with special needs study? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16What is the average duration of studies in Lithuania? . . . . . . . . . . 16What is the enrolment by level of education? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17How did the enrolment ratio change within the level? . . . . . . . . . . 18What is the percentage of youth in educational institutions? . . . . . . . . 19How many early school-leavers are there? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20What direction of studies is chosen by young people aged 16–18 years? . . 21What is the educational attainment of Lithuanian youth? . . . . . . . . . 23What is the educational attainment of the Lithuanian population? . . . . . . 24What is the amount of funds allocated to education? . . . . . . . . . . 25What is the amount of funds allocated to education compared to other states? 25What is the amount of funds allocated to research and development? . . . 27What is the extent of development of research and development? . . . . . 28What is the extent of development of the information society? . . . . . . . 29

PRE-SCHOOL AND PRE-PRIMARY EDUCATION

How many children are there at the level of pre-school education? . . . . . 31What is the age of children in pre-school education establishments? . . . . 31What proportion of children aged 1–6 years attends pre-school education

establishments? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32What proportion of children is there at the pre-school education level? . . . 33How many pedagogues work at the pre-school education level? . . . . . . 34What is the age of pedagogues working in pre-school education? . . . . . 35How many pre-school education establishments are there in Lithuania? . . . 36How has the size of pre-school education establishments been changing? . . 36How many pre-primary education groups are there? . . . . . . . . . . . 37

GENERAL EDUCATION

How many pupils are there in the general education system? . . . . . . . 39How is the number of pupils in the general education system changing? . . 39What is the distribution of pupils by gender and age? . . . . . . . . . . 40How is the number of pupils in general education schools changing by age? 40How many pupils are there in urban and rural areas? . . . . . . . . . . 41In what languages do general education school pupils study? . . . . . . . 42How is the number of pupils studying in Russian, Polish and Byelorussian

languages changing? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

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What and how many foreign languages are studied by Lithuanian generaleducation school pupils? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

How many foreign students are there in Lithuanian general education schools? 44How many school-aged children do not attend school? . . . . . . . . . . 44How many teachers are there in the general education system? . . . . . . 45How has the number of teachers been changing in recent years? . . . . . 45How has the educational level of teachers and school managers been changing? 46How many male staff are there in Lithuanian general education schools? . . 46What is the qualification of Lithuanian teachers and school managers? . . . 47What are the salaries of general education school teachers? . . . . . . . 47What is the distribution of general education school teachers by age? . . . 49What is the age of Lithuanian teachers compared to those of other countries? 50What is the student-teacher ratio in general education schools? . . . . . . 51How many general education schools are there in Lithuania? . . . . . . . 52How is the number of general education schools changing by type? . . . . 52How is the number of general education schools changing by languages of

instruction? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

How many pupils are there in the vocational education system? . . . . . . 55How is the number of pupils in vocational schools changing? . . . . . . . 55What is the age of the population studying in vocational schools? . . . . . 56What is the age group of pupils in vocational schools? . . . . . . . . . . 56What fields of study are chosen by vocational school pupils? . . . . . . . 57What is the educational attainment of young people who choose vocational

schools? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58What is the proportion of vocational school pupils receiving national grants? . 59How many pedagogues worked in vocational schools? . . . . . . . . . . 59What is the educational level of vocational school pedagogues? . . . . . . 60How many vocational schools are there in Lithuania? . . . . . . . . . . 60What is the work performance of vocational schools? . . . . . . . . . . 61

TERTIARY EDUCATION

How many students are there in higher education institutions? . . . . . . . 63What is the distribution of university students by stage and type of studies? . 63What is the distribution of students of higher education institutions by age? . 64What is the educational attainment of young people who undertake basic

studies in higher education institutions? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65What is the age of young people who undertake basic studies in higher

education institutions? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65What is the proportion of female students? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66What is the proportion of students in higher education institutions who pay

tuition fees themselves? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66What is the distribution of students by field of education? . . . . . . . . 67How many students graduate in natural sciences and technologies? . . . . 69

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How many foreign citizens study in Lithuanian higher education institutions? . 70What percentage of youth study in higher education institutions? . . . . . . 70What is the ratio of people with tertiary education to the population? . . . . 71How many lecturers work in higher education institutions? . . . . . . . . 72What is the qualification of lecturers of higher education institutions? . . . . 72How many higher education institutions are there in Lithuania? . . . . . . 73

ADULT EDUCATION AND LIFELONG LEARNING

How many adults study in general education schools? . . . . . . . . . . 75What is the proportion of adults among the pupils in the general education

system? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75In what grades do adults study and what is their age? . . . . . . . . . . 76What is the distribution of students in schools for adults by gender? . . . . 78How many students acquire education in schools for adults, classes and

training centres? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79What is the proportion of adults among all graduates? . . . . . . . . . . 80What is the distribution of adults participating in learning activities by place of

residence? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82What is the distribution of adults participating in learning activities by different

age groups? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82What is the distribution of male and female adults participating in learning

activities? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84What is the distribution of adults participating in learning activities by

socio-economic groups? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85What is the distribution of adults participating in learning activities by

educational attainment? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

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The goal of the publication is, by providing diagrams and short explanations, to show thetrends in Lithuanian education and to compare the said trends with the trends in educationof other European Union member states. Firstly, education related changes in Lithuania thattook place from 1990 to 2005 are reviewed; then, the Lithuanian educational structure isdescribed in accordance with the ISCED levels.

At the beginning of the publication the reader will find key data on education in Lithuania,and a comparison of education in Lithuania to that of other European countries. Further chap-ters provide a more comprehensive description of pre-school and pre-primary education, gen-eral education, vocational training, higher education, adult education, and life-long learning.

There are several types of references:Source - where the data is presented in the same form as in the original source;Data source - where the data is presented in tables, charts;Calculations based on - where calculations were carried out by the publication team ratherthan by data providers.

The following abbreviations are used to indicate major sources:MES - Ministry of Education and ScienceITC - Education IT CentreSTD - Department of Statistics under Republic of Lithuania GovernmentEUROSTAT - Statistical Office of the European UnionISCED - International Standard Classification of EducationISCED 97 - the 1997 classification

BASIC DATA ABOUT THE STATE OF LITHUANIA

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Latvia

Bal

ticS

ea

Kaliningrad Region ofthe Russian Federation

Poland

Belarus

373 km

275

km

Official name of the state –The Republic of Lithuania

Capital – Vilnius

Administrative territorial division:10 counties,

60 municipalities

Population –3 million 412.8 thousand

553 thousand reside in thelargest city – the capital

Urban population constitute66.6%, rural – 33.4%

Average population density -52.5 residents/km2

Natural increaseof population negative:- 3.2 per 1000 population

Life expectancy:male - 66.4 years,female - 77.7 years

FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES

The statehood of Lithuania was restored in 1990, but the movement for the inde-pendence of education from the Soviet Union commenced earlier – in 1988 byproclaiming the Concept of Secondary General Education School of the Lithuanian

SSR, also known as the Concept of National School, which provided for the re-structuring of education in Lithuania based on the principles of democracy and na-tional culture. After the restoration of independence, not only the vision of the na-tion but also of the education of an independent state was necessary. This vision,encompassing the goals, principles, structures and the reform programme of edu-cation, was set out in the Concept of Lithuanian Education published in 1992. Thefour principles formulated in the Concept – humanism, democracy, commitment tonational culture and identity, and renewal – have become the core for organisingthe education of the first decade of the independent State. The present Law onEducation of the Republic of Lithuania affirms the following principles of education:

• Equal opportunities: the educational system is socially fair, it ensures equalityfor individuals irrespective of gender, race, nationality, language, origin, socialposition, religion, beliefs or convictions; it assures each individual access toeducation, opportunity for attainment of a general education level and a pri-mary qualification and creates conditions for in-service education or gaining anew qualification;

• Contextuality: the educational system is closely linked to the context of na-tional economic, social and cultural development; renews itself as this contextdoes and meets the continuously changing needs of society;

• Effectiveness: the educational system pursues high-quality results by ratio-nally and economically using available resources; by continuously evaluating,analysing and planning its activity; and by relying on effective management,i.e. proper and timely decisions;

• Continuity: the educational system is flexible, open, based on interaction ofvarious forms and institutions; it creates conditions for each individual to en-gage in life-long learning.

MAJOR WORK IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF EDUCATION

The history of Lithuanian education of the recent fifteen years could be dividedinto three relative phases: phase 1 from 1990 to 1997, phase 2 from 1998 to2002 and phase 3 from 2003.

