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Teaching and learning in general lower secondary education

Lithuania

6.Secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education

6.2Teaching and learning in general lower secondary education

Last update: 9 January 2024

Curriculum, subjects, number of hours

National curriculum

Pupils, who have acquired primary education, start lower secondary education. The lower secondary education programme lasts for 6 years. The compulsory lower secondary education programme consists of two cycles. The first cycle lasts for 4 years and is implemented in grades 5-8 grades. The second cycle lasts for 2 years. It is implemented in grades 9-10 (gymnasium I-II).

Lower secondary education is organised according to the Description of Primary, Lower Secondary and Upper Secondary Education Curriculum General Curriculum for Pre-primary, Primary, Lower Secondary and Upper Secondary EducationGeneral Plan of the Lower Secondary andUpper Secondary Education Curriculum for the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023  and other legal acts. The Minister of Education, Science and Sport approves these legal acts. The school prepares its curriculum according to these documents.

School curriculum

Schools prepare the curriculum in accordance with education programmes. A school's curriculum describes the education contents, organisation of the education process, evaluation of pupil achievements, etc. The curriculum is prepared by a work group appointed by the head of school. The work group is led by the school head or other appointed person. The curriculum is approved by the head of the school by agreement of the school's council or institution having founder status.

The syllabus of each subject is covered over two years in general education programmes. The school itself decides the order to be followed for each subject in the curriculum. The curriculum is presented for one or two years. Compulsory and optional subjects, modules are specified in the school curriculum.

Areas of lower secondary curriculum

According to the general education curriculum and general plans, the lower secondary education curriculum consists of the following areas of learning:

  • moral education (religion or ethics);
  • languages (Lithuanian language and literature, other native languages (Belorussian, Polish, Russian, German), foreign languages);
  • mathematics and information and communication technology (ICT);
  • natural sciences (nature and human, biology, chemistry, physics, natural sciences);
  • social sciences (history, geography, citizenship, social and public activity, economics and entrepreneurship);
  • the arts (art, music);
  • technologies, physical education, human safety;

Cognitive, cultural, artistic, creative activity (hereinafter - cognitive cultural activity) is a compulsory, inclusive part of the educational process. Schools take into account the contents of general programmes, achievements and pupil age and decide how many lessons per school year will be dedicated to cognitive cultural activity. At least 10 hours (lessons) per school year are dedicated to compulsory social and public activity.

It is recommended that up to 37 lessons be allocated for project work, using classes in non-formal education to meet the needs of students.

Hours allocated for subjects during the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school year

Number of lessons in for the implementation of The General programs of lower secondary education (2008) in grades 6, 8, 10 and in grades II of the gymnasium, designed to be implemented in the form of group learning in the daily and remote way of organizing the educational process (in the table the number of lessons is indicated for two school years)

Grades

 

 

Area of curriculum, subjects

5

6

7

8

Lower secondary education programme I part

(5–8 grades)

9 / gymnasium I

10 / gymnasium II

Total in lower secondary education programme

Moral education

Moral education (ethics or religion)

74 (1; 1)

74 (1; 1)

148 (4)

74 (1; 1)

222 (6)

Languages

Lithuanian language and literature

370 (5; 5)

370 (5; 5)

740 (20)

333 (4; 5)

1 073 (29)

Mother tongue (Belorussian, Polish, Russian, German)*

370 (5; 5)

370 (5; 5)

740 (20)

296 (4; 4)

1 036 (28)

First foreign language

222 (3; 3)

74 (0; 2)

222 (3; 3)

148 (2; 2)

444 (12)

222 (6)

222 (3; 3)

148 (2; 2)

666 (18)

370 (10)

Second foreign language

Mathematics and information and communication technology (ICT)

Mathematics

296 (4; 4)

296 (4; 4)

592 (16)

296 (4; 4)

888 (24)

Information and communication technology

74 (1; 1)

37 (1; 0)

111 (3)

74 (1; 1)

185 (5)

Natural sciences

Nature and human

148 (2; 2) 

(grade 6 only – 74)

148 (4)

148 (4)

Biology

111 (2; 1)

111 (3)

111 (2; 1)

222 (6)

Chemistry

74 (0; 2)

