Linas Jegelevičius
One Lithuanian teacher has done things that do not fit the description of a good teacher and a good citizen.
In late 2017, Astra Genovaitė Astrauskaitė, the teacher of the Lithuanian language and literature in Vilnius, in protest of what she deemed improper artistic rendering, sprinkled red paint on the artistic installation «Hill of Freedom», a memorial to freedom fighters resembling a forest and guerrilla bunkers built in Lukiškių Square in Vilnius, in proximity to the Genocide Museum.
Later, also in central Vilnius, she along with her accomplices blackened a pedestrian crossing in central Vilnius painted in rainbow colors, the symbols of the LGBTQ community. Then, amid the COVID pandemic, she vehemently resisted mandatory inoculation of teachers and did not get the shot. The pedagogue has also voiced nationalist slogans.
And most lately, in August 2021, the teacher was among the organizers of the infamous rally near the Seimas, the Lithuanian parliament, which turned into riots. A pre-trial investigation was being conducted, and more than half a dozen of the participants, including Astrauskaitė, have been charged with rioting.
As a result, Education Minister J. Šiugždinienė has said that such persons as Astrauskaitė should not teach children. Perhaps, she did it too harshly. The remark got the minister in the spotlight – she had to excuse herself that she had not breached the teacher’s constitutional freedoms. Yet, being under multiple investigations and having lost her job at some point, the teacher was rehired by the «Juventa» gymnasium.
But now, Astrauskaitė will need to leave it. For good and with the pink slip.
Vilnius vice mayor Valdas Benkunskas has resorted to Facebook this week to inform that a Commission set up by the Vilnius Municipality has completed an investigation into the employment of the Lithuanian language teacher Astra Astrauskaitė, who is accused of a slew of law offenses, and found that the teacher was employed illegally.
«The commission of the Vilnius Municipality found that the Lithuanian language teacher Astra Genovaitė Astrauskaitė, accused of organizing the riots near the Seimas, was accepted to work at the gymnasium – surprise, surprise – without any competition. So, illegally,» wrote the vice mayor.
According to him, the gymnasium director will have to terminate the work agreement with the upstart teacher.
«Now what I wrote will happen – the principal will have to fire Mrs. Astra, and then a decision will be made on the punishment for the head of the school,» V. Benkunskas wrote on the social network. He said that the principal made a mistake by rehiring her.
«I hope it will be fixed soon and the anti-state woman will no longer teach the younger generation,» he emphasized.
The other Vilnius Municipality vice mayor, Tomas Gulbinas, has also weighed in on the issue this week. He said he was «surprised» by the news about A. Astrauskaitė is employed as a teacher.
«I am convinced that the highest requirements of an impeccable reputation apply to both school leaders and teachers. The Ethical Code of Pedagogues is also valid in Lithuania, which requires teachers to increase the prestige of the teaching profession and trust in the country’s education system. In my opinion, the employment of Mrs. Astrauskaitė is in no way compatible with these requirements, and therefore an official investigation has been initiated,» he said.
The head of the school, Irina Ignatavičienė, insists that she hired Astrauskaitė because she had no other option – there was a lack of a Lithuanian teacher in the school.
«There was no one to teach, and the employment contract with Astrauskaitė included two conditions for the teacher. First, she would not spread her political views during the education process. Secondly, she would not participate in political activities during the educational process,» the director explained her decision to Lithuanian media.
The teacher, who taught eleventh and twelfth graders, left the school at the end of September and was transferred to another educational institution.
«But throughout this period, we were looking for a teacher, we had placed an ad on the website of the Vilnius municipality. There were no applicants who could and wanted to work. The announcement was valid until November 4. On the day, the schoolchildren’s vacation ended, the educational process needed to be organized, and the lessons needed to be held. Therefore, a decision was made to employ the teacher, Astra Astrauskaitė, again,» said the director.
«She worked well as a teacher. We attended classes. Not only me but also the teachers of the methodological group. As a teacher, I have no complaints against her, she knows the methodology. And the problems are due to her political views,» the director admitted.
But the decision to rehire the teacher did not sit well with the Minister of Education, Science and Sports Jurgita Šiugždinienė, who said this about the teacher’s employment amid her legal ordeals: «The school headmaster should care about the values and attitudes of her future employees…I don’t understand why the principal hired Astrauskaitė.»
However, the involvement of the minister did not go unnoticed by both major education pundits and ordinary people showing signs of respect for the teacher going against the grain.
«Well, if the teacher has the appropriate qualifications, has not had any disciplinary sanctions, and has worked well so far, what is the problem? She doesn’t like the Covid policies and gays? So what? But why can’t she teach children the Lithuanian language? There is no one to work in schools, they are invited to study pedagogy, there is nowhere else to go, they are lured by scholarships…whoever comes to the schools after this study will be very, very far from the highest reputation,» says a commentator under one of the articles about Astrauskaitė.
Ainius Lašas, Associate Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Social Humanities and Arts of the Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) has also in a way come in defense of the teacher, saying that the Minister of Education, Science and Sports can express her opinion, but she cannot pressure the school to fire the teacher.
On the other hand, he emphasized A. Astrauskaitė does not have an impeccable reputation and that the school should look for teachers without negative connotations. The associate professor also noted that the issues of hiring or firing employees in schools are decided by the municipalities themselves because they are the best able to find out the actual circumstances.
Egidijus Milešinas, the chairman of the Lithuanian Education and Science Trade Union, has also spoken on this topic, emphasizing that when legal issues are involved, lawyers, not the administrators, i.e. the minister, must have the decisive word.
Now, out of job, A. G. Astrauskaitė reiterated her quest to establish an «alternative school» in Vilnius. But won’t it run counter-law? Just another breach of law is perhaps inevitable. The teacher could not be reached for comment, however.