REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA
LAW
ON EDUCATION
The State shall promote education as the sphere of primary
significance in the development of the Republic of Lithuania.
Education shall be based on the humanistic values of both the
nation and the world, on the principles of democracy, and on the
universally recognized human rights and freedoms. Education shall
determine cultural, social and economic progress, and shall
consolidate the solidarity, tolerance and cooperation among
people and nations.
This Law shall establish the general foundations of the
structure, activities and governing of the educational system of
the Republic of Lithuania.
1. GENERAL PRINCIPLES
Article 1. Goals of the Educational System
The major goals of the educational system shall be:
1) to develop mental and physical abilities, to lay firm the
foundations of morality and a healthy way of life, and to develop
intellect while providing conditions for the further development
of individuality;
2) to offer children both general and professional education
corresponding to the current level of science and culture;
3) to provide the opportunity for the residents of Lithuania
to continue their education;
4) to clarify personal rights and to instill a sense of
civic duty to the family, nation, society and the State of
Lithuania, as well as the need to participate in the cultural,
social, economic and political life of the Republic.
Article 2. Educational System of Lithuania
The educational system of Lithuania shall include preschool,
primary and secondary school, and further schooling, which shall
be implemented in educational institutions of the following
types:
institutions of pre-school education;
primary and secondary schools of general education;
vocational schools;
higher schools; and
institutions of additional education.
Article 3. Pre-school Development
Children who are below the age of 6 (7), upon the wish of
their parent or guardian, shall be enrolled in nursery schools
and kindergartens. Orphans and neglected children shall be
enrolled in child care institutions.
The State shall encourage the education of children below
the age of 6 (7) at home, and shall provide compensational
benefits. Institutions of education and health care shall provide
methodical, diagnostical, and consultational assistance to
families who educate children at home.
Article 4. General Secondary Education
General secondary education shall be acquired in three
stages over the period of twelve years. The three stages of
schooling shall be constituted by separate administrative units:
primary, principal and secondary schools. The duration of
learning in such schools shall be established by the regulations
of a secondary school of general education.
General education may be also acquired at a vocational
school of an appropriate level.
Secondary schools for adults (i.e. part-time or evening
schools) will be provided for those who wish to complete their
general education.
Schools of general education will be provided in sanatoriums
for children who are undergoing treatment. Schoolchildren who are
being treated in hospitals or at home shall be educated in
accordance with the procedures established by the Ministry of
Culture and Education.
Special administrative schools of general education shall be
established for schoolchildren who demonstrate anti-social
behaviour.
Article 5. Vocational Training
Technical education shall be offered at vocational schools
and at institutes of higher education. In such schools,
vocational training shall be coordinated with general education.
Vocational education may be furthered at advanced training
and re-training institutes.
Skilled training at various levels may be acquired at
vocational schools (technical, agricultural, commercial and
trade). Only persons who are 14 years of age and over shall be
admitted to such schools.
Article 6. Higher Education
Specialists shall be educated at institutes of higher
education (i.e. colleges). Persons enrolling in such institutes
must have completed secondary education.
Article 7. Additional Training
Extracurricular courses and clubs shall be established for
those who wish to pursue interests in fields such as art, sports,
languages, and technical studies.
Article 8. Educational Qualification
The following areas of educational qualification shall be
established in the Republic of Lithuania: primary education,
principal education, secondary education, higher education, and
graduate education.
Article 9. Establishment, Reorganization and Liquidation of
Educational Institutions
Public educational institutions shall be established,
reorganized and liquidated by the Ministry of Culture and
Education of the Republic of Lithuania. Higher level local
governments (hereinafter referred to as local governments) may
also establish, reorganize and liquidate state educational
institutions upon the agreement of the Ministry of Culture and
Education.
Other ministries and departments may establish, reorganize
and liquidate public educational institutions upon the approval
of the Ministry of Culture and Education.