74 (2)

148 (2; 2)

222 (6)

Physics

111 (1; 2)

111 (3)

148 (2; 2)

259 (7)

Natural sciences **

148 (2; 2) 

(grade 5 only – 74)

296 (4; 4)

444 (12)

444 (12)

Social education

History

148 (2; 2)

148 (2; 2)

296 (8)

148 (2; 2)

444 (12)

Basics of citizenship

74 (1; 1)

74 (2)

Social and public activity

20

20

40

20

60

Geography

74 (0; 2)

148 (2; 2)

222 (6)

111 (2; 1)

333 (9)

Economics and entrepreneurship

37 (1; 0)

37 (1)

Art education 

Art

74 (1; 1)

74 (1; 1)

148 (4)

74 (1; 1)

222 (6)

Music

74 (1; 1)

74 (1; 1)

148 (4)

74 (1; 1)

222 (6)

Technologies, physical education, human safety

Technologies (...)

148 (2; 2)

111 (2; 1)

259 (7)

92,5 (1; 1,5)

351,5 (9,5)

Physical education ***

222 (3; 3) 

222 (3; 3)

444 (12)

148 (2; 2)

592 (16)

Human safety ****

37 (1; 0)

37 (0; 1)

74 (2)

18,5 (0; 0,5)

92,5 (2,5)

Project activity (....)

 

 

 

37

37

Minimum number of hours per pupil per week

26; 31*

29; 32*

30; 33*

31; 34*

 

32; 34*

31; 33*

179; 197*

Minimum required number of lessons per student per school year

962; 

1 147*

1 073; 

1 184*

1 110; 

1 221*

1 147; 

1 258*

 

1 184; 

1 258*

1 147; 

1 221*

6 623; 

7 289*

 

5-8 grades

 

9–10/ gymnasium I-II grades

 

Number of hours allocated to meet the pupil's educational needs, to provide learning assistance, per the school year

444

444

518; 370*

962; 814*

Non-formal education (number of hours per scool year)

259

259

148

407

Notes:

* in schools where teaching in a language of national minorities or in a minority language is legalised;  

** for the first and second foreign languages, the total number of lessons indicated; 

***  the subject "Natural Sciences" can be chosen to be implemented in grades 5-8 or only in grades 5-6; 

**** implemented by integrating into the content of subjects.

Number of lessons for the implementation of The General curricula of lower secondary education (2022) in grades 5, 7, 9 and in gymnasium class I in the 2023-2024 school year and in the 2024-2025 school year in grades 5–10 and in grades I–II of the gymnasium, for implementation in the form of group learning in the daily and distance learning process organization.   

Groups of subjects / subjects 

Grades / Number of hours per school year and per week 

Total in programme

9 / gymnasium I

10 / gymnasium II

 

Moral education

Moral education (ethics)

37 (1) 

37 (1) 

37 (1) 

37 (1) 

37 (1) 

37 (1) 

222 (6)

Moral education (religion)

37 (1) 

37 (1) 

37 (1) 

37 (1) 

37 (1) 

37 (1) 

222 (6)

Languages 

Lithuanian language and literature

185 (5) 

185 (5) 

185 (5) 

185 (5) 

148 (4) 

185 (5) 

1 073 (29)

Lietuvių gestų kalba 

74 (2) 

74 (2) 

74 (2) 

74 (2) 

74 (2) 

74 (2) 

444 (12)

Mother tongue language and literature of national minorites (Belorussian, Polish, Russian, German) * 

185 (5) 

185 (5) 

185 (5) 

185 (5) 

148 (4) 

148 (4) 

1 036 (28)

Foreign language (first, ...)**

111 (3) 

185 (5)

111 (3)*

185 (5)

111 (3)*

185(5)  

111 (3)*

185 (5)

111 (3)*

185 (5)

111 (3)*

1 036 (28)

Foreign language (second, ...)**

 

Mathematics, natural sciences and  technologies

Matematics

148 (4) 

148 (4) 

148 (4) 

148 (4) 

148 (4) 

148 (4) 

888 (24)

Informatics 

37 (1) 

37 (1) 

37 (1) 

 

37 (1) 

37 (1) 