During phase 1, corresponding to the first stage of the Lithuanian education

reform, much effort has been expended to reform the contents of education (cur-ricula, textbooks, pedagogy). Centralised changes were introduced to the contentsof education of general education schools: it was humanised, shifted to liberal edu-cation, modernised, interdisciplinary links were strengthened and efforts were madeto move from reproductive pedagogy to interpretative. New guidelines(programmes) of pre-school education were developed. Changes in the tertiary andvocational training curricula were not so steady and even because it was impossi-ble to change them in a centralised way.O

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Another direction in the educational change of this period was the expansion of

opportunities for learning choices by implementing the principles of humanity anddemocracy. The inherited system of unified school types was supplemented byyouth schools for teenagers with insufficient learning motivation and by gymnasiafor capable and motivated youth. General education schools with the languages ofinstruction of the largest ethnical minorities – Russian and Polish – were retained;textbooks for such schools were prepared by the State. A new stage (theso-called stage I-a) was introduced for pupils without basic education in vocationalschools. Pupils with special needs who earlier received education in segregatedspecialised schools were offered integrated education in general educationschools. The development of the network of pedagogical and psychological ser-vices was undertaken.Major structural and administrative changes in the first stage of the reform tookplace at the level of tertiary education: legitimised autonomy of higher educationinstitutions, shift from two-stage to three-stage university studies, some studentsstart paying tuition fees themselves. New universities and study programmes theyoffer came into existence.In the area of education assessment and quality assurance, most of the attentionhas been focused on the teachers of general education schools: the system of at-testing and granting qualification categories for teachers was designed and tunedto the system of professional development; the attestation of school managerscommenced. In 1996, the National Examination Centre was established for organ-ising national matura examinations in a centralised way. The Centre for QualityAssessment in Higher Education was founded with a view to assessing tertiary ed-ucation in 1995.

The period of 1998-2002, corresponding to the second phase of the educa-

tion reform, pursued the course taken during the first phase and aimed at solvingthe problems brought about by vast novelties in education and society develop-ments. In order to reduce the dropout rate of youth leaving the educational sys-tem, a shift from compulsory nine-years schooling that of ten-years was made in1998-2000 and the pre-school education of one year was introduced in 2000. Aconception and structure of the permanent educational system designated to en-sure continuous universal education was presented.Continuing the trend of making education more individual, profiling was introducedfor the last two grades of general education schools. It was brought into line withthe national matura examinations system and the latter – with the system of ad-mission to higher education institutions.With the strengthening of the national economy, more attention could be paid onthe provision of education – textbooks, computerisation and other teaching aids.On the other hand, the decreasing number of children and population migrationsignal that some schools are emptying and that the historical pattern of the schoolnetwork is ineffective – preparation for its regulation are undertaken. In order tospeed up the solution of these problems, the financing of general educationschools was restructured in 2002: the principle of the pupil’s basket was intro-duced according to which the amount of funds received by the school dependedon the number of pupils. Preparations were made for the introduction of the pupil’sbasket in vocational schools.

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The third phase of development of education in the independent State of Lithu-ania is linked with the National Education Strategy 2003-2012. The Strategy setsthe following key aims for the development of education:

1) to develop an efficient and consistent educational system which is based onthe responsible management, targeted funding and rational use of resources;

2) to develop an accessible system of continuing education that guaranteeslife-long learning and social justice in education;

3) to ensure a quality of education which is in line with the needs of anindividual living in an open civil society under market economy conditions,and the universal needs of society of the modern world.

The Programme for Implementation of this Strategy highlights five priority directions:1) improvement of management (implementation of the principles of quality

management providing for a shift to subsidiary responsibilities andaccountability based on rationally and transparently planned and distributedfinancial resources);

2) improvement of infrastructure (streamlining of the network of educationservices; development of new services in education and links of theeducational system);

3) improvement of support (focus on the furtherance of socially fair equalopportunities in education: fostering of diverse individual support for pupils,which would be of overall and criteria-based nature; organising of material,psychological and other assistance for schools);

4) improvement of contents (enhancement of conformity of the contents oflearning and studies to the needs of labour market in the knowledge society;improvement of the all-inclusive development of social, communication andother general skills; adjustment of schooling to individual needs andcapacities, together with the balancing out of the load of studies);

5) improvement of personnel (reorganisation of education and professionaldevelopment of pedagogues; revised requirements for pedagogues;arrangements for the new system for assessing the competences andcompetence development of pedagogues; taking of measures to improve thequalification of school managers).

The third phase is marked by systematic change aspirations aiming not at seg-mentation of education into elements or fields, but at their links and tuning up oftheir activity principles.

The second and third phases in the development of the Lithuanian education havebeen bound together by the Education Improvement Project carried out in2002-2005. It was the biggest investment project into general education schoolssince the restoration of independence (the Project budget – 180 million LTL). Itaimed at improving educational achievements of pupils attending grades 5-10 byenhancing the quality of teaching and learning at general education schools andby optimising the utilisation of education funds. The Project consisted of four inte-grated components: improvement of teaching and learning conditions at basicschools; creation of the system of quality management of education; reduction ofenergy expenses in schools; and optimisation of the school network. Even thoughthe focal attention was on basic education, the Project has had an effect upon theentire educational system.O

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THE EDUCATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA

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Schools by type, 2004-2005

Teachers by type of school in 2004-2005, thous.

Pupils and students by type of school in 2004-2005, thous.

Data source: Statistics Lithuania

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HOW MANY PUPILS AND STUDENTS ARE THERE IN LITHUANIA?

Pupils and students by level of education in 2004


Ratio of pupils and students to the population in Lithuania and

Europe

Data sources: Statistics Lithuania, EUROSTAT

In 2004-2005, pupils and students made up 23.5% of the country's population.This slightly exceeds the EU average, where pupils and students amount to about20% of the population.

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Theoretical duration of studiesat level of education in years

WHAT ARE THE CHANGES IN THE NUMBER OF PUPILS

(STUDENTS) AND YOUTH?

Pupils and students and the population aged 0-24 years in 1990-2004,

thous.


After Lithuania regained independence in 1990, the number of pupils and studentsdecreased over the first three years. The 1990 level was attained only in 1996.The total number of learners rapidly rose from 1996 to 2003; it has since beendeclining due to the constantly decreasing birth rate.

Change in the number of children and youth aged 0-29 in Lithuanian

and Europe in 1990-2005, %

In Lithuania, the number ofchildren and youth decreasedby 6.1% in 1990-1995, by8.5% in 1995-2000, and by21% in 2001-2005.

According to the data ofEUROSTAT, the birthrate inLithuania was one of themost negative in Europe in2005, and the variation in thepopulation was the most neg-ative (–7%, of which 3% wasdue to emigration).

Calculated according to Eurydice, Statistics Lithuania

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HOW MANY PUPILS ARE THERE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS?

Proportion of pupils with special needs in general education schools

Pupils with special needs mean pupils who have an inborn or acquired disorder. InLithuania, these disorders are classified into 10 groups. In 2004-2005, pupils withspecial needs amounted to 10.4% of pupils in all general education schools.

Distribution of pupils with special needs attending general education

classes by type of disorder in 2004-2005, %


Children with special needs at pre-school educational establishments

in 2004


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2002-2003

57168

(9.6%)

Proportion of pupils with special needs

2004-2005

58837

(10.4%)

WHERE DO PUPILS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS STUDY?

Distribution of pupils with special needs in schools (numbers)


In 2004-2005, 11.7% of all pupils with special needs studied in special schools,classes and education centres. The remaining 88.3% were integrated into generaleducation classes.

WHAT IS THE AVERAGE DURATION OF STUDIES IN LITHUANIA?

Expected years in education in European states in 2003

Data source: EUROSTAT

If the existing enrolment stays the same in the future, on average a Lithuanian citi-zen would spend 17.3 years of their lifetime in education, i.e. approximately thesame as that of the European population (17 years).

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WHAT IS THE ENROLMENT BY LEVEL OF EDUCATION?

Enrolment by level of education in 2004


Two indicators of gross and net enrolment are used for measuring the enrolmentratio. The net indicator shows what percentage of the population of the age corre-sponding to a particular level of education participates in education. The gross in-dicator is used to compare the general proportion of participants in a specific sec-tor to the population of a corresponding age group. Comparing these indicatorsshows how many people are above the theoretically expected age in that level ofeducation.

The higher the level of education, the bigger the gap should be between the indi-cators of net and gross enrolment. The situation in Lithuania is specific becausethis difference at the level of tertiary education (22 percentage points) is lowerthan at the level of secondary education (28.1 percentage points). This indicatesthat acquiring secondary education is most topical for those who did not manageto accomplish this in due time.

