PRIMARY EDUCATION

According to the Law on Education, children who have reached 7 years of age must go to the 1st form. If parents wish so and if the child is sufficiently mature to study under the primary education programme, he/she can start attending school from 6 years of age. The duration of the primary education programme is 4 years. Compulsory primary education can be obtained in kindergartens-schools, in primary schools and, which is less common, in basic or secondary schools.

Parents and children can also choose non-traditional education schools or individual classes/groups in municipal schools. Montessori, Waldorf, Suzuki pedagogical systems can be chosen in Lithuania.

Achievements and progress of 1-4 form pupils is not assessed with marks. Assessment is based on the idiographic principle, i.e. individual child’s progress made with regard to his/her personality is assessed and a criteria-referenced assessment is applied. Pupils are provided with assessment information orally or in form of a short description of their particular achievements. In the end of the trimester, semester or academic year, a summarized assessment is carried out by indicating the educational level achieved (satisfactory, basic, higher).

Children who attend schools for national minorities start learning Lithuanian (state language) from the 1st form. All primary school pupils start learning the first foreign language in the 2nd form.