Lithuanian Schools in Belarus No Longer Teach in Lithuanian Since September

At present, there are two Lithuanian schools in Belarus, the Pelyasskaya and Rymdziunskaya.

Starting from September, Lithuanian schools in Belarus will no longer teach in Lithuanian - only in Russian or Belarusian, zerkalo.io reports referring to BNS.

- We've received a message from the Belarusian side. According to it, all schools for national minorities must choose Russian or Belarusian from September 1," said Lithuanian Deputy Foreign Minister Egidijus Meilūnas. - In short, the Lithuanian language will remain only a subject.

He also reported that efforts are currently being made to ensure that the teaching language in these schools is still Lithuanian.

- By closing the schools, we would limit any opportunity for our compatriots to develop their native language, so we are discussing and looking for opportunities to preserve the opportunity to learn in Lithuanian," said Deputy Minister.

At present, there are two Lithuanian schools in Belarus - Pelyasskaya and Rymdziunskaya. According to the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports of Lithuania, Rymdziunskaya school, built in 1996 on Lithuanian funds, is supported by Belarus, and Pelyasskaya school is financed by the Lithuanian Ministry of Education.

Lithuanian diplomats notify Minsk that such a decision is unacceptable. It violates the bilateral agreements and restricts the right of Belarusian Lithuanians to study in their native language.

However, Belarus says the decision will not change, so the Lithuanian authorities requested a transition period.

- We are waiting for a response from the Belarusian side for students to adapt to the new conditions," said Lukas.

According to him, if the Pelyasskaya school is not allowed to teach in the Lithuanian language, the termination of funding will be considered. According to the minister's spokesman, the situation is "sad".

There are 127 pupils, and 23 teachers in the Pelyasskaya school, eleven of them are Lithuanian citizens. In Rymdziunskaya school, there are 82 pupils, and 18 teachers, fourteen of them are citizens of Lithuania.

Earlier, the same decision was adopted for the Polish schools in Belarus. The newspaper Rzeczpospolita reported that starting from the next school year, the Polish schools of Hrodna and Volkovysk would teach in Russian or Belarusian.