Dainius Numgaudis, chancellor of the Lithuanian Education and Science Ministry, has said on Wednesday there are two options for saving the Lithuanian-language schools in Punsk: either one of them could be closed down or all three left as primary schools only.
"Up until this moment, Punsk municipality is undecided on the draft resolution it will submit to the council. As far as we're able to understand from the information we have, a few versions will be proposed. One of them involves closing the smallest school and keeping the remaining two. The other is to transform the basic education schools into primary to preserve them as cultural centers," Numgaudis told members of the Lithuanian parliamentary Committee for Education, Science, and Culture.
According to information he has received, Punsk is considering to close Pristavonys school that has only six students.
Lithuanian-language basic schools in Navinykai and Vidugiriai may also be closed down due to shortage of funds and students.
Lithuania's government has decided to earmark an additional sum of 400,000 litas (EUR 115,900) for the Lithuanian schools in Poland. The money has not been transferred until a decision on the fate of schools is made.
"If the two schools remain open, the government's money would be enough for a slight increase in the funding of the Punsk gymnasium and the Punsk lyceum, as they are not as troubled as the small schools," Numgaudis told journalists after the meeting.
"The problem is not just keeping the small schools open. The problem is broader – financing of Lithuanian education as a national minority in Poland. Similar problems emerge to the gymnasium and lyceum that enroll 200 students each. The issue of Žiburio school financing remains open. As a state-owned school was not established, Lithuania constructed a building and is earmarking more than half of the money needed for the school," the chancellor said.
In his words, additional funding would reach Punsk in September and only help keep the schools open in 2013.
Should the Polish administration fail to raise financing support for national minority schools, similar problems will arise again.
