Lithuania
A Brief History
Although limited information on the motivations was available, Lithuania effectively banned the practice of homeschooling in 2012 except in cases of students who suffer from health conditions or exceptionally talented student athletes and artists (Homeschool Legal Defense Association, 2020). On July 3, 2012, a Facebook group was created by a Lithuanian school principle who primarily worked with immigrants to arrange distance learning options encouraged families to fight for the right to homeschool their children (Homeschool Legal Defense Association, 2020). This facebook group, Ugdymas šeimoje (Education in the Family), which is at this time a private group with over seven thousand members, worked to gain support for the right to homeschool (Ugdymas šeimoje; Association of Family Education). Then in 2017 with three members, the Lithuanian Association on Homeschooling was formed (Homeschool Legal Defense Association, 2020). This organization began to to work with the legal community. In 2017, after being inspired by a Global Home Education Conference in Russia, some individuals from this organization met with members of the Committee of Education and eventually a law was proposed to legalize homeschooling (Homeschool Legal Defense Association, 2020). In November of 2019, the Lithuanian Parliament held a press conference which all interest groups had a chance to speak and by December 3 of 2019, the amendment was passed with no members voting against the measure (Homeschool Legal Defense Association, 2020). On December 12, President Nauseda of Lithuania ratified the law (Homeschool Legal Defense Association, 2020).
How and What Does It Look Like?
Although homeschooling is now legal in Lithuania, there are restrictions on how this mode of education may be conducted. The law, The Republic of Lithuania Education LawNo. I-1 Supplementary Article 31(1), notes that parents who homeschool their children must “enter into an educational agreement” (Lithuania, 2019). The school with which the family or child above the age of 14 has entered into this agreement conducts an evaluation of the knowledge and maturity of the child as well as the conditions of the education (Andrukaity, 2020). In addition, the school may provide educational resources and conduct an evaluation of the child’s social and educational progress twice a year (Andrukaity, 2020). However, the school may be in any municipality which provides a loophole for parents who may use this opportunity nefariously by choosing a school which is located such that it would be difficult for administration to observe the educational context of their home (NaidaitÄ— & StasiÅ«naitienÄ—, 2023). In addition, parents must record their child’s educational progress and achievements in an electronic diary biweekly (Andrukaity, 2020). However, these electronic journals are unfortunately are not well developed or adapted to home education methods, but provide some accountability and structure (NaidaitÄ— & StasiÅ«naitienÄ—, 2023, p. 167). To ensure the safety of the child, parents are required to acquire certificates “confirming a safe environment from the municipal administration, which cooperates with the Police of the Republic of Lithuania and the Child Rights Protection Service of the Republic of Lithuania” (NaidaitÄ— & StasiÅ«naitienÄ—, 2023, p. 166). In obtaining this certificate, families may be visited by the appropriate commission (NaidaitÄ— & StasiÅ«naitienÄ—, 2023).
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Like most homeschooling contexts, in Lithuania the development of the educational program is designed to prioritize the unique needs of the child (Naidaitė & Stasiūnaitienė, 2023, p. 164). In addition, there is a strong focus on the child driving educational exploration (Naidaitė & Stasiūnaitienė, 2023). Thus, many parents involve the child in the planning, encouraging independence, responsibility, autonomy, and flexibility. In the creation of the curriculum, there is an emphasis on greater individualization and that various sources and mediums are utilized instead of the source primarily being textbooks (Naidaitė & Stasiūnaitienė, 2023). Moreover, regular testing is not often implemented; instead, self-assessment and low pressure testing is performed more commonly (Naidaitė & Stasiūnaitienė, 2023). Although those on the outside often stress concerns about socialization, it was found that children have various opportunities and that this was not a problem (Naidaitė & Stasiūnaitienė, 2023).