The proposal was backed by 31 council members, with eight voting against and 11 abstaining. An attempt by Social Democrat councillor Povilas Pinelis to remove the item from the agenda was rejected.
Under the new rules, foreign children with permanent or temporary residence permits who have not previously studied in Lithuania and seek primary education will be able to apply through an electronic system and choose up to three municipal schools that teach in Lithuanian. At least one of the selected schools must be assigned based on the child’s place of residence, with schools listed in order of preference.
The changes will apply only to foreigners arriving in Vilnius after the decision takes effect and will not apply to private schools.
‘Integration should begin at primary school’
Vice Mayor Vytautas Mitalas, who initiated the changes, said the decision was timely and focused solely on primary education. He said consultations were held with minority schools, the Belarusian Parents Association and the office of Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya while drafting the proposal.
“In Vilnius, it seems to me this decision is timely, especially since we are talking only about primary education,” Mitalas told the council.
According to data presented by Mitalas earlier this week, 3,485 foreign children are currently enrolled in Vilnius municipal schools, with 77% studying in minority-language schools, most of them Russian-language institutions. During the 2025–2026 school year alone, 481 foreign children began studying in the capital, including 289 from Ukraine.
Mitalas said the high concentration of foreign pupils in Russian-language schools hampers Lithuanian language acquisition, arguing that integration should begin in primary school, when language learning is most effective.
Criticism from minority groups
The decision has drawn criticism, particularly from the Belarusian Parents Association in Lithuania, which submitted a letter opposing the measure earlier this week. The association said the appeal was supported by more than 200 parents, educators and civil society representatives in Lithuania and abroad.
The group called for preserving choice for Belarusian children, including the option to study in Belarusian at the Pranciškus Skorina Gymnasium in Vilnius – the only public school outside Belarus offering education in the Belarusian language. The association said Belarusian-language education is vital for families who fled political repression while still seeking full integration into Lithuanian society.
In response, the council approved the changes alongside a procedural resolution announced by Vytautas Vaitiekūnas, chair of the council’s Education Committee, allowing the Skorina Gymnasium to accept newly arrived pupils in the 2026–2027 academic year if places are available.
Possible challenges in courts
Opponents warned the decision could face legal challenges. Councilor Grzegorz Saksonas of the Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania–Christian Families Alliance said the measure fails to comply with national and EU law and would likely be overturned in court.
Pinelis said he had received an opinion from the Justice Ministry stating that the proposal violates the Constitution, the Education Law and equal opportunity legislation. Councillor Deimantė Rimkutė, of the liberal Freedom Party, disputed that claim, saying the ministry’s opinion cited legislation incorrectly.
According to the State Audit Office, the number of school-age children arriving in Lithuania from abroad continues to grow, while the share studying in Lithuanian has declined. In the 2022–2023 school year, nearly 56% of foreign children studied in Lithuanian, compared with 44% in 2024–2025.
Nearly half of them studied in Russian (29%) and Ukrainian (21%), which auditors said complicates integration and limits future educational and civic participation. In 2025, 52% of foreign students failed to reach the minimum threshold in Lithuanian language achievement tests, while 58% failed the Lithuanian language and literature state exam at the basic level.
Source: A European Perspective, LRT
Originally published by LRT on 28 January 2026 15:34 GMT+1