Teachers, Teacher Education, and Professional Development
Teacher Education Specific to Reading
Lithuania has no specific requirements to teach reading. Because reading is integrated into general language instruction, so is education for teaching reading.
Primary school (Grades 1 to 4) teachers receive their education at universities (previously called pedagogical universities or institutes) or at one of the two teacher education colleges in Lithuania. Education lasts for four years at pedagogical universities and three years at teacher training colleges. Courses of study include education in the subjects taught at the primary level as well as general courses in pedagogy and psychology.
Almost 98 percent of teachers in primary and basic schools have university level education, almost 2 percent have post-secondary tertiary education, and only 0.1 percent have secondary level education.6 About 98 percent of primary school teachers and 96 percent of basic education teachers have pedagogical qualifications.7 A 2010 regulation for teacher education gave added emphasis and support for teacher preparation in various higher education institutions; however, few teachers educated in the new system had begun formal classroom practice by the time PIRLS 2016 was administered.
Requirements for Ongoing Professional Development in Reading for Teachers
Although there is no specific program for professional development in reading, the Teachers’ Professional Development Center and in-service training centers provide ongoing professional development for teachers. Since 1993, teacher professional development in Lithuania is encouraged through the assignment of qualification categories: junior teacher, teacher, senior teacher, teacher methodologist, and teacher expert. Teachers’ salaries in public schools primarily depend on their qualification category and length of service. Teachers must be recertified every five years to confirm their present category or advance to a higher one.