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HOW DID THE ENROLMENT RATIO CHANGE WITHIN THE LEVEL?

Enrolment by level1 in 1996-2004


In 1996-2004, the enrolment rate remained steady only at the primary educationlevel - about 100%. At the advanced vocational education level, the enrolment ratedropped to 0.7% due to the reorganisation of advanced vocational schools intocolleges, which contributed to the leap in the enrolment rates in institutions of ter-tiary education.

1 Primary education level excluded.

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WHAT IS THE PERCENTAGE OF YOUTH IN EDUCATIONAL

INSTITUTIONS?

Pupils and students (ISCED 1-6) aged 15-24 as a % of the

corresponding age population in European states, 2003


Percentage of youth aged 18 participating in education in European

states, 2003


Based on educational enrolment in 2003 (68% of the population aged 15-24 and87.4% of youth aged 18 participated in education), Lithuania was one of the lead-ing EU states, exceeding the EU average.

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HOW MANY EARLY SCHOOL-LEAVERS ARE THERE?

Percentage of early male and female school-leavers1 in European

states, 2005


The share of female early school-leav-ers is smaller than that of males. It istypical of nearly all EU countries. Thevariance between the share of maleand female early school-leavers in EUstates fluctuated from 0.2 to 16.6 per-centage points in 2005. The variance inLithuania was 6 percentage points (theshare of males aged 18-24 with atmost basic education in 2005 was12.2%, females - 6.2%).

Reducing the extent of early schoolleaving is one of the EU's objectives. Itis sought that the share of earlyschool-leavers aged 18-24 with at mostbasic educational attainment is nothigher than 10% in 2010. The share ofearly school-leavers in Lithuania de-creased almost two times (to 9.2%)from 2000 to 2005 and is alreadysmaller than the EU target (10%).

1 Early school-leavers are considered the population aged 18-24 with at most basiceducation and not in further education or training.

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Early school-leaving in the EU and

Lithuania compared to the EU

target, 2000 and 2005


WHAT DIRECTION OF STUDIES IS CHOSEN BY YOUNG PEOPLE

AGED 16-18 YEARS?

Number of pupils seeking secondary education in General education

or in vocational schools in 1990-2004 (thous.)

In 1990, the distribution of pupilsseeking secondary education wasrather even in general education andvocational schools. Over the first fiveyears of the restored independentState (1990-1995), the total numberof pupils pursuing secondary educa-tion dropped by 54,000, out of which52,000 were pupils of vocational andadvanced vocational schools. In2000-2004, the number of pupils insecondary education schools in-creased by 19,000 (from 68,000 to87,000), whereas in vocationalschools it remained almost the same(29,000 in 2000, 30,000 in 2004).

Distribution of 16, 17 and 18 year olds in general education,

vocational and other schools


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Percentage of students in training resulting in vocational qualification

to the general number of pupils at the secondary education level in

European states by gender, 2003


In Lithuania, as in many other European Union countries, schools providing voca-tional qualification are more often chosen by male than female students. In 2003,vocational training programmes were chosen by 31.7% of male and 20.5% of fe-male students seeking secondary education. Lithuania is one of the EU countrieswhere the schools providing vocational qualification account for the smallest pro-portion of all pupils seeking secondary education.

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WHAT IS THE EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT OF LITHUANIAN YOUTH?

Percentage of youth in European states aged 20-24 with at least

secondary education, 2004


Percentage of the population in European states aged 25-34 with

tertiary education, 2004

* Including advanced vocational education. Data source: EUROSTAT** Data from 2002.*** Data from 2003.

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WHAT IS THE EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT OF THE LITHUANIAN

POPULATION?

Distribution of the Lithuanian population aged 25-64 by educational

attainment, 2004

The educational system thatexisted before 1990 does notfully correspond to the modernone. At that time, special vo-cational education was quitepopular. Attributing the popula-tion with this educational at-tainment to the group of higheducational attainment levelmakes Lithuania the countryof the highest educational at-tainment in Europe (2002).Whereas considering specialvocational educational attain-ment as medium attainment,Lithuania would only slightlysurpass the old EU memberstates.

Data sources: Statistics Lithuania, Labour Force Survey

Distribution of the population in European states aged 25-64 by

educational attainment, 2002 (%)

Data source: Education across Europe 2003

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WHAT IS THE AMOUNT OF FUNDS ALLOCATED TO EDUCATION?

Total national and municipal expenditure on education in 2001-2004

2001 2002 2003Total, million LTL 2862.4 3040.5 3153.7

as a share of GDP, % 5.92 5.89 5.61

Expenditure per one pupil at the preschool educationlevel (ISCED 0), thous. LTL 4.5 4.5 4.7

Expenditure per one pupil of general educationcurriculum (ISCED 1, 2, 3), thous. LTL 2.7 2.9 3.0

Expenditure per one pupil of vocational trainingcurriculum (ISCED 2, 3, 4), thous. LTL 4.2 4.6 4.6

Expenditure per one student (ISCED 5, 6), thous. LTL 5.5 5.7 5.8


Compared to other states, Lithuania spends a substantial portion of GDP on edu-cation - 5.6%. In 2003, the funds allocated per pupil/student amounted to 31% ofGDP per capita. These values are relative: a share of GDP per capita convertedusing the purchasing power standard (PPS) shows that it is two times less than inEU states on average. Thus, the estimated share of funds per pupil/student inLithuania using the PPS is one of the smallest compared to other Europeanstates.

WHAT IS THE AMOUNT OF FUNDS ALLOCATED TO EDUCATION

COMPARED TO OTHER STATES?

Public expenditure on education as a share of GDP in European

states in 2002, %


25

Percentage of GDP per one inhabitant in PPS (EU-25=100%) in

European states in 2004

* Forecast. Data source: EUROSTAT

Amount of funds per pupil/student in educational institutions in PPS

in European states in 2002

* Public and private funds are added together when calculating this indicator; the Lithuanian data reflectonly public (governmental and municipal) funds. The funds of ISCED levels 2-4 have been calculatedtogether with the funds allocated for pupils of ISCED level 1.


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WHAT IS THE AMOUNT OF FUNDS ALLOCATED TO RESEARCH AND

DEVELOPMENT?

Funds allocated to R&D in 1995-2004

The funds allocated toR&D for almost a de-cade (1995-2004) havegrown from 0.46% to0.76% of GDP, howeverthis share is very smallcompared to that of theEU mean (1.9% ofGDP). This also relatesto the small share ofpeople employed in thearea of knowledgeeconomy: approximately27% (mean of EUstates - 39%).

The usage structure ofR&D funds has alsochanged over the afore-mentioned period: ex-penditure on develop-ment is inreasing withdecreasing volumes ofbasic research.

Share of funds allocated to R&D, %


27


WHAT IS THE EXTENT OF DEVELOPMENT OF RESEARCH AND

DEVELOPMENT?

* No data was available at the end of 2005.

Data source: EUROSTAT Data source: EUROSTAT

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Government expenditure on R&D

as a % of GDP in European

states, 2004

Level of knowledge intensive

sectors in European states in 2004:

% of employees compared to the

general number of employees

WHAT IS THE EXTENT OF DEVELOPMENT OF THE INFORMATION

SOCIETY?

1 With at least 10 employees.

29

Percentage of population

regularly using the Internet in


Note: Data of Ireland, Bulgaria, Romania andNorway is from 2004.


Percentage of enterprises1 with

access to the Internet in European

states in 2005

Note: Data of France, Malta and Iceland is from2003.


The purpose of pre-school education is to help a child satisfy natural, cultural, so-cial and cognitive needs. Pre-school education takes place in the family or is pro-vided, at the request of the parents (or foster parents), by pre-school establish-ments offering a pre-school curriculum. The pre-school curriculum is implementedby nursery-kindergartens, kindergartens, kindergarten-schools and other educationproviders. Pre-school education is provided to children from the age of 1 to 5 or 6.Education of children according to pre-school curriculum is not compulsory. Fam-ilies who raise children of pre-school age at home receive educational assistancefrom the State.Implementation of pre-primary education began in Lithuania in 2000. In that year,the Pre-Primary Education Concept was approved and the implementation stagesof pre-primary education were defined. Preparatory work took place in 2000-2002and the introduction of pre-primary education was carried out in 2003-2005. Thestrategic plans of education envisage making pre-primary education compulsoryfrom 2007.The purpose of pre-primary education is to help a child prepare for successfullearning according to the primary education curriculum. The provision of pre-pri-mary education to a child commences on the calendar year when the child turnssix years of age. The duration of the pre-primary education curriculum is one year.It is implemented by kindergartens, primary and other schools. Pre-primary educa-tion is not compulsory. Children who are 5-6 years of age and who do not attendan educational institution receive educational assistance from the State. Participa-tion of children in pre-primary education has been rapidly intensifying in recentyears.

