According to Deputy Vilnius Mayor Arūnas Šileris, the municipality is committed to increasing the availability of the EU languages at the city’s schools. The municipality is planning to stop offering Russian as a second foreign language to sixth graders as of the new academic year. In exchange, the availability of Spanish language classes will be expanded. Future sixth graders will be able to choose French, German, or Spanish language classes. Spanish as a second language is currently taught to 22 students in Vilnius.
According to Šileris, the municipality is consulting with representatives of foreign embassies about the possible exchanges in order to meet the demand for teachers of these languages.
In Lithuania, Russian is still the most popular second foreign language, chosen by over 60 percent of students. However, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, interest in Russian language classes has been declining, while an increasing number of students are now choosing French or German as their second foreign language.
The municipality sees Spanish as a promising language. Five schools in Vilnius are currently working to introduce Spanish language classes. The municipality has earmarked funds for these changes, but the deputy mayor did not specify the amount.
Gintautas Jakštas, Minister of Education, Science and Sport, recently said that fewer and fewer children are choosing Russian as a second foreign language in Lithuania, and only a few schools will offer Russian language classes in ten years.
“I would say that Russian will not be on par with French or German. I would expect that if we maintain the trends we have today, there will be very limited opportunities to choose Russian, and only a small number of students will be able to learn Russian in a few schools,” the minister told the bernardinai.lt news portal last week.
In Lithuania, pupils start learning English as a first foreign language in second grade and choose their second foreign language in sixth grade.
At present, the Ministry of Education recommends not choosing Russian as a second foreign language, without cutting out Russian language courses immediately. The Minister says changes should be made gradually and teacher-training for the other languages also takes time.
The war in Ukraine has been the catalyst for changing the current curriculum. Belorussian and Ukrainian refugees hoping to eventually return to their countries choose Russian because they are not fully equipped to study in Lithuanian at post-secondary levels.
