The Ministry of Education, Science and Sport and the Lithuanian Educational Research Association (LERA) organized an academic meeting “School:  Learning  From the Past  to   Create  the Future”, in the College Hall of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport.  This meeting was dedicated to  commemorate the 80th anniversary of a prominent personality of the Lithuanian educational community – professor, habilitated doctor of Social Sciences Marija Barkauskaitė. Habil. dr. Marija Barkauskaitė – a prominent Lithuanian educational scientist, one of the pioneers of educational reform. (the foto from https://www.svietimonaujienos.lt/akademiniai-susitikimai-asmenybe-kaip-jungtis-tarp-praeities-ir-ateities/).

She worked with her colleagues to develop strategic documents of Lithuanian Education reform, was actively involved in the implementation of education strategies, as the head of the Vilnius City Education Department, as the Vice-Minister of Education and Science, as the Chair of the Lithuanian Education Council, as the Vice-Rector of the Pedagogical University, as the Head of the Department, as the Chair of the Doctoral Committee, as the Editor-in-Chief of scientific journals, as the Head of international and national projects, and as the founder and member of non-governmental organisations. She has been awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Order of the Grand Duke Gediminas of Lithuania, the Honorary Badge of the Ministry of Education and Science for Merits in Education.  She was awarded the St. Christopher’s Statuette “For Merits to Vilnius City”, Meilė Lukšienė Science Prize.

The Chancellor of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, Julius Lukošius, gave the opening greetings. On behalf of all the participants of the meeting, he congratulated prof. habil. dr. M. Barkauskaitė, all her colleagues and fellow teachers who had gathered to celebrate her most important works and scientific ideas, and to share their valuable insights. Introducing the first question of the discussion of the academic meeting – how was the diversity of schools created and what is needed now? – Loreta Žadeikaitė, PhD, Chief Advisor of the Department of Studies, Science and Technology of the Ministry of Education, emphasised that this topic was not chosen by chance: she recalled the insight of prof. habil. dr. M. Barkauskaitė about the necessity of diversity of schools, which she expressed many years ago. Jolanta Knyvienė, the principal of Vilnius Simonas Daukantas Gymnasium, one of the founders of the first university school in Lithuania, established in 1993, recalled the path of her school and the various reorganisations that had taken place.The floor was also given to prof. habil. dr. Marija Barkauskaitė, who emphasised the need for a variety of schools, summarising the experience she had gained during her years of pedagogical and scientific work and stressed that a teacher must have two things: a mind and a heart. Dr. Alvyra Galkienė, professor at the Academy of Education of Vytautas Magnus University, told about the first steps in the creation of an educational institution for children with disabilities, about the great attention she received from Prof. habil. dr. M. Barkauskaitė. Miša Jakobas, the director of the first Jewish school founded in 1992, praised prof. habil. dr. M. Barkauskaitė for her tolerance, her calmness, and for her encouragement. Dr. Auksė Petruškevičiūtė, President of the Association of Social Educators, lecturer at the Academy of Education of Vytautas Magnus University and Mykolas Romeris University, thanked prof. Barkauskaitė for fostering the culture of pedagogical interaction, which she has been exploring in both the scientific and practical fields.
Dr Agnė Brandišauskienė, Associate Lecturer at the Academy of Education of Vytautas Magnus University, said that she was proud of the fact that professor Barkauskaitė was one of her main teachers, who had led her from her undergraduate studies to the degree of Doctor of Science and to her further work in the higher education institution. Dr. Eglė Pranckūnienė, Founder and Director of the Public Institution School Improvement Centre, delved deeper into the thoughts of prof. habil. dr. M. Barkauskaitė on the training of teachers. Prof. habil dr. Palmira Jucevičienė, long-time President of the Lithuanian Educational Research Association, professor of the Institute of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts at Kaunas University of Technology, praised prof.habil. dr. M. Barkauskaitė for her tolerance and highlighted her significant contribution to Educational Science. The words of congratulations to prof. Barkauskaitė were also read out by the historian, habilitated doctor of humanities Ingė Lukšaitė, daughter of the famous educator and founder of the national school Meilė Lukšienė.
Gabrielė Juodkaitė-Granskienė, the daughter of the professor and a judge of the Supreme Court of Lithuania, thanked the participants of the academic meeting. Prof. Liuda Rupšienė, President of the Lithuanian Educational Research Association, who summed up the discussion of the academic meeting, also expressed her gratitude to  prof. M.  Barkakauskasienė  for the long-standing work and the strongest educationalists of the country she has educated. Ričardas Ališauskas, Head of the Strategic Planning Division of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, welcomed prof. dr.  Barkauskaitė’s enormous influence on education.
The event was moderated by prof. dr. Loreta Žadeikaitė, Chief Advisor of the Department of Studies, Science and Technology of the Ministry of Education and Science, and dr. Daiva Penkauskienė,
For more information:  https://www.svietimonaujienos.lt/akademiniai-susitikimai-asmenybe-kaip-jungtis-tarp-praeities-ir-ateities/

A recording of the event can be viewed here: https://www.lera.lt/leta_files/2022/11/smsm_irasas.mp4