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HOW MANY CHILDREN ARE THERE AT THE LEVEL OF PRE-SCHOOL

EDUCATION?

Children in pre-school education establishments and pre-primary

groups by age in 2004-2005


WHAT IS THE AGE OF CHILDREN IN PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION

ESTABLISHMENTS?

Distribution of children in pre-school education establishments by age

in 2004-2005, %

The prevailing age groups inpre-school education establish-ments are children of 3, 4, 5 and6 years of age.Six-year-olds are in the majorityin pre-primary education groups,accounting for about 77% of allchildren in these groups.


Distribution of children in pre-primary groups by age in 2004-2005, %


31

WHAT PROPORTION OF CHILDREN AGED 1-6 YEARS ATTENDS

PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION ESTABLISHMENTS?

Distribution of children aged 1-6 attending and not attending

pre-school education establishments, %


pre-school education establishments in urban areas, %


pre-school education establishments in rural areas, %


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32

The proportion of children aged 1-6 attending pre-school education establishmentshas been gradually increasing over the last five years. Slightly more than half(50.3%) of children of corresponding age attended pre-school education establish-ments in 2004. The share of the corresponding age children in pre-school educa-tion establishments in urban areas was noticeably higher than that in rural areas(in 2004, pre-school education establishments were attended by 68.2% of the chil-dren in urban areas and 19.9% in rural areas). The number of children attendingpre-school education establishments is increasing in urban as well as rural areas.

WHAT PROPORTION OF CHILDREN IS THERE AT THE PRE-SCHOOL

EDUCATION LEVEL?

Distribution of children aged 5-7 in pre-school and pre-primary education

establishments as a % of the population of corresponding age in 2004

Comparing the numberof 5, 6 and 7-year-oldchildren participating inthis education to thenumber of correspond-ing age population, itcan be seen thatsix-year-olds prevailed inpre-school education es-tablishments and pre-pri-mary education groups.

Participation of 4-year-olds in pre-school education in European states

in 2003, %


According to the percentage of 4-year-olds in education, Lithuania did not differfrom the majority of European states in 2003. This proportion was 52.7% in 2004.

33


HOW MANY PEDAGOGUES WORK AT THE PRE-SCHOOL

EDUCATION LEVEL?

Number of pedagogical staff* in pre-school education establishments

The number of pedagogicalstaff in preschool educationestablishments has de-creased over the last fiveyears. The number of tu-tors has also dropped - by4.4% since 2000. The de-crease in the number of tu-tors over this period is5.1%. At the end of 2004,the tutor-child ratio was ap-proximately 1:9.5.


* The pedagogical staff of pre-school education establishments includes: headmasters, deputyheadmasters, tutors, artistic development instructors, special pedagogues, speech therapists,psychologists, other pedagogical staff and pre-primary education pedagogues.

Number of pre-primary education pedagogues in general education

schools*

The number of pre-primaryeducation pedagogues ingeneral education schoolsrose over the last fouryears. The increase from2001-2004 was 26%. Thisis linked to the increasingvolumes of pre-primary ed-ucation.


* Data excludes school managers.

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WHAT IS THE AGE OF PEDAGOGUES WORKING IN PRE-SCHOOL

EDUCATION?

Distribution of pedagogues in pre-school education establishments by

age group at the beginning of the 2003-2004 academic year, %

The majority of preschool education pedagogues were of medium age from 35 to49 (they accounted for more than half, i.e., 56.6%, of all pedagogues in preschooleducation establishments.


Distribution of pre-primary education pedagogues by age group at the

beginning of the 2005-2006 academic year, %

There are 1,009 pre-primary education pedagogues in 2005-2006 in total.The majority of pre-primary education pedagogues are 30-40 years old. They ac-count for one-third (34.8%) of all the pedagogues of pre-primary education. Thevast majority of them (67.2%) are 30-50 years old.

Data source: Centre of Informational Technologies of Education

35

HOW MANY PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION ESTABLISHMENTS ARE

THERE IN LITHUANIA?

Number of pre-school education establishments in 2000-2005


Number of pre-school education establishments by language of

instruction at the end of the 2004 academic year

In preschool educa-tion establishments,Lithuanian was usedas the language ofinstruction for 92.7%of preschoolers.


HOW HAS THE SIZE OF PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION

ESTABLISHMENTS BEEN CHANGING?

Average number of children in pre-school education establishments

(end of the year)

The size of preschooleducation establish-ments in urban andrural areas differs toa great extent: a ruralpre-school educationestablishment has onaverage three timesfewer children thanan urban one.


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HOW MANY PRE-PRIMARY EDUCATION GROUPS ARE THERE?

Number of pre-primary education groups in 2000-2004

Compared to 2000, the number of pre-primary education groups increased nearlytwofold in 2004. The most marked change was in the number of groups in pre-school education establishments - it rose approximately 2.5 times.


Average number of children in pre-primary education groups

(beginning of the year) (thous.)


Based on the number of children, pre-primary education groups in pre-school edu-cation establishments have more children than those in general education schools.They are smaller in rural areas than in urban areas.

37

General education is carried out according to primary, basic, secondary and corre-sponding special education curricula. According to the ISCED (1997) classification,Lithuanian general education encompasses levels 1, 2 and 3.General education curricula may be implemented in various schools: schools-kinder-gartens, primary, basic, youth schools, secondary schools, gymnasia, special schools,vocational, adult schools, etc. (Vocational training and adult education are describedin the chapters “Vocational training” and “Adult education and lifelong learning”.)Primary education lasts for four years (grades 1-4). Upon completion of the pri-mary education curriculum, primary education is attained. Basic education is pro-vided for pupils who have acquired primary education. The first part of the basiccurriculum covers education content concentres of four years (grades 5-8), whilethe second part extends for two years (grades 9-10). Completion of the basic cur-riculum results in the attainment of basic education. Secondary education is pro-vided to pupils who have attained the basic educational level. Secondary educa-tion takes two years (grades 11-12). Upon completion of this curriculum, asecondary education level is attained.In 2005, many significant changes in Lithuanian general education took place. Re-structuring of the network of schools that implement formal education programmeswas undertaken. The restructuring plans for special schools were approved andthe “The Yellow Bus” programme for transporting pupils with special needs in2005-2008 was developed. Improvements were made to the methodology of thepupil’s basket. Salaries for pedagogues were increased. In 2005, the accreditationof secondary schools was continued and accredited secondary schools becamegymnasia. Assistance to pupils and teachers received much attention. Positions ofassistant teachers and school psychologists were introduced in schools. The“Strategy of Development of Talented Children and Youth” was developed and the“Programme of Development of Talented Children” was underway. “The 2005-2007Programme for Introduction of Information and Communication Technologies intoLithuanian Education” was launched.

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HOW MANY PUPILS ARE THERE IN THE GENERAL EDUCATION

SYSTEM?

Number of pupils1 by type of general education school in 2004-2005


In 2004-2005, there were 544,754 pupils in Lithuanian general educationday-schools2, including 2,328 pupils (0.4%) in non-public schools.

1 Pupils of sanatorium and adult schools excluded.2 Hereinafter general education schools will be referred to as day-schools in order to makea distinction between them and adult schools, which are mostly evening schools, as well asbetween sanatorium schools.

HOW IS THE NUMBER OF PUPILS IN THE GENERAL EDUCATION

SYSTEM CHANGING?

Change in the total number of pupils in general education schools in

1995-2004


39

Due to the declining number of children the number of pupils in Lithuanian generaleducation schools has been decreasing since 2000. Over the last five years, thetotal number of pupils has decreased by more than 40,000 (6.7%) and will con-tinue declining for several years.

WHAT IS THE DISTRIBUTION OF PUPILS BY GENDER AND AGE?

General education day-school pupils by gender and age in 2004-2005

The distribution ofpupils in Lithuaniangeneral educat ionday schools by gen-der and age showsthat more female pu-pils seek secondaryeducation in Lithua-nia.

HOW IS THE NUMBER OF PUPILS IN GENERAL EDUCATION

SCHOOLS CHANGING BY AGE?

General education day-school pupils by gender and age in 2002 and 2004

The distribution ofpupils in Lithuaniangeneral educat ionday-schools by ageshows a clear de-crease in the numberof younger pupi lsand an increase inthe number of17-year-olds andolder pupils over theperiod of three years.This corresponds tothe change in theLithuanian popula-tion: the birth rategrowth of the 1980shas been annuallydecreasing since1991.