185 (5)

Natural sciences  ***

74 (2) 

74 (2) 

111 (3) 

185 (5) 

   

444 (12)

148 (4) (grades 5–6) 

Biology

   

74 (2) 

37 (1) 

74 (2) 

37 (1) 

222 (6)

Chemistry 

 

 

 

 

     

74 (2) 

74 (2) 

74 (2) 

222 (6)

Physics

   

37 (1) 

74 (2) 

74 (2) 

74 (2) 

259 (7)

Technologies

74 (2) 

74 (2) 

74 (2) 

37 (1) 

37 (1) 

55,5 (1,5) 

351,5 (9,5)

Social education

Ethnic culture **** 

             

History

74 (2) 

74 (2) 

74 (2) 

74 (2) 

74 (2) 

74 (2) 

444 (12)

Geography

 

74 (2) 

74 (2) 

74 (2) 

74 (2) 

37 (1) 

333 (9)

Economics and entrepreneurship

         

37 (1) 

37 (1) 

Basics of citizenship

       

37 (1) 

37 (1) 

74 (2)

Art education 

Art 

37 (1) 

37 (1) 

37 (1) 

37 (1) 

37 (1) 

37 (1) 

222 (6)

Music 

37 (1) 

37 (1) 

37 (1) 

37 (1) 

37 (1) 

37 (1) 

222 (6)

Physical and health education 

Physical education

111 (3) 

111 (3) 

111 (3) 

111 (3) 

74 (2) 

74 (2) 

592 (16)

Life skills 

37 (1) 

18,5 (0,5) 

37 (1) 

18,5 (0,5) 

18,5 (0,5) 

18,5 (0,5) 

148 (4)

Social and public activity 

20 

20 

20 

20 

20 

20 

120 

Minimum number of hours per pupil per week

26 ;31*

29,5;32,5*

31;34*

30,5; 33,5 *

31,5;33,5*

32;34*

 

Minimum required number of hours per student per school year

962 

1 091,5 

1 147 

1 128,5 

1 165,5 

11841 

6 678,5 

Number of hours allocated to meet the pupil's educational needs, to provide learning assistance, per the school year

444 

518 ;370

962 

Non-formal education (number of hours per scool year)

259 

148 

407 

Notes:

* in schools where teaching in a language of national minorities or in a minority language is legalised;  

** for the first and second foreign languages, the total number of lessons indicated; 

***  the subject "Natural Sciences" can be chosen to be implemented in grades 5-8 or only in grades 5-6; 

**** implemented by integrating into the content of subjects.

Teaching methods and materials

Possibility to choose learning methods and measures

In pursuing general education goals, every teacher is free to select the educational methods and measures, to combine several of them and create his/her individual style of instruction. The specific education methods should reflect the actual situation: the needs and abilities of pupils, skills and characteristics of each individual teacher as well as the changing socio-cultural context. Teachers have the right to propose his/her individual programmes and choose various ways and forms of pedagogical activities. In choosing methods the teacher has to base the teaching process on interpretative and not on reproductive methods.

Teachers are encouraged to use new computer and information technologies in the educational process. The project method is one of the methods that easily integrates formal and non-formal educational content. From the 2017/2018 school year, cognitive, cultural, artistic, creative activities are compulsory, that is an integral part of the educational process. The school itself chooses how many lessons it will dedicate to it per year. Cognitive cultural activities can take place in environments outside the school, for example, in museums, open access centres, virtual learning environments, etc.

Textbooks and exercise books are not compulsory learning tools. Teachers can choose other sources, videos and audio recordings and other learning tools that promote pupils' creativity, autonomy, etc. The “money follows the pupil” methodology foresees funding for the acquisition of learning tools.

Personalisation of curriculum content

The general curricula provide real possibilities to be involved in the development of the curriculum content, i.e. by tailoring it to the individual needs and abilities of their learners, aligning the curriculum content with the school's objectives and also the teacher's experience and available resources. Individual teaching methods are used when working with gifted pupils and pupils with special educational needs.

Teachers use teaching methods which encourage pupils' activity and independence, stimulate critical, creative and constructive thinking, problem-solving abilities, awareness of the situation and responsibility for their actions.