The Association of Belarusian Parents has welcomed the decision by the Vilnius City Council to add the Lithuanian language to the charter of the Francysk Skaryna Gymnasium, while stressing that the changes should not lead to the displacement of the Belarusian language from the educational process.
“The Association of Belarusian Parents welcomes the creation of opportunities for Belarusian children to better learn the state Lithuanian language, which is necessary for their future life in Lithuania. At the same time, we proceed from the understanding that these changes should not alter the role of the gymnasium as an important educational, social, and cultural centre of the Belarusian community in Lithuania and should not lead to the gradual displacement of the Belarusian language from the educational process,” the statement published on Facebook said.
The association emphasised that Vilnius has publicly confirmed its commitment to supporting the Skaryna Gymnasium as an institution with Belarusian as the language of instruction in its protocol resolution of January 28, 2026. The organisation thanked the city for this position and said it would closely monitor developments.
“We express our gratitude to the city for this clear position and will continue to closely follow the development of the situation in order to support the preservation of the role of the Belarusian language in the educational process, while also supporting the creation of sufficient opportunities for students to master the state language,” the authors noted.
The association also welcomed the approved plan for the integration of foreigners in Vilnius for 2026–2028. According to it, the Belarusian community is the largest group of foreigners in the city — about 24,600 people, more than 30% of all foreigners in Vilnius.
“This means that the plan primarily concerns Belarusians. At the same time, it is important to note that the research data on the problems and needs of foreigners in Vilnius used in the plan do not take Belarusians into account. Therefore, we consider it necessary to include the views of the Belarusian community as one of the key target groups of such a plan. The Association is ready to provide support in this matter.
The Association of Belarusian Parents will continue its work to ensure the integration of Belarusian families into Lithuanian society while preserving their Belarusian identity and remains open to cooperation with all interested parties,” the statement said.
Earlier today, the city council approved changes to the structure of the gymnasium: Lithuanian has been added as a language of instruction alongside Belarusian, and separate classes with enhanced Lithuanian language instruction will be created for new migrants. These changes became a key condition set by the municipality to allow children of Belarusian migrants to continue applying for enrolment in primary classes.
