6.2 Administration and governance
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Cross-sectorial cooperation
The Agency of Youth Affairs (till 1 Jully, 2021 was Department of Youth Affairs within the Ministry of Social Security and Labour) is primarily responsible for youth and/or youth programming and this includes cross-sectorial mechanisms of cooperation. The Agency of Youth Affairs coordinates and organizes committees on monitoring specific policy measures while the Ministry of Social Security and Labour is responsible for coordinating the implementation of the national youth policy development programs. Collaboration between ministries and stakeholders does exist to varying degrees and on different levels.
The Minister of Education, Science and Sport, together with municipalities and the Government, ensure the sufficient network of state and municipal vocational training schools and general education schools designated for country’s (region’s) learners. The Government ensures the network of state colleges, and the Seimas - the network of state universities. When creating the network of state and municipal schools in accordance with the procedure laid down by legal acts, residents or their groups must be consulted with in order to defend public interest. The network of schools (except higher education institutions) implementing formal education programmes can be established in compliance with the Rules for the Development of the Network of Schools Implementing Formal Education Programmes approved by the Government and the resolutions of school communities. The networks of providers of non-formal education can be established by the State, municipalities, natural and legal persons, legal persons or other organisations established in a member state or any other foreign state, or their branches.
The institutional landscape in the field of youth and education is large. There is a lot of institutions in municipalities taking care of specified tasks and activities that relate to youth and education.
Intersectoral committees have successfully been set up to manage ongoing education policy processes. In general, the Ministry of Social Security and Ministry of Education, Sport and Science handles youth and education issues.
Stakeholder consultations are legally required for amendments or drafting new policy. However, the law does not specify that evidence should be collected. Policy-makers can decide whether consultations with stakeholders and research findings should be included in policy proposals and how this is done. The Ministry of Education provides databases (e.g. Education Management Information System). These databases are available to external bodies, although they need to apply for access. Databases are not accessible to the public. The institutions that formally participate in the policy-making process usually include dedicated research agencies, evaluation/testing agencies, research and statistical departments, youth organizations, national statistics offices, think tanks and consultants. Likewise, representatives of businesses and trade unions, professional lobbyists and other interested parties can take part in the public policy-making process by providing comments in the public hearings and in parliamentary committees, to which these actors have free access.
Governance
The Ministry of Education, Science and Sport exercises the state supervision of activities of education providers. The supervision of school activities is exercised by the institution exercising the rights and duties of the owner (a state school – a budgetary institution), the municipal executive institution (a municipal school – a budgetary institution), the institution exercising the rights and duties of the owner (the meeting of the participants) (a state and a municipal school – a public establishment), the owner (the meeting of the participants) (other schools), by engaging external evaluators where necessary. Supervision of the quality of higher education studies shall be exercised in accordance with the procedure laid down by the Law on Higher Education and Research.
Municipal institutions in the area of education management implement the state education policy, set out long-term objectives of education development as well as measures for their achievement. They establish, reorganize and liquidate education subdivisions of the municipal administration; They also develop a network of schools carrying out pre-school, pre-primary, primary, basic and secondary education curricula, children's and adults' non-formal education programmes; create conditions for the implementation of compulsory education of children and initiate that a network of vocational training and adult education providers, which meets residents’ needs, would be developed, and shall independently develop a network of non-formal education providers. An executive institution of the municipality 1) analyses the state of education, ensure the fulfilment of the state education policy; 2) organizes pre-school education, pre-primary education, general education, vocational training and vocational guidance, other children’s non-formal education, non-formal adult education and organize; 3) coordinate the provision of educational assistance to learners, teachers, family, schools, the implementation of minimum supervision measures of a child; 4) in accordance with the procedure laid down by legal acts, appoint heads and specialists of education subdivisions of the municipal administration; 5) in accordance with the procedure laid down by the Minister of Education and Science, execute performance review of principals, deputy principals responsible for education, chiefs of teaching organizing divisions; 6) organizes performance review of teachers, specialists in educational assistance in accordance with the procedure laid down by the Minister of Education and Science; 7) in accordance with the procedure laid down by the Government, organizes and keep an accounting of children living within the municipality; ensure that all children study according to compulsory education programmes; 8) organizes testing of learning achievements of learners attending schools located within the municipality; 9) in accordance with the procedure laid down by laws, be responsible that every learner residing within its territory would be transported to and from school, organize free-of-charge transportation of learners to schools in compliance with paragraph 1 and 2 of Article 36 of this Law; 10) provides information to the Ministry of Education and Science and the public about the state of education in the municipality.
Self-governance of a school. The self-governance of a school collegially discuss issues of school activity and funding and, within the scope of their competence as defined in the statutes of the school, adopt decisions, influence decisions of the principal, perform public supervision of the school's management. The variety and competence of self-governance bodies of the school as well as the principles of their establishment is legalized by the statutes of the school. The school council acts as the school's highest self-governance body, representing the learners, the teachers, the parents (guardians, curators) and the local community. The school council reports for its activity to the members of the school community who have elected the school council. Other school self-governance bodies (teachers’, learners’, parents' (guardians', curators’)) may also function at school. Specific features of self-governance of higher education institutions are set out by the Law on Higher Education and Research.
Municipal education self-governance bodies. Municipal education councils and councils of particular education areas may be set up in order to promote participation of the municipal population in the formation of a municipal education policy and to impact the implementation of this policy. Learners, teachers, parents (guardians, curators), social partners, education providers and/or their associations can be represented in the municipal education council. The municipal education council shall analyse implementation of the overall education policy, approve long-term goals of the education development and draw the public into their implementation.
Members of the school community may participate in education management, and unite into associations, organizations and alliances of various interest groups (learners, students, teachers, parents (guardians, curators), schools, education management level heads) that fulfil tasks and functions for education, culture, scientific research development as set out by their members and provided for in their statutes. In compliance with the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on Associations, teachers' associations, societies and alliances can participate in the forming of subject content they teach, in resolving issues of teachers' in-service training. Activities of trade unions at schools are defined by the Law of the Republic of Lithuania on Trade Unions.
State education self-governance bodies. The state education self-governance bodies promote the participation of the public in the formation of an education policy and decision-making on matters of education. The Lithuanian Education Council acts as an expert body and provides consultations on strategic issues of education development in Lithuania. Regulations of the Lithuanian Education Council must be confirmed by the Seimas. The General Education Council initiates and approves projects concerning the change of pre-school, pre-primary, primary, basic, secondary education curricula, qualification and professional development of teachers, provision of schools. Its regulations are approved by the Minister of Education and Science. The Lithuanian Vocational Training Council advises on strategic issues of vocational training. The Lithuanian Non-formal Adult Education Council considers the main prospects for development of non-formal education in Lithuania, carry out the analysis of projects for the development of the system of non-formal adult education. The Council of Higher Education is an advisory body for the Ministry of Education and Science in strategic matters of higher education development.