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HOW MANY PUPILS ARE THERE IN URBAN AND RURAL AREAS?

Number of general education day-school pupils in urban and rural

areas in 2000-2001 and 2004-2005 academic years

In 2004, 33.3% of the populationlived in rural areas and 32.5% of allgeneral education school pupils stud-ied in rural schools. The number ofpupils in urban as well as ruralschools has been steadily decreasingin recent years. The number of pu-pils in urban schools has dropped bymore than 31,000 (7%) and in ruralschools by nearly 12,000 (8.2%) overfive years. The decrease in the num-ber of pupils is caused not only bythe decreasing birth rate, but also bythe emigration of young families.

Number of general education day-school pupils in urban and rural

areas in the 2000-2001 and 2004-2005 academic years

Obvious changes in thenumber of pupils in dif-ferent grades in Lithua-nian urban and rural ar-eas have taken placeover the last five years.

Since 2000, the numberof pupils in grades 1-5has been steadily de-clining both in urbanand rural areas. In ur-

ban areas, the numberof pupils in grades 6-9decreased. It increasedonly in grades 10-12. In

rural areas, the numberof pupils was stable orincreasing in grades 6to 12.

The corresponding agepopulation decreased inurban areas and in-creased in rural areas atthe same period of time.

41



IN WHAT LANGUAGES DO GENERAL EDUCATION SCHOOL PUPILS

STUDY?

Distribution of general education day-schools by language of

instruction in 2004-2005, %

Lithuanian pupils may choose ageneral education school accordingto the language of instruction. Tra-ditionally, pupils choose schoolswhere the subjects are taught inLithuanian, Russian or Polish. Inaddition, there is one school foreach of the following languages:Byelorussian and French. Theschool with Byelorussian as thelanguage of instruction has old tra-ditions, while instruction in Frenchis still a novelty. In 2004-2005, thevast majority of pupils (91.3% or491,495 pupils) studied in Lithua-nian in general education schools.

HOW IS THE NUMBER OF PUPILS STUDYING IN RUSSIAN, POLISH

AND BYELORUSSIAN LANGUAGES CHANGING?

Change in the number of pupils who study in languages other than

Lithuanian in general education day-schools in 2000-2004

The number of pupils studying inRussian, Polish and Byelorussianhas decreased in the last fiveyears due to the demographic sit-uation.


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WHAT AND HOW MANY FOREIGN LANGUAGES ARE STUDIED BY

LITHUANIAN GENERAL EDUCATION SCHOOL PUPILS?

Average number of foreign languages studied in 2003 per pupil at

secondary education schools in European states

* No data is available about the basic education level.** No data is available about the secondary education level. Data source: EUROSTAT

In Lithuania the ratio of languages per pupil at the basic education level is higher(1.7) than at the secondary education level, where pupils may choose whether ornot to study a second foreign language.

Percentage of secondary level (ISCED 3) pupils who studied English,

German or French as foreign languages in European states in 2003


The prevailing1 foreign language in Lithuanian schools is English.

1 Russian is most popular as the second foreign language.

43

HOW MANY FOREIGN STUDENTS ARE THERE IN LITHUANIAN

GENERAL EDUCATION SCHOOLS?

Number of foreign students in general education day-schools in

2004-2005

Since Lithuania became amember of the EU, moreforeigners, e.g. specialists(migrating workers), immi-grants/refugees (desiringpermission for permanentresidence in Lithuania), whohave school-aged childrenhave come to the country.

In 2004-2005, there were291 foreign pupils in Lith-uanian general educationschools.

Data source: Survey of the Ministry of Education and Science “Organising Education of ForeignChildren in Lithuanian General Education Schools” 2005

HOW MANY SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN DO NOT ATTEND SCHOOL?

Number of children of compulsory school age who did not attend

school in 2000-2005

The total number of chil-dren not attending schoolis made up of those chil-dren under 16 who donot attend school due todisability or various otherreasons: reluctance tostudy, conflicts withteachers, willingness towork, asocial families,poor health, etc. Accord-ing to the data of theMinistry of Education andScience, this number,which was decreasinguntil 2004, rose in 2005.

The biggest share of non-attending pupils (46.8%) in 2005 was comprised of thosewho should be studying in grades 6, 7 and 8.

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Data source: Ministry of Education and Science

HOW MANY TEACHERS ARE THERE IN THE GENERAL EDUCATION

SYSTEM?

Number of teachers in different types of general education

day-schools in 2004-2005


HOW HAS THE NUMBER OF TEACHERS BEEN CHANGING IN

RECENT YEARS?

Number of teachers and school managers1 in general education

schools in 2000-2004

With the decreasing number of Lith-uanian general education schoolsand pupils, the number of teachersand school managers has alsoslightly decreased. The total numberof full-time teachers and schoolmanagers has declined by 2,365 (ofwhich 491 are in urban and 1,874are in rural areas) over the fiveyears. Some teachers have retiredand others have changed their pro-fession; therefore, it would be mis-taken to assume that these teachershave lost their jobs in schools.


1 Headmasters and deputy headmasters for educational matters.

45

HOW HAS THE EDUCATIONAL LEVEL OF TEACHERS AND SCHOOL

MANAGERS BEEN CHANGING?

Teachers and managers of general education schools by educational

level in 1995-2004

The educational level of Lithu-anian teachers and schoolmanagers is quite high. In1995-2004, the share of teach-ers and school managers withhigher education increased to90.2% (of which 96.7% of theteachers and school managershad pedagogical education in2004-2005). 82.1% of thosewith advanced vocational edu-cation also have pedagogicaleducation.

HOW MANY MALE STAFF ARE THERE IN LITHUANIAN GENERAL

EDUCATION SCHOOLS?

Change in the proportion of male teachers and school managers in

general education schools in 1990-2004, %

Few males work in Lithuaniangeneral education schools andfrom 1990 to 2004 their num-ber has decreased by 2.7%.In 2004-2005, males made up1.7% of staff in primary gra-des and 17% in grades 5-12.

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WHAT IS THE QUALIFICATION OF LITHUANIAN TEACHERS AND

SCHOOL MANAGERS?


WHAT ARE THE SALARIES OF GENERAL EDUCATION SCHOOL

TEACHERS?

Minimum and maximum basic gross teacher salaries relative to per capita

GDP in European states in 2002-2003

Primary education

Data source: Key data on Education in Europe 2005

4747

Number and proportion of pedagogues

granted qualification categories

(compared to the total number of

teachers) in 2004-2005

Qualification categories Certified %

Teacher 3151 7.5

Senior teacher 24282 57.8

Methodologist 8703 20.7

Expert 578 1.4

In total 36714 87.4

In Lithuania, the qualification of teachers isassessed by the following qualification cate-gories: teacher, senior teacher, teacher-methodologist and teacher-expert (in as-cending order).

Number and proportion of school

managers granted managerial

qualification categories (compared to the

total number of managers) in 2004-2005

Managerial qualification

categoriesCertified %

Category 3 1984 55.4

Category 2 579 16.2

Category 1 20 0.5

In total 2583 72.1

The qualification of school managers (head-masters and deputy headmasters for educa-tion) is assessed according to the acquiredmanagerial qualification (category 1 beingthe highest).

The salaries of Lithuanian teachers have been steadily increasing, however, ac-cording to GDP per capita they are still low. The minimum annual relative salaryof Lithuanian teachers is the lowest in Europe. The difference between the mini-mum and maximum salary, which shows career opportunities, is also small. Thesalary of Lithuanian teachers is not affected by the level at which they work.

Basic education


Secondary education


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WHAT IS THE DISTRIBUTION OF GENERAL EDUCATION SCHOOL

TEACHERS BY AGE?

General education school teachers by age in 2003-2005 (%)

In Lithuania in year 2005-2006 the biggest age group of Lithuanian teachers is45-49 years. In comparison with previous years it can be seen that the part ofyounger teachers is decreasing, and the part of elder teachers - increasing.


Distribution of primary education teachers and 5-12 grades teachers

by age in 2005-2006 (%)

By comparing the distribution of primary grade teachers by age it can be seen thatthe middle age group of 30-49 predominates, while the bigger share of teachersunder 30 and over 60 works in grades 5-12.


49

WHAT IS THE AGE OF LITHUANIAN TEACHERS COMPARED TO

THOSE OF OTHER COUNTRIES?

