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

Byinfovdusa

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.

Similar Posts

  • When Christmas doesn't just smell like gingerbread...

    Byinfovdusa

    It's a pity that only before Christmas our hearts start to beat faster with kindness and compassion for others... After all, there are such beautiful days, cries for help, everyone can try to help! But better late than never, people say. Therefore, the Social Affairs Committee of our Student Representation is no exception. To make waiting for Christmas more meaningful, we decided to include other…

  • V2 - the 10th evening of nominations and talents

    Byinfovdusa

    On the 5th of March, the 10th anniversary evening of talents and nominations, well known as V2, was held in the Great Hall of our university! Teachers, students and other members of our community gathered together to celebrate our most beloved teachers, the best recognized organizations and the most important university events! The event was started by the first talents - Viktorija Šaulytė (2nd year student of the Faculty of Arts) together...

  • Students, rate your teachers!

    Byinfovdusa

    At the end of the first semester, VDU student representation, together with Vytautas Didios University, invites students to express their opinion about the work of teachers and to fill out their anonymous evaluation form on the student portal http://studentas.vdu.lt The purpose of this teacher evaluation form is to strengthen cooperation between students and the university , for mutual benefit. For students, it is like an information exchange, during which they can express their opinion...

  • Eleventh Teacher Awards and Talent Evening - V2

    Byinfovdusa

    March 10 The annual teachers' awards and talent evening - "V2" - was held in the VDU Great Hall. As many as 12 nominations were announced at the event, the winners of which were chosen by students. The festive evening was opened by the performance of the "Vivere Cantus" Academic Choir of VDU. They performed the student anthem "Gaudeamus igitur". The first "Sense of Humor" nomination of the year was won by a lecturer at the Faculty of Economics, who knows that the way to students' hearts is...

  • Resolutions of the VMU Rectorate

    Byinfovdusa

    October 7 A meeting of the rectorate of Vytautas the Great University was held, in which the president of our representative office, Mindaugas Grigas, also participated. During the meeting, the VMU doctoral student club was legalized, which will aim to expand the horizons of doctoral students in all fields and levels, improve the quality of doctoral studies, answer questions relevant to doctoral students, e.g. on research funding. The director of the Student Affairs Office, Mantas Simonavičius, presented the 2015-2016...

  • Round table discussion: Vytautas the Great University in the Kaunas region

    Byinfovdusa

    Vytautas Magnus University Rector Prof. On behalf of J. Augutis, we kindly invite you to participate on November 24, 2016. 4 p.m. In the small hall of VDU (28 S. Daukanto str., II century) organized round table discussion - seminar on the topic: "Vytautas the Great University in the Kaunas region". The purpose of the round table discussion - seminar "Vytautas the Great University in the Kaunas region" is to review the university, its community...