With permission from the Ministry of Culture and Education,
private educational institutions may be established, reorganized,
and liquidated by registered legal persons of the Republic of
Lithuania or by individual citizens of Lithuania. Statutes of
such educational institutions shall be registered at local
governments.
In the event that the laws of the Republic of Lithuania are
violated by private educational institutions, the Ministry of
Culture and Education may suspend the activities of such
institutions under its own initiative until the conflict is
settled in court.
Educational institutions shall be under the jurisdiction of
their founders.
The procedure of establishment, reorganization and
liquidation of educational institutions shall follow general
regulations which shall be approved by the Government of the
Republic of Lithuania.
Article 10. Language of Instruction
The language of instruction in Lithuanian schools of the
Republic of Lithuania shall be Lithuanian.
In the numerous close communities of ethnic minorities, the
state will either provide or support pre-schools and schools or
classes of general education in the native language. The parent
or guardian may choose the pre-school or school of general
education according to its language of instruction.
For small ethnic minorities who do not comprise a close
community, compulsory or optional classes as well as Sunday
schools aimed at learning or improvement of the native language
may be established at The state schools of general education may
establish separate classes, optional classes, or Sunday school
classes for small ethnic minorities who do not comprise a close
community but would like to learn or improve their native
language.
In non-Lithuanian educational institutions, Lithuanian
language and literature shall be taught in Lithuanian. If the
parents or children so desire, conditions shall be provided to
study other subjects in the Lithuanian language as well.
All secondary schools of general education must ensure
command of the Lithuanian language in accordance with the
standards established by the Ministry of Culture and Education.
The opportunity to have instruction in the Lithuanian
language shall be provided throughout the territory of the
Republic of Lithuania.
Article 11. Health Care
In all educational institutions, conditions to protect and
secure the mental and physical health of the pupils and teachers
shall be created. Ministries and departments, local governments,
organizations, and citizens having educational institutions at
their disposition, shall provide conditions for studying,
recreation, physical fitness, nutrition, and medical and
psychological assistance at these schools, as established in
legal acts.
Article 12. Development and Education of Mentally or
Physically Disabled Children and Schoolchildren
All mentally or physically disabled schoolchildren shall be
educated either at home, in general or corrective groups in pre-
schools or schools, or at special pre-schools or schools which
are located as near to the parents' place of residence as
possible.
Children shall be counseled for corrective or special
treatment by commissions of diagnostic specialists, who shall
take into consideration the character of the defect, its
seriousness, and its complexity. In the case that the parents
disagree with the decision of the commission of diagnostic
specialists, their appeal shall be considered by the national
commission of diagnostic specialists.
Counsel for corrective or special treatment, as well as
provision, supervision and control of corrective assistance,
shall be carried out in accordance with the procedures
established by the Ministries of Culture and Education and Health
Care.
Article 13. Payment for Instruction
Instruction in public schools of general education,
vocational schools, and colleges of the Republic of Lithuania
shall be free of cost. Instruction in public pre-school
institutions (with the exception of child care institutions) as
well as in institutions of additional education which are
maintained or assisted by the state, shall be partly funded.
Payment for instruction at private educational institutions
shall be in accordance to individual agreements.
Article 14. Financial Assistance for Pupils
The state shall provide stipends for those (students) pupils
who need financial assistance.
Article 15. Teachers' Salaries
Teachers at public educational institutions shall receive
salaries according to their qualifications and workload.
At public educational institutions, teachers shall be paid
for work outside of the classroom.
Teachers working at educational institutions located in
rural areas, as well as in those spheres of education which
require special assistance of the state, shall be financially
compensated. Such teachers shall be given special privileges as
determined by the Government.
Article 16. Children and Youth Organizations
Child and youth organizations which promote the moral,
civic, cultural, physical, and social maturity of its members,
and foster their self-education and self-expression, shall be
permitted to function at educational institutions. The activities
of such organizations shall be based on the statute registered in
accordance with the established order, and they shall not
contradict either the Basic Provisional Law of the Republic of
Lithuania or any other laws.
