Education
School education:
General secondary education is provided at triple level, twelve-year general education schools. One or more levels, i.e. primary: forms 1-4 (age 6/7 to 10/11); lower secondary: forms 5-10 (age 10/11 to 16/17); and secondary: forms 11-12 (age 16/17 to 18/19) can form an independent establishment. The Ministry of Education and Science regulates the length of the academic year. Other types of general education schools include gymnasiums and international baccalaureate schools. Gymnasiums provide an in-depth specialized general education and set higher requirements for pupils. They usually have forms 1-4 consisting of pupils in their 9-12 school years. Lithuanian gymnasiums specialize in the Humanities (Classical and/or Contemporary Languages and Social Sciences), Practical Arts (Natural Sciences, Technology and Economics) and Fine Arts (Art and Music). Gymnasiums offering these specialities have a four-year curriculum. Pupils must have completed the eight grades in a general education school. Fine arts gymnasiums offer a 6- to 9-year curriculum. Graduates of secondary education, after passing the Maturity examinations, are awarded the Maturity Certificate that gives access to higher education. Those who complete secondary education but do not take the Maturity examinations are awarded the Secondary School Graduation Certificate.General secondary education is also offered in appropriate vocational schools. Adults can acquire a general education at adult general education schools (training centres) and adult departments (classes) at general education schools. Pupils undergoing treatment in sanatoriums can acquire a general education at the sanatorium's own general education school. Special schools are devoted to children with special needs. Child welfare establishments for educating learning-impaired children are also attached to these schools. Youth schools provide initial work skills and a general education for those having trouble adapting to society or not wishing to study at other schools.
Higher education:
In Lithuania, higher education establishments provide study programmes of varying length and levels. The institutions are of two types: Universities and colleges - non-university higher education establishments. Higher education establishments may be both State and non-State institutions. Universities offer master and doctoral programmes, high level professional artistic creative activities, postgraduate art studies and carry out research. The status of university may be granted to a higher education establishment that performs the above functions even if its name does not include the word "university". A College is a higher education establishment where non-university studies prevail and the majority of students study in accordance with non-university study programmes, applied research and (or) development or professional arts. The College's name cannot include the words "university" or "academy". The study system consists of consecutive university and non-university studies in higher education establishments according to the study programmes included in the Study and Teaching Programme Register, as well as non-consecutive studies. In the Republic of Lithuania, consecutive studies are carried out in accordance with study programmes that are included in the Register of Studies and Training Programmes. The quality of the study programmes is periodically assessed. A study quality assessment institution authorized by the Government carries out the assessment.Studies are measured in credits. One study credit is equal to forty conditional student work (academic, laboratory, independent, etc.) hours, i.e., one week of his work. Comparable with ECTS credits, one national credit corresponds to 1,5 ECTS credits.
Economy
Although agriculture dominated the Lithuanian economy before
Soviet annexation in 1940, industry has become the leading
sector of the economy. Industry accounts for about 40 percent of
gross domestic production (GDP) and nearly 30 percent of total
employment. Food processing, shipbuilding, and the manufacture
of electrical machinery are the most important industries. Other
manufactures include cement, textiles, televisions, and paper.
Agriculture accounts for about 18 percent of employment.
Livestock breeding and dairy farming are the dominant
agricultural activities. The principal crops are grain,
potatoes, sugar beets, and flax. Mineral resources are limited;
they include gypsum, peat, and clay.
Although domestic energy production can meet a large proportion
of the country's needs, the economy has suffered greatly from
Russian demands that fossil-fuel shipments be paid for at world
prices. The two Chernobyl'-style nuclear power reactors at the
Ignalina plant in Lithuania, the only civilian nuclear power
facility in the Baltic republics, can fill roughly half of the
country's energy needs. Technical difficulties, however, have
forced officials to close the plant briefly on more than one
occasion since independence. Minor oil deposits were discovered
in the area of Klaipêda, which should help keep the Mazeikiai
refinery operational. The only oil refinery in the Baltic
republics, the Mazeikiai plant was forced to close down for a
period due to lack of oil. It serves the Kaliningrad Oblast in
Russia, which has prompted Russian officials to resume regular
deliveries of oil. Disruption of economic ties with the former
Soviet republics has devastated the economy; GDP dropped by
about 25 percent in 1992.
After gaining independence, Lithuania began making plans to
introduce its own currency, the litas, to replace the Russian
ruble in circulation. Lithuanian officials decided to first
introduce coupons to supplement rubles, which were in short
supply. The talonas (Lithuanian for “coupon”) was issued freely,
since it was assumed that a wide circulation of the coupons
would aid Lithuanian consumers, with minimal negative economic
consequences. But with energy price shocks and a policy of
indexing wages and pensions, inflation became rampant, and the
value of the talonas dropped steadily. The litas was introduced
as the sole legal tender in 1993, after which the supply of
litas fluctuated greatly. In March 1994 the parliament passed
legislation that fixed the litas to the U.S. dollar at a rate of
4 litas per U.S.$1.
Climate
Average temperature, rainfall and snowfall information is available for the following climate stations in Lithuania
List of Universities in LITHUANIA
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