"A decision has been made on plans to close Navinykai, Pristavonys, and Vidugiriai schools. The law says we have three months to look for additional funding before the final decision," Vytautas Liškauskas, mayor of Punsk Gmina, told BNS on Wednesday.
"The reason behind this decision is that there's no money. I was authorized to look for additional resources," Liškauskas said.
In his words, around 800,000 zloty (664,000 litas or EUR 192,245) are needed to save the schools from closure. "If they gave around 800,000 zloty, the schools would stay," the mayor said.
Lithuanian Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius has said the Government of Lithuania could allocate up to 400,000 litas for the schools but he also expects more support from Poland.
In late 2011, the government of Lithuania allocated 350,000 litas from the Privatization Fund to Lithuanian schools in Punsk.
A half of Lithuanian schools have been closed in Punsk over the last decade.
With the three schools closed, Lithuanian-language education in Poland would only be provided in Darius and Girėnas School in Punsk, March 11 Lyceum in Punsk, and Žiburys School in Sejny, which survive only on financial support from Lithuania.
