The students reminded A. Butkevičius of the priorities of the education system

The social situation of students must improve. This was stated by representatives of the Lithuanian Students' Union (LSS) and the Vilnius University Student Representative Council (VU SA) who met with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania Algirdas Butkevičius. The meeting of student and government representatives discussed the most pressing social and academic problems plaguing students: limited study flexibility, lack of funds for scholarships, conditions for obtaining loans, a large financial burden on students paying for tuition, and the lack of internal quality assurance of studies.

In the opinion of students, no higher education reform is possible without additional finances for education. „Back in 2006, in Lisbon, the European Commission set a goal that financing for higher education in the European Union countries should reach at least 2 percent of GDP, in 2010, the ministers of the Bologna Process countries, including Lithuania, agreed that despite economic difficulties, financing for higher education should remain a priority. However, although education is identified as one of the most important areas in the state, when the time comes to allocate the budget, it has been forgotten for several years,” said Paulius Baltokas, President of the Latvian Students’ Union.

According to student representatives, in the long term, more funds should be allocated for scholarships, and the procedures for obtaining loans should also be taken into account more closely. „Students identify scholarships as an important incentive for achieving high study results, however, in Lithuania they are one of the lowest in Europe. Looking at the long term, perhaps even within five years, a clear plan should be provided for increasing scholarships. The state should allocate funds for each student, regardless of the type of funding, to the higher education institution for the promotion of students,” said Andrius Uždanavičius, President of the VU SA, to the Prime Minister. According to A. Uždanavičius, if the amount of funds allocated per student is linked to the minimum wage, we would solve the problem of scholarships that have not increased for a long time. The mechanism would become much simpler – as the standard of living rises, scholarships would also increase. „Currently, taking into account economic growth, the amounts of scholarships are simply ridiculous,“ says A. Uždanavičius.

When discussing scholarships, students mentioned the example of Latvia, where additional payments are given to students choosing unpopular but state-needed specialties. According to student representatives, this could strengthen the targeted funding model in Lithuania as well.

Students also mentioned to the Prime Minister the possibility of reviewing the procedures for granting loans. Currently, students can receive loans to pay for tuition fees, living expenses and partial studies abroad, but interest is reimbursed only in the first case. According to the students, this and the fact that loan repayments only begin after graduation discourages taking out loans. Students also called for linking loan repayment to the graduate's income. This would not only reduce the burden of loan repayment, but would also be a tool for monitoring the careers of graduates. The Prime Minister assured that the Government's program aims to change the system of financing student loans.

The meeting between students and government representatives also discussed the flexibility of studies. Students noted that the legal framework is very strictly regulated and this limits the possibility of creating individual study plans, managing one's workload, studying part-time and restricting student mobility opportunities. Students expressed their opinion that flexibility of studies is an essential part of amending the Law on Science and Studies and expect the Prime Minister's support in achieving greater flexibility in the study process. A. Butkevičius and students unanimously agreed that such meetings should become regular, the next meeting is planned in a month.