Lithuania

Language and Literacy

In Lithuania, the official national language is Lithuanian. In most schools, the language of instruction is Lithuanian, but in many schools the language of instruction is the mother tongue of the majority of the student population (usually Russian or Polish). In a small number of schools, the language of instruction is German, English, French, Belarusian, or Ukrainian. All schools with a language of instruction other than Lithuanian teach Lithuanian as a second language and the official national language. Additional foreign languages optionally taught in primary schools include English, German, and French. All general education schools follow a national curriculum, which schools and teachers are expected to adapt to their needs.