Article 17. Religious Instruction at State Educational
Institutions
Upon the wish of the parents (or guardians), children may
have religious instruction in school by individuals authorized by
church dignitaries of the chosen denomination.
Children in ward shall be instructed in the religion which
is professed by their families or relatives.
2. RIGHTS, DUTIES, AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF PUPILS,
PARENTS, AND TEACHERS
Article 18. Rights of Pupils
Pupils shall have the right to:
1) enter any school provided that their education and other
requisites (i.e. health requirements, command of the language of
instruction) correspond to the terms of admission;
2) decide the future of their religious education after age
15;
3) join child and youth organizations, to develop the
activities of such organizations, and to take part in interest
clubs;
4) participate in the self-government of an educational
institution in accordance to the regulations of the institution;
5) skip any level of general or vocational schooling if he
or she is able to pass the necessary examinations.
Article 19. Duties of Pupils
Pupils must:
1) attend school until the age of 16;
2) observe the rules of their educational institution.
Article 20. Rights of Parents and Guardians
Parents and guardians shall have the right to:
1) freely choose between a public or private education for
their children;
2) send their children to the school which is assigned
according to the parents' place of residence or to another chosen
pre-school or school of general education;
3) participate in the self-governing of educational
institutions;
4) acquire information concerning their children's
education, behaviour, and studying conditions from the respective
schools.
Article 21. Duties of Parents and Guardians
Parents and guardians must:
1) create living and studying conditions for their children
which guarantee sound and secure development of their mental and
physical abilities as well as their moral growth;
2) send their children, beginning at the age of 6 (7), to
schools of general education if they are of sufficient physical
and psychological maturity. Contingent upon documents which
confirm the level of psycho-physical maturity, parents may send a
child who has not reached the age of 6 to school, or may withhold
a child who has already reached the age of 7 from attending
school;
3) cooperate with educational institutions in questions
concerning their child's education, and must ensure that their
child will attend school until the age of 16.
Article 22. The Rights to Work as a Teacher
Persons having qualification documents from teacher-training
institutes authorized by the Government of the Republic of
Lithuania have the right to work as a teacher in educational
institutions at a respective level.
Persons who do not have qualification documents shall be
granted the right to teach at educational institutions of a
respective type (level) if the attestation commission confirms
that their abilities are in keeping with the regulations of
teacher's qualification.
A person may be denied the right to teach in accordance with
the order provided for in the laws.
Article 23. The Rights of Teachers
Teachers shall have the right to:
1) freely choose the manner of organization of teaching
activities;
2) improve their qualification and receive a corresponding
salary in accordance with the established order;
3) suitable working conditions;
4) yearly prolonged vacations (48 working days);
5) take part in the self-government of state educational
institutions provided that they are not employees of the
administration of that institution; and
6) to join social organizations.
Article 24. The Duties of Teachers
Teachers must:
1) develop the students' norms of morality, and guarantee
safe and sound development of their personal abilities;
2) aim to make development programs comprehensive for the
pupils;
3) adhere to the principles of pedagogical ethics;
4) participate in activities outside of school in order to
further develop the cultural and personal interests of the
pupils.
5) improve their qualification; and
6) cooperate with parents and guardians in settling
questions of a child's education.
Article 25. The Responsibility of Pupils, Parents, Guardians
and Teachers
Pupils who do not fulfill their duties shall be disciplined
in accordance with the order established by the educational
institution.
Parents, guardians, and teachers who do not carry out their
responsibilities, or who cause physical, psychological, or moral
harm to their pupils, shall be accountable in accordance with the
procedures established by law.
3. THE ORGANIZATION AND GOVERNING OF THE
EDUCATIONAL PROCESS
Article 26. The Organization of the Educational Process
Educational institutions of the Republic of Lithuania shall
function according to plans and programs approved by the Ministry
of Culture and Education, or in coordination with the order
established by the Ministry. The contents and methods of teaching
must correspond to the given tasks of educational institutions,
as well as to the needs of society.?? At educational
institutions, it shall be prohibited to propagandize hostility
(racial, ethnic, religious or social), or superiority which runs
counter to the universally recognized principles of international
law and humanism.
