Photo credit: the press service of the Ministry of Education of Russia / edu.gov.ru (CC BY 4.0)
There are no plans to reform Russian schools in Lithuania, Sputnik reports with a reference to the statement from the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports of the republic. The department noted that they cannot treat national minorities differently. ''There should be the same conditions for everyone,'' the ministry believes.
As of 2021, the share of the Russian-speaking population in Lithuania is about 5%. The population census two years ago revealed that 141,000 Russians live in the country. In 26 schools, instruction is conducted in Russian.
Lawyer Alexander Radchenko recalls that Lithuania was the only Baltic republic that, after declaring independence, granted citizenship to all its residents who were on its territory at that time. A network of national schools - Russian and Polish - was also preserved; later Jewish and Belarusian gymnasiums appeared. Proposals to follow the ''Latvian path'' were made periodically, but did not receive much support in parliament and government, the expert adds.
The Ministry of Education of Lithuania noted that more than 1,000 first-graders came to Russian schools this year, including citizens of Lithuania, Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.
Russkiy Mir