GE

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50

Percentage of teachers <30 and

>50 working at level ISCED 1 in

public and non-public schools

compared to the total number

of teachers working at level

ISCED 1 in 2003


Note: Data of Czech Republic, Estonia andGreece excluded.

Percentage of teachers <30 and

>50 working at levels ISCED 2-3

in public and non-public schools

compared to the total number

of teachers working at levels

ISCED 2-3 in 2003


Note: Data of Czech Republic, Denmark,Estonia and Greece excluded.

WHAT IS THE STUDENT-TEACHER RATIO IN GENERAL EDUCATION

SCHOOLS?

Student-teacher ratio at the primary education level (ISCED 1) in


Data source: EUROSTATNote: Data of Estonia excluded.

Student-teacher ratio at the basic and secondary education levels

(ISCED 2 and 3) in European states in 2003


Note: Data on level ISCED 2-3 of Estonia, level ISCED 2 of Netherlands and Denmark andISCED 3 of Ireland and Luxembourg excluded.

51

HOW MANY GENERAL EDUCATION SCHOOLS ARE THERE IN

LITHUANIA?

Total number of general education day-schools in 2000-2004

Due to demographic reasons aswell as to the ongoing restructur-ing of the network of schools, thetotal number of pupils at generaleducation day-schools decreased,while the average size of theschool (increase in the number ofpupils in schools) increased overthe five years. Five hundred fif-teen schools were reorganisedand incorporated as divisions ofother schools in the course of thenetwork restructuring.

The majority of schools are public. There were only 19 non-public schools in 2005.

HOW IS THE NUMBER OF GENERAL EDUCATION SCHOOLS

CHANGING BY TYPE?

Change in the number of general education day-schools (public and

non-public) in 2002-2004

The last five years sawthe biggest change inthe number of autono-mous schools due tomany primary schoolsbecoming divisions oflarger basic or second-ary schools.

The number of second-ary schools has alsobeen not iceably de-creasing: some second-ary schools have beenconverted to basicschools or gymnasia.

The number of basic schools initially increased and later decreased due to thesmaller number of pupils after the conversion of some basic schools into primaryschools.

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HOW IS THE NUMBER OF GENERAL EDUCATION SCHOOLS

CHANGING BY LANGUAGES OF INSTRUCTION?

Distribution of general education day-schools by language of

instruction in 2000-2004 (number)

With the decreasing total numberof schools the most notable de-crease over the five years was inthe number of schools with Lithu-anian as the language of instruc-tion. The number of schoolsteaching in Polish rose at firstbecause very small schools wereformed and later declined aftersome of the primary schoolswere converted into divisions ofother schools.

There was a distinct decreaseover the five years in the numberof schools having grades with dif-ferent languages of instruction.Lithuania has one school foreach of the following languages:Byelorussian and French.

Number of general education day-schools having classes with

different languages of instruction in 2004-2005

In 2004-2005, there were 53 gen-eral education schools with differ-ent languages of instruction inparallel classes in order to satisfythe needs of national minoritiesfor education in their native lan-guage. Schools teaching in Lithu-anian-Russian and Russian-Polishpredominated.


53


The purpose of vocational education is: to assist a person in the acquisition,change or upgrading of their qualification; and to prepare for participation in thechanging labour market.Vocational education is pursued by four-stage programs, which differ by their con-tents and duration and are designated for youth of different age and education.Stage 1 Vocational education programmes are designed for young people withoutbasic education (ISCED 2, pupils not younger than 14). The programme lasts for2-3 years and leads to a qualification certificate and basic school leaving certifi-cate. Stage 2 Vocational education programmes are designed for pupils with basiceducation. The programmes last for 2 years and graduates receive a qualifiedworkers diploma (ISCED 3). Stage 3 Vocational education programmes are de-signed for pupils with basic education. Stage 3 vocational education lasts 3 yearsand provides the maturity certificate together with a qualified worker's diploma(ISCED 3) and gives access to higher education. Stage 4 offers vocational trainingfor pupils with secondary education. The programmes last for 1 to 2 years andlead to a qualified workers diploma (ISCED 4). Vocational schools may offerprogrammes of one or more or all stages.Restructuring of the network of vocational schools was started in 2000. Optimisingthe network of vocational schools, some of them have been amalgamated, thus,the number of vocational schools has decreased statistically. In the course of im-plementing the reform of the network it was sought to take into account regionaltraining needs of the population, retain the diversity of curricula of vocationalschools, reduce the costs of administration, support staff, the expenses for one pu-pil, as well as to use the premises allocated for vocational training in a more bal-anced way.

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HOW MANY PUPILS ARE THERE IN THE VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

SYSTEM?

Number of pupils in vocational schools by stage

In 2000-2004, the mostmarked change was inthe number of pupils atstages 2 and 4. Thenumber of pupils at sta-ge 2 decreased by 83%during this period, whilethe number of pupils atstage 4 rose by 34%.


HOW IS THE NUMBER OF PUPILS IN VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS

CHANGING?

Change in the number of pupils in vocational schools in 2000-2004

The number of vocational school pupils decreased during the period of 2000-2003.In 2004, there were 4.2% more pupils in vocational schools than in 2003. The pro-portion of females remained steady in 2000-2004, accounting for approximately40% of all pupils in vocational schools.


55

WHAT IS THE AGE OF THE POPULATION STUDYING IN

VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS?

Vocational school pupils in different stages of vocational training by

age in 2004-2005


WHAT IS THE AGE GROUP OF PUPILS IN VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS?

Vocational school pupils as a % of the population of corresponding

age1


1 The share of pupils of other age groups in the population of corresponding age is lessthan 1%.

VO

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NA

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56

WHAT FIELDS OF STUDY ARE CHOSEN BY VOCATIONAL SCHOOL

PUPILS?

Proportion of pupils in vocational schools by field of training in 2004-20051

In 2004-2005, engi-neering and businessand administrationaccounted for 48.7%of al l vocat ionalschool pupils. Lessthan 0.5% of voca-tional school pupilsstudied computingand health.


Number of pupils in vocational schools by field of training in 2002-20042

In 2002-2004, thenumber of vocationalschool pupils choos-ing architecture andbuilding as well asbusiness and admin-istration increased. Inthe fields of engineer-ing trades, personalservices, manufactur-ing and production,the number of pupilsdecreased.


1 Classes of technological gymnasia excluded.2 The data of academic years 2003/04 and 2004/05 exclude the classes of technologicalgymnasia.

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WHAT IS THE EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT OF YOUNG PEOPLE

WHO CHOOSE VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS?

Pupils who enter vocational schools by educational attainment in

2002-2004, %

The majority of pupils entering vocational schools have completed basic or sec-ondary school. In 2002-2004, the number of entrants without basic educational at-tainment decreased by nearly 5%. The share of advanced vocational school grad-uates who enter vocational schools has been steady in recent years and makesup about 0.5%.

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WHAT IS THE PROPORTION OF VOCATIONAL SCHOOL PUPILS

RECEIVING NATIONAL GRANTS?

Proportion of vocational school pupils receiving national grants* in

2000-2004

In 2000-2004, the proportion of vocational school pupils who receive grants roseby 5.6%. The grants of 99% of the vocational school pupils who receive grantsamount to 1-1.5 minimum subsistence levels (MSL). From 2000, the MSL ap-proved by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania is 125 LTL.

HOW MANY PEDAGOGUES WORKED IN VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS?

Change in the number of vocational school pedagogues in 2000-2004

In 2004-2005, there were 4,907 teachers working in vocational schools.The female ratio to all vocational school teachers has not markedly changed overthe period of 2000-2004, constituting about 66%.

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* Those receiving orphan, social or enterprise grants excluded.Data source: Statistics Lithuania

WHAT IS THE EDUCATIONAL LEVEL OF VOCATIONAL SCHOOL

PEDAGOGUES?

Vocational school teachers by educational level in 2000-2004, %

In 2000-2004, the proportion of pedagogues with higher education increased by6%. The share of pedagogues with advanced vocational education or secondaryeducation decreased accordingly.


HOW MANY VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS ARE THERE IN LITHUANIA?

Change in the number of Lithuanian vocational schools in 2000-2004

In 2000-2003, there were no marked changes in the number of vocational schools.In 2003-2004, some vocational schools were amalgamated and eight schools wererestructured to public institutions to continue offering vocational trainingprogrammes. 97.2% of vocational schools were public in 2004-2005.


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WHAT IS THE WORK PERFORMANCE OF VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS?

Percentage of pupils who withdraw from vocational schools and

repeat the course in 2000-2003

In 2000-2003, the share of early vocational school leavers (“dropouts”) was over10% per academic year, of which 5% was due to low attainment. The proportionof pupils repeating the course remained steady during this period - approximately1.1%.

