Criticizes education reforms: firewood has been split so much that the search for a minister has been prolonged

Gintaras Sarafinas, editor-in-chief of the “Reingai” magazine, criticizes the reforms initiated by the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports (ŠMSM) in the field of education. According to him, such a “reform rudder” causes damage, and those who want to take the helm of the education system do not appear.

“One thing is clear, today the situation is unenviable, and firewood has been chopped to such an extent that the search for a minister has lasted for a long time to say the least, because, as the leaders admit, there are no people willing to dive into this education nettle”, said G. Sarafinas during the press conference held on Wednesday.

“If the goal is to go down in history as mega education reformers, then it cannot be said that it failed. Even very successful. Education is simmering, and we will sneeze here for a long time, we will remember what happened. Today, there are many smoldering and even flaming fires in the education system, and it’s not even clear where to start to curb all this chaos and restore some clarity,” he added.

The editor of the “Reingai” magazine emphasized that there are currently too many reforms in the education system. According to him, the reform of inclusive education will start as early as September, as soon as the errors of mid-term examinations have been escalated.

One thing is clear, that today the situation is unenviable, and firewood has been split to such an extent that the search for a minister has lasted a long time, to say the least, because, as the leaders admit, there are no people willing to dive into this education nettle.

“They have no intention of stopping. They are about to climb the same rake for the twentieth time. The splash on the mid-term inspection reform has not yet settled, but a new reform awaits us. The reform of inclusive education starts on the first of September, for which, as is almost usual in Lithuania, it is equally unprepared,” criticized G. Sarafinas.

He also emphasized that starting from next year, the reform of basic education achievement tests (PUPP) is foreseen in the education system. The latter stipulates that tenth-graders who score less than four points from the PUPP will not be transferred to the eleventh grade. According to him, in 2023 according to the data, a quarter of ten-year-olds would not be transferred to another class.

“Many schools are in for another shock and the news that next spring, if a child does not get a fourth in the ten-point system, he will not be able to go to the eleventh grade. As a result of this change, the number of students in the 11th grade may decrease significantly. This is 6,000 students in 2023. PUPP results would not have made it to the eleventh grade, that’s a quarter of the children,” said G. Sarafinas.

The magazine “Reitingai” also emphasized that, due to the scandals that arose after the intermediate examinations, higher schools are considering the return of exams held at universities. Vytautas the Great University (VDU) is named as one of them.

ELTA reminds that the mid-term examinations of students’ knowledge that started in Lithuanian schools at the beginning of March caused confusion in the education system – the tasks of some subjects were too difficult, some did not correspond to the curriculum. As a result, some schoolchildren said that they experienced tension, the parents of some schoolchildren also shared their concerns about children’s health in the public space.

Gintautas Jakštas resigned from the position of the Minister of Education, Science and Sports due to dissatisfaction with the mid-term examinations of eleventh graders.