Lithuania: promoting language learning for faster integration of migrants and refugees

Ongoing project ’Language learning as part of successful social integration (2020-22)

The project, implemented since August 2020, targets migrants and refugees, as well as Lithuanian language teachers/specialists. By end-2020, 160 migrants and refugees had participated in Lithuanian language courses. Methodological training introducing methods for designing and implementing training courses were organised with the participation of 60 language teachers. The main aim of this project is to provide nationals of third countries the possibility to learn Lithuanian, so that they can be integrated in the education and labour market system more easily. The concept for this project was prepared based on the experience of four other countries (AT, DE, NL and SE).

Introduction of a framework and recommendations for Lithuanian language courses

In 2021, a survey on identifying possibilities and methods for teaching  the  Lithuanian language  to migrants and refugees was conducted among administrative staff and teachers of 19 institutions offering Lithuanian language training services to migrants and refugees. The published results of this survey were taken into account:

• in the design of the framework for Lithuanian language teaching for third-country nationals, which was published end of 2021. It provides, among others, the curricular for various Lithuanian language learning modules targeting different groups, including migrants and refugees. Further, the framework introduces methods to be used to design and implement training and teaching material. The framework is considered as a guideline and is not mandatory;
• in setting up recommendations in 2021 for legal regulation, institutional activities, responsibilities and teaching content. One important element of these recommendations is that VET providers are supposed to introduce Lithuanian language courses for migrants and refugees in 2022 which are linked to the professional field of their VET programme.

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Ministry of Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania (2018). Order No A1-755 of the Minister of Social Security and Labour of 21 December 2018 on approval of the action plan for integration of foreigners into society for 2018-2020 (current wording)

Ministry of Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania (2021). Order No A1-315 of the Minister of Social Security and Labour of 19 April 2021 on amendment of Order No A1-284 of the Minister of Social Security and Labour of 20 May 2015 on approval of the plan of actions and special cases provided in the national programme of the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund for 2014–2020

Information about the project ‘Language Learning as the Part of Successful Social Integration’, No PMIF-2.1.9-V-01-001 (website)