* Proportion of all entrants.Data source: Statistics Lithuania

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The purpose of tertiary education studies is to assist a person in acquiring tertiaryeducation and a particular qualification, as well as to prepare them for active pro-fessional, social and cultural activities. Tertiary education studies in Lithuania areoffered by universities and colleges.A university is a higher education institution where university-type studies prevailand the majority of students study according to university-type study programmes,research is carried out, master and doctoral studies are organised and/or profes-sional artistic creative activity of a high level is developed, and art postgraduatestudies exist.A college is a higher education institution where non-university-type studies prevailand students study according to non-university study programmes and applied re-search and/or development or professional arts are developed.The formation of colleges in Lithuania started only in the last decade on the basisof the best higher schools that existed in the country. 2005 was the start of theestablishment of colleges as a fully structured and operational system of non-uni-versity tertiary education of Lithuania. Nearly all envisaged colleges were estab-lished and started regular activities.Recently the development of the tertiary education system through the 15 yearssince the restoration of independence was summarised, shortcomings in the sys-tem’s efficiency were identified, and decisions on the restructuring of managementand financing of tertiary education were made. The Lithuanian higher educationsystem development plan for 2006-2010 was adopted in 2006.

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HOW MANY STUDENTS ARE THERE IN HIGHER EDUCATION

INSTITUTIONS?

Students in universities and colleges

With the increasing number of higher education institutions in the country, thenumber of students is also growing.

Not only the numberof students of newlyestablished colleges,but also of universi-ties, is growing. Overthe period of oneyear (the 2003-2004and 2004-2005 aca-demic years) the to-tal number of stu-dents in highereducation institutionsincreased by nearly20,000 or 11%, ofwhich 6% were inuniversities.


WHAT IS THE DISTRIBUTION OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS BY STAGE

AND TYPE OF STUDIES?

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University students by cycles of

studies in 2004-2005, %

University students by type of

studies at the start of the

2004-2005 academic year, %


WHAT IS THE DISTRIBUTION OF STUDENTS OF HIGHER

EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS BY AGE?

Students of higher education schools by age in 2004, %

Older students are in the minority in Lithuanian higher education institutions. Morethan half of the students at stages 1 and 2 of colleges and universities are under25, whereas more than half of the students at third cycle of universities are under30. Students over 40 make up five per cent of the students in higher education in-stitutions of all types and stages. By comparing the data of recent years it can beseen that the average age of Lithuanian students is slightly increasing.


Age of students in European states in 2002-2003

Lithuania is close to the EU mean based on the age of students at its higher edu-cation institutions: approximately 70% of students are from 19 to 26.


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WHAT IS THE EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT OF YOUNG PEOPLE WHO

UNDERTAKE BASIC STUDIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS?

Entrants to colleges and universities first cycle by educational

attainment, %

Normally, basic studies inhigher education institutionsare sought after completionof general educat ionschools in Lithuania. Thisis linked to the tendency ofthe major i ty of peoplestudying in Lithuania to ac-quire secondary educationin general education ratherthan in vocational schools.


WHAT IS THE AGE OF YOUNG PEOPLE WHO UNDERTAKE BASIC

STUDIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS?

First year students of higher education institutions as a % of the

population of the theoretical age to commence studying, in European

states in 2002-2003, %

First year students of Lithuanian higher education institutions make up about 75%of the population of the age corresponding to the theoretical age expected for thecommencement of studies. The gross enrolment of first year students under 25constitutes 60%. Compared to other countries, people who undertake studies areyoung and they are numerous.

Note: Poland, Germany and Austria did not submit data by age Data source: EUROSTAT

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WHAT IS THE PROPORTION OF FEMALE STUDENTS?

Females in higher studies in 2004-2005, %

The proportion of fe-males in tertiary educa-tion has been steady inrecent years in Lithuaniaand makes up approxi-mately 60% at all studycycles, except internshipwhere they amount to68%.

WHAT IS THE PROPORTION OF STUDENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION

INSTITUTIONS WHO PAY TUITION FEES THEMSELVES?

Percentage of students at colleges and universities who study out of

their own funds

The Law on Higher Education of the Republic of Lithuania provides that personswho agree to pay the full price of studies may be accepted through competition topart-time evening or extramural studies of all stages and, prior to the 2005-2006academic year, to full-time second cycle day studies.

The proportion of students paying for their studies is increasing in all cycles of ter-tiary education, particularly in the second cycle. The increase of those who pay for

their studies rose bynearly 28 percentagepoints during the periodof academic years2000-01 to 2004-05 andalready constitutes morethan half of all thosestudying in this cycle ofeducation. The share ofstudents studying out oftheir own funds in col-leges is higher com-pared to those at firstcycle of universities, be-cause approximately20% of college studentsstudy in non-public col-leges.

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WHAT IS THE DISTRIBUTION OF STUDENTS BY FIELD OF

EDUCATION?

Number of students at colleges and universities (first cycle) by field

of education1 in 2004-2005


In recent years, training in business and administration, education and teachertraining, engineering and engineering trades was predominant in Lithuania. Overthe period of academic years 2000-2001 to 2004-2005, the highest increase wasseen in the number of students of business and administration: up to three times.The number of other most popular fields of education was rising slower.

1 Classification of EUROSTAT.

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Number of students at second cycle of universities by field of

education1 in 2004-2005


The same trends in choosing the field of education as in university first cycle (un-dergraduate) studies can be observed in second cycle (graduate) studies. In re-cent years, the only notable change out of the most popular fields of educationwas in the number of students of engineering and engineering trades.

1 Classification of EUROSTAT.

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HOW MANY STUDENTS GRADUATE IN NATURAL SCIENCES AND

TECHNOLOGIES?

Number of tertiary graduates in natural sciences and technologies in

European states per 1000 of population aged 20-29 in 2003


Increasing the ratio of graduates in natural sciences and technologies to 1000 ofpopulation aged 20-29 is of one of the targets of European education. The Lithua-nian indicator is one of the highest in Europe and it has been increasing fasterthan the average in the European states. The fast growth of this indicator is re-lated to the rapidly increasing number of students in general in Lithuania.

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HOW MANY FOREIGN CITIZENS STUDY IN LITHUANIAN HIGHER

EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS?

Number of foreign students in Lithuanian universities in 2004-2005

Foreign citizens comprise avery small part of all stu-dents in Lithuanian universi-ties: approximately 0.4%.

About 60% of foreign stu-dents come from Europeanstates; slightly more than30% come from Asia.

WHAT PERCENTAGE OF YOUTH STUDY IN HIGHER EDUCATION

INSTITUTIONS?

Students in higher education institutions in European states as a %

of the population aged 20-24 in 2002-2003


The proportion of students as compared to the total population aged 20-24 in Lith-uania is rather high (nearly 70%) and markedly surpasses the EU average (about56%).

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WHAT IS THE RATIO OF PEOPLE WITH TERTIARY EDUCATION TO

THE POPULATION?

Number of people with tertiary education in European states per 1000

of the population aged 20-29 in 2003


According to the share of youth with tertiary educational attainment, Lithuania isfar ahead the EU average lagging behind only the United Kingdom, Poland andFrance.

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HOW MANY LECTURERS WORK IN HIGHER EDUCATION

INSTITUTIONS?

Lecturers of higher education institutions by position


Colleges are small in Lithuania, thus, it is more difficult to offer a full work load forlecturers to enable them to work at the college full time as in their primary job.Therefore, about 40% of the lecturers teaching at colleges work on a part-time ba-sis. University lecturers employed part-time make up only about one-third.

WHAT IS THE QUALIFICATION OF LECTURERS OF HIGHER

EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS?

Number of full-time lecturers in higher education institutions by

academic degree


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Colleges are more oriented towards practical activities and tend to invite practitio-ners from different branches of the economy as lecturers. Thus, the requirementsfor lecturers in colleges are different than those in universities. Consequently, theshare of college lecturers with academic degrees is particularly small (6.2%; 57%in universities).

HOW MANY HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS ARE THERE IN

LITHUANIA?


In 2004-2005, there were 48 higher education institutions in Lithuania: 27 collegesand 21 universities. The majority of Lithuanian higher education institutions arepublic.