Schools of general education of ethnic minorities may be
supplemented by the elements of ethnic culture.
At secondary schools of general education, languages other
than Lithuanian shall be taught depending on the preference of
the parents and the capacity of the school.
Militaristic subjects shall not be taught at a school of
general education.
Article 27. The Beginning of the School Year
At primary and secondary schools of general education, the
school year shall begin on the 1st of September.
Article 28. The Regulations of the Activities of Educational
Institutions
In their activities State educational institutions shall
guide their activities in accordance with the regulations of the
institution as approved by their local government. These
regulations shall contradict neither the other laws of the
Republic of Lithuania nor the general regulations of the
activities of educational institutions.
The regulations of private educational institutions shall be
coordinated in accordance with the order established by the
Ministry of Culture and Education and shall be registered with
local governments.
Article 29. Graduation Documents from Educational
Institutions
Individuals who have completed an educational institution or
an individual level of such an institution shall be issued a
document, as established by the Ministry of Culture and
Education, which will certify their education. Individuals who
have graduated from a private institution shall be issued a
comparable certificate if the education provided by these
institutions corresponds to state standards. Graduation documents
(i.e. diplomas) shall be issued in the manner established by the
Ministry of Culture and Education.
Article 30. Supervision of the Pedagogical (Educational)
Activities at Educational Institutions
The Ministry of Culture and Education together with the
educational departments of the respective higher level local
governments shall supervise the educational activities at all
general educational institutions.
Only the certification commission, public school inspectors
and persons defined in the general regulations of the educational
institution shall have the right to observe the work of a
teacher. Other persons may observe providing that they have the
teacher's consent.
Article 31. The Jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture and
Education in the Field of Education
The Ministry of Culture and Education:
1) shall establish, reorganize and liquidate educational
institutions which are subordinate to it, and shall appoint and
dismiss the directors of such institutions;
2) shall approve the establishment and reorganization of
both state and private educational institutions;
3) may suspend the activities of private educational
institutions if they contradict the laws of the republic of
Lithuania;
4) shall approve the general regulations of public
educational institutions subjected to the Ministry or to its
sphere of governance;
5) shall present its decisions concerning the registration
of child and youth organization regulations to the Ministry of
Justice;
6) shall approve the general curricula (i.e. teaching plans,
textbooks) for public educational institutions;
7) shall organize the production, publication and
preparation of teaching curricula, textbooks and various
materials;
8) shall establish the state standard of the various levels
of development of general education;
9) shall approve, in writing, candidates who are nominated
by local governments to become heads of the departments of
culture and education of local governments, or of educational
institutions subject to them. These leaders may be dismissed
either by the Ministry of Culture and Education, or on the
initiative of the local government upon the coordination of this
question with the Ministry;
10) shall be concerned with the training of teachers and the
improvement of their qualifications, and shall organize a
systematic certification of teachers' skills;
11) shall approve, on the basis of educational
functionalism, the architectural designs of educational
institutions which were commissioned by the Ministry to be
constructed; and
12) shall approve education completion documents (i.e.
diplomas) which are issued abroad.
Article 32. The Jurisdiction of other Ministries and
Departments in the Field of Education
Other ministries and departments of the Republic of
Lithuania:
1) upon agreement with the Ministry of Culture and
Education, shall establish, reorganize, and liquidate educational
institutions subject to them, and shall appoint and dismiss their
heads;
2) upon agreement with the Ministry of Culture and
Education, shall approve the general regulations of the
activities of educational institutions assigned to their
jurisdiction;
3) shall approve teaching plans, curricula, programs and
text-books, and shall organize their preparation and publishing;
4) shall coordinate with the Ministry of Culture and
Education the general curricula of the educational institutions
subject to them ;??? 5) shall, in conjunction with the Ministry
of Culture and Education, establish the standard of education
which must be provided by vocational schools and colleges
subordinate to them; and
6) shall be concerned with the training of teachers of
special subjects, with the improvement of their qualification,
and shall organize their systematic certification.
