From 1 September, schools for national minorities in Lithuania will increase the number of Lithuanian language and literature lessons for pupils in grades 1–4. The number of weekly lessons devoted to the state language will rise from five to seven.
The changes are set out in the updated General Education Plans for primary, lower secondary and upper secondary schools for the 2026–2027 academic year. The number of Lithuanian language lessons in primary school will match the number of lessons devoted to the native languages of national minorities.
“It is important that the number of Lithuanian language lessons increases without reducing the time allocated to other subjects. This guarantees that teaching the state language will receive the same amount of instructional time as lessons in the native language,” the Lithuanian government’s press release states.
To implement the changes, the government has amended the rules governing the calculation, allocation and use of education funding. The additional cost in 2026 will amount to approximately €700,000. The funding will be provided from the overall budget of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport.
Lithuania has 93 national minority schools, where more than 9,500 primary school pupils are enrolled. In subsequent years, the government plans to allocate more than €2 million annually to increase the number of Lithuanian language lessons, the government said.