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Number of colleges in 2000-2004 Number of universities in 2000-2004

Adult education encompasses formal and non-formal education.Formal adult education is comprised of general education, vocational training, ad-vanced vocational and higher studies. Those adults who have not acquired basicor secondary education may choose to study at adult training centres and second-ary education schools for adults.The purpose of non-formal adult education is: to provide an individual with condi-tions for lifelong learning; to meet the needs of cognition; to upgrade qualification;and to acquire additional qualifications. The programmes of non-formal adult edu-cation are designated for people aged 18 and older.In 2004, the Lifelong Learning Strategy and its implementation plan were ap-proved. The Strategy lays down the main goals of developing lifelong learning.Lifelong learning becomes a priority of the State of Lithuania, and adult educationoccupies a major part of continuing education. In recent years Lithuania has beenmaking active efforts in redirecting not only the activities of education institutions,but also the entire education system in the direction of lifelong learning.There is an upwards trend of increased adult participation in learning activities.The co-ordination of continuing education policy has improved: social partners aregathered together to implement the Strategy and various continuing educationprogrammes. The Adult Education Division has been formed at the Teacher Pro-fessional Development Centre and the Lithuanian Distance Education Centre hasbeen restructured into the Lithuanian Adult Education and Information Centre. Ac-cess to education is undergoing improvement: legislation providing adults withmore flexible opportunities to return to the general education system have beenenacted. Professional development of the staff of adult education institutions is be-ing enhanced through andragogic publications and introduction of andragogicteaching methods. Learning opportunities for adults are expanding: non-formaladult education projects receive increased financing. The monitoring of continuingeducation is being carried out: research is being conducted, learning motivation ofadults and problems are being analysed, problem solving methods are being ex-plored.

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HOW MANY ADULTS STUDY IN GENERAL EDUCATION SCHOOLS?

Number of pupils in general education schools for adults, classes and

training centres in 2000-2005


During the academic years 2000-2001 and 2004-2005, the number of pupils inschools for adults increased 1.2 times.

WHAT IS THE PROPORTION OF ADULTS AMONG THE PUPILS IN

THE GENERAL EDUCATION SYSTEM?

Pupils in schools for adults, classes and training centres as a % of

pupils in general education day-schools in 2004-2005


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IN WHAT GRADES DO ADULTS STUDY AND WHAT IS THEIR AGE?

Pupils in general education schools for adults, classes and training

centres in 2004-2005

Notes.

There were 13 pupils in grades 1-5.25 pupils in compensatory classes (classes for those who have withdrawn from educationor study some subjects and seek basic or secondary education).

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Pupils in grades 9-12 in schools for adults, classes and training

centres by age in 2004-2005

Data sources: Statistics Lithuania, Centre of Informational Technologies of Education

The fact that the highest number of pupils is in grades 10, 11 and 12 of schoolsfor adults and that their age is above the compulsory school age shows that moreand more people are returning to education and seeking basic or secondary edu-cation. The prevailing group is pupils aged 22, especially in grades 11 and 12.These youngsters seek secondary education not only because were dropouts fromthe education system, but also because they have not acquired secondary educa-tion in vocational schools.

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WHAT IS THE DISTRIBUTION OF STUDENTS IN SCHOOLS FOR

ADULTS BY GENDER?

Share of females in schools for adults, classes and training centres in

2000-2005, %


In recent years, the proportion of females in schools for adults, classes and train-ing centres has been increasing, while the share of men has been accordingly de-creasing.

Number of females and males in schools for adults, classes and

training centres in 2000-2005


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HOW MANY STUDENTS ACQUIRE EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS FOR

ADULTS, CLASSES AND TRAINING CENTRES?

Number of persons who acquired basic or secondary education in

schools for adults, classes and training centres in 2000-2004


The number of adult pupils in schools for adults, classes and training centres whoacquired basic education in 2000-2004 increased by 72.2%. The number of schoolfor adult pupils who acquired secondary education during the same time periodrose by 18%.

Number of persons who acquired secondary education in general

education day-schools, vocational schools and schools for adults in

2000-2004 (thous.)


The number of pupils who acquire secondary education in secondary day-schoolshas been constantly increasing. In the case of vocational schools, it rose slightly in2000-2003 and fell in 2004. The number of pupils who acquire secondary educa-tion in adult schools has become stable since 2002.

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WHAT IS THE PROPORTION OF ADULTS AMONG ALL GRADUATES?

Share of persons who acquired basic education in day-schools,

schools for adults, classes and training centres in 2004-2005, %


Variation in the percentage of persons who acquired basic education

in schools for adults, classes and training centres in 2000-2004


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Share of persons who acquired secondary education in day-schools,

schools for adults, classes and training centres in 2005, %


Variation in the percentage of persons who acquired secondary

education in schools for adults in 2000-2004


The share of persons who acquired basic education in schools for adults between2000 and 2004 increased by 3.2 percentage points and made up 5% of all basiceducation graduates in 2004. The proportion of those who acquired secondary ed-ucation during the same time period decreased by 2.2 percentage points and con-stituted 10.9% of all persons who completed secondary education.

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WHAT IS THE DISTRIBUTION OF ADULTS PARTICIPATING IN

LEARNING ACTIVITIES BY PLACE OF RESIDENCE?

Adults participated and not participated in learning by residence in

2003, %

In 2003, 37.3% ofadults residing in ur-ban areas and 24%of adults residing inrural areas studiedover the 12 monthspreceding the survey.

Data source: Lifelong Learning in Lithuania: Survey Results 2005


LEARNING ACTIVITIES BY DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS?

Adult population participating in learning by age group in 2003, %

Participation rates inlearning were thehighest among youthand the population ofworking age. 47.5%of all learning adultswere those most ac-tive in working activi-ties and social life -the population aged25-54 - and 43.8%were young peoplefrom 15 to 24. Theshare of people ofpre-retirement and re-tirement age amongall part icipants inlearning was 6.2%and 2.5%, respec-tively.

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Population participating in learning activities as a % of the

corresponding age population in 2003


In 2003, two-thirds of youth under 25 participated in education, while the share ofthose aged 25-54 was two times smaller. The number of people improving theirknowledge in the pre-retirement age group was two times smaller that the previousone.

Adult population aged 25-64 participating in learning activities (four

weeks preceding the survey) in European states in 2005


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WHAT IS THE DISTRIBUTION OF MALE AND FEMALE ADULTS

PARTICIPATING IN LEARNING ACTIVITIES?

Male and female participation in formal, non-formal and informal

learning in 2003 (thous.)


There are fewer male than female participants in all education areas. The fewestnumber of men is in non-formal education (two times less than women).

Male and female population aged 25-64 participating in learning

activities (four weeks preceding the survey) in European states in

2005


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LEARNING ACTIVITIES BY SOCIO-ECONOMIC GROUP?

Adults participating in learning activities by socio-economic group in

2003, %


In 2003, the private sector had fewer employees participating in training comparedto the public sector. Every third employed and every fourth unemployed person wasinvolved in learning. It is interesting to note that the proportion of studying employ-ees in the group of the employed was bigger than that of studying employers.


LEARNING ACTIVITIES BY EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT?

Adults participating in learning activities by educational attainment in

2003, %

* Also with vocational qualification. Data source: Lifelong Learning in Lithuania: Survey Results 2005

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When comparing the proportions of participants in education among the groupswith different educational attainment the biggest difference can be observed in thepopulation with higher education. The share of participants in learning activities intheir group amounts to 57.2%. In population groups with other educational attain-ment, the highest participation rates are among inhabitants with lower secondaryeducation (36.2%).

Adults studying in non-formal education institutions by educational

attainment in 2003, %


The higher the educational attainment of the population, the more of them studiedunder non-formal education programmes (2003). Every fifth resident with highereducation and every twenty-fifth with secondary education reported that they hadattended courses, seminars or conferences.

Adults involved in informal learning by educational attainment in

2003, %


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There is an obvious link between acquired education and the selected ways of fur-ther studying. People with lower educational attainment engage in informal learningless frequently. Every second resident with higher education and every fourth withadvanced vocational education participated in informal learning.

Distribution of adults participating in education by residence and

information sources in 2003, %


Both rural and urban population most often use traditional methods of self-educa-tion (learning from books, specialised magazines and other printed matter at homeand in libraries). Rural population used the internet less compared to urban popu-lation.

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EDUCATION IN LITHUANIA 2006Facts and Figures

LIETUVOS ÐVIETIMAS SKAIÈIAIS2006

2006-06-01. Tiraþas 2000 egz. Uþs. 1090.Iðleido Ðvietimo ir mokslo ministerijos Ðvietimo aprûpinimo centras,

Geleþinio Vilko g. 12, 01112 Vilnius.Spausdino UAB „Sapnø sala“, S. Moniuðkos g. 21, 08113 Vilnius.

ISSN 1822-4822

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE...Education and Science on the state of education in Lithuania....

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