Article 33. The Jurisdiction of Local Governments in the
Field of Education
Local governments:
1) shall, upon the consent of the Ministry of Culture and
Education, establish, reorganize, and liquidate educational
institutions subordinate to them;
2) shall, upon the consent of the Ministry of Culture and
Education, register the general regulations of the activities of
private educational institutions which are subordinate to them.
Upon approval of the Ministry, the local governments may
terminate the activities of these institutions if they run
counter to the laws; 3.) shall guarantee the physical conditions
for the activities of educational institutions subordinate to
them;
4) shall, upon the approval of the Ministry of Culture and
Education, appoint and dismiss the heads of the departments of
culture and education and the heads of the educational
institutions subordinate to them;
5) shall provide transportation, free of charge, for school-
children who have no other means to commute to and from school
(i.e. children who live in isolated areas); and
6) shall ensure that all children in their respective areas
who are under the age of 16 attend school.
Article 34. Lithuanian Educational Council
The Lithuanian Educational Council is an institution which
acts as an expert and consultant in settling strategic questions
that concern the development of education in the Republic of
Lithuania.
The Council shall be formed and shall function pursuant to
regulations approved by the Government of the Republic of
Lithuania.
Article 35. Self- Governance of State Educational
Institutions
The establishments of self-governance state educational
institutions (i.e. the School Council, Teachers Council, Parents
Committee):
1) shall, in accordance with the general laws of educational
institutions of a respective type (level), approve the
regulations of the activities of an educational institution;
2) shall establish the main prospects for the financial-
economic activities of an educational institution; and
3) shall supervise the financial-economic activities of an
educational institution.
The competence of the establishments of the self-governance
of state educational institutions shall be defined in the general
regulations of the activities of educational institutions of a
respective type (level).
Article 36. The Financing of Educational Institutions
The main sources of financing public educational
institutions are the budgets of local governments and the budget
of the Republic of Lithuania.
State financing shall guarantee normal conditions for the
activities of these institutions. Other sources of financing are
the Lithuanian Educational Fund, individual educational funds of
towns and regions, and non-budgetary funds of educational
institutions.
Private educational institutions shall be maintained by
their founders. Private educational institutions which guarantee
education corresponding to state standard may receive budgetary
allotments in the manner established by the Government.
Article 37. Education Funds
The sources of the formation of the Lithuanian Educational
Funds and regional educational funds are:
1) voluntary payments of persons, organizations and
enterprises;
2) income from the activities of the fund; and
3) funds and materials donated by foreign state
organizations and citizens, as well as by international
institutions.
The regulations of the Lithuanian Educational Fund as well
as general regulations of regional educational funds shall be
approved by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania.
IV. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Article 38. The Right of Lithuanian Citizens to Study Abroad
and Lithuanian Educational Institutions in
Foreign Countries
Lithuanian citizens shall have the right to study in foreign
states. This right shall be implemented on the initiative of an
individual or through an agreement between the states.
Lithuanian educational institutions in foreign states shall
be organized and shall be financially/materiallly assisted as
according to the agreement between the states involved.
Article 39. Foreign Citizens and Persons without Citizenship
Teaching and Studying in the Republic of
Lithuania
Foreign citizens or persons without citizenship shall have
the right to teach and study in the Republic of Lithuania. Their
working and studying conditions at Lithuanian educational
institutions shall be established by appropriate legal acts of
the Republic of Lithuania and international treaties.
Article 40. International Treaties
If an international treaty of which the Republic of
Lithuania takes part prescribes rules other than those
established by this law, the provisions of the international
treaty shall be applicable.
Bronius Kuzmickas
Vice President
Supreme Council
Republic of Lithuania
Vilnius
25 June, 1991
No. I-1489