Expert: today’s 10s will become guinea pigs for all sorts of experiments

He said that last week the leaders of the country’s grammar schools met at the conference of the Association of Lithuanian Grammar Schools held in Palanga.

“School principals came with many questions and worries. Paradoxically, they took away from the conference even more questions and very few answers”, said G. Sarafinas in the “Media Commentary”.

The editor-in-chief of “Reitingai” magazine assured that it is difficult to expect anything else.

“When so many reforms are launched at the same time, when so many innovations are introduced and when schools are running practically in front of the train. In fact, I do not envy the current ten-year-olds, and even younger students, because they will become guinea pigs for all kinds of experiments. And, frankly, their lives and perspectives are at stake,” he said.

G. Sarafinas reminded that it is at this moment that the current tenth graders decide what they will study in the eleventh and twelfth grades. And the order, according to him, has changed significantly.

“And they can choose from 25 to 35 weekly lessons. Well, what does it look like in reality? 6 weekly lessons consist of the Lithuanian language, 6 more – mathematics plus one planimetry lesson (but it can be less if a non-extended course is chosen), 3 – physical education (all three of these disciplines are compulsory), 2 lessons for high school students had to choose from artistic education, one – from moral education, 3 – from the group of foreign languages, three more – from social education (in this field you could choose from history, geography, economics and philosophy), and three lessons (but one subject) had to be chosen from natural science and technology educational groups (which is a very broad field that includes biology, chemistry, physics, informatics, and engineering).

And now we already have 26-27 weekly lessons. Those who want more can choose one more discipline either from social education or from natural science education”, explained G. Sarafinas, editor-in-chief of “Reitingai” magazine.

According to him, theoretically, students can choose to study “philosophy, economics, engineering, and some rarer foreign languages.”

“But as it turned out, in fact, this possibility is only theoretical and practically impossible in most schools. Because many high schools do not have philosophy, economics or engineering teachers and have no idea where to find them,” he assured.

G. Sarafinas, editor-in-chief of “Reitingai” magazine, said in a comment that Ministry of Education, Science and Sports “as always bravuraly suggests” – let Russian language teachers change their qualifications and start teaching these disciplines.

“However, one thing, most Russians don’t want it, the second thing, most of these teachers are over 55 years old, the third thing – what level of training can be expected from pedagogues who have completed such dance courses?”

In fact, it is not even possible to compare the level and capabilities of a real engineer and a teacher who graduated from an engineering course, or a real philosopher and a teacher who graduated from an introductory philosophy course. So it is already clear that the differences in the teaching of the subjects in question will be enormous in various Lithuanian schools”, stated G. Sarafinas.

Another new idea of ​​the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports was named in G. Sarafin’s comment on the news radio – let schools invite teachers from universities.

“For example, philosophy or engineering. But it turns out that this is also impossible. Let’s say that last week I worked in one of Kaunas’ high schools and its management revealed that even in Kaunas, which is the largest city of studies, it is impossible to find and invite, say, philosophy teachers.

When I asked why, the answer was that relatively few students would choose to study philosophy, engineering, and economics, let’s say there would be three lessons a week, but they couldn’t be arranged in one day one after the other. Thus, the philosophy teacher would have to come to the gymnasium at least twice a week for three lessons. And no one signs for that,” said G. Sarafinas.

He also added that because of this, the teaching of the subjects discussed in most gymnasiums will be dummy.

“And not just theirs. The picture is similar with another innovation – the teaching of so-called life skills. This will be done by teachers of various levels, qualifications and professions in various schools, so the teaching of this subject in various schools will be simply incomparable,” emphasized G. Sarafinas, editor-in-chief of “Reitingai” magazine.

In his commentary broadcast on the air of News Radio, he also highlighted another huge problem ahead – computer science education.

“Already and until now, her education in Lithuania was strikingly different: in some schools it was of a particularly high level, and in others it was very weak. This is also confirmed by the results of the information technology exam last year: we also have quite a few centenarians, on the other hand, 15%. those who took this exam did not pass it. And the picture will only get sad in the future.

Because according to the new procedure, students will already enter the fields of artificial intelligence during computer science classes. Only a dozen can teach it IT teachers in Lithuania. Others are terrified of innovations because they themselves lack knowledge. But from September 1 of this year. they will already have to start teaching children the tricks of artificial intelligence,” said G. Sarafinas.

He said that the changes proposed by his ministry “reek of astonishing amateurism and primitive self-dealing”.

“You know what school leaders say at the said conference without hearing the answers they care about? They say that they will not offer students a choice of philosophy, economics, or engineering, and will teach life skills and artificial intelligence as they come. Because according to them, in a normal state, the program is prepared first, then the content of new subjects, textbooks and methodical material later, then teachers are prepared and only then the innovation is launched. And with us, everything happens exactly the other way around: first the reform and innovation are announced, then we start thinking about what we will teach and then we start looking for teachers”, wrote G. Sarafinas, editor-in-chief of “Reitingai” magazine.

He ends the “Media Commentary” broadcast on News Radio with the following words: “hopelessly unprofessional”.

“I’m not talking about the fog and uncertainty that await the current 10th graders in March of next year, when mid-term examinations of the achievements of different subjects will take place and for which nothing is clear at all and no ministry descriptions have yet been prepared. Therefore, in such uncertainty, all we can do for the current 10s is to wish them strength,” said G. Sarafinas, editor-in-chief of “Reitingai” magazine.