Lithuanian Educational Research Association Signed a Cooperation Agreement With the Ministry of Education, Science, and Sport

ithuanian Educational Research Association (LERA) and the Ministry of Education, Science, and Sports signed a cooperation agreement

The Ministry of Education, Science and Sport and the Lithuanian Educational Research Association (LERA) signed a cooperation agreement. The agreement commits to developing education science and encouraging more education researchers to become involved in education policy-making. Joint activities are foreseen to strengthen educational research and to use its results to improve education policy and practice. LERA, now in its 25th year, brings together more than 300 researchers working in the field of educational research in education and training. The aim of the association is to promote educational research in Lithuania and to apply its results for the advancement of education and training.
The agreement will strengthen the partnership through joint projects and activities. The focus will be on the development of educational science, the cooperation between educational researchers and practitioners, and the involvement of educational researchers in the processes of education policy formulation and implementation, as well as on the application of educational research and its results in education policy and practice.

Photo: Josvydas Elinskas

“The Ministry and LERA already have a nice tradition of organising presentations of the latest education theses at the beginning of each year, and from 2020 onwards we will jointly organise education forums for researchers, educators and public sector representatives. To further strengthen the relationship, we have defined our cooperation in a contract. We hope that this will encourage more education practitioners and researchers to get involved in the expert groups set up by the ministry and in the discussion of important education issues. It is only by working together with the education community that we can achieve a breakthrough in the field of education”, says Radvilė Morkūnaitė-Mikulėnienė, Minister of Education, Science, and Sport.

According to dr. Eglė Pranckūnienė, President of LERA, the public in Lithuania, as well as in other countries, is interested in a coherent and high-quality education system. “Educational research can be useful here, as it is essential for continuous reflection on educational processes, for innovation, and for effective solutions to educational policy and practice. The Association’s cooperation with the Ministry will make researchers’ insights and research results that underpin education policy more accessible to policy makers, practitioners and the public alike,” says dr. E. Pranckūnienė.