Utena College in northeastern Lithuania offers several study programs in Russian, and although it is legal, more than one has already questioned the need for such programs and the ethical aspects of studying in a foreign language, which is associated with the aggressor.
At Utena College, foreign students can study general nursing and five other study programs in Russian. Deputy Director for Studies and Research, Doctor of Sciences Vitalija Bartuševičienė said that physiotherapy, dentistry, cosmetology, social work can be studied in Russian, as well as a law program available in Russian in cooperation with Latvian partners.
Bartuševičienė could not yet name the number of new students, but informed that in the previous academic year, 30 students studied programs in Russian. She explained that most of them are refugees from Ukraine, and their English skills are relatively weak, so they are offered Russian-language studies.
Vaiva Jankienė, a nurse, is not sure about the rationale for studying in Russian. She regularly participates in aid missions to Ukraine, and believes that
the college is using Ukrainian students as a weak excuse to offer to study in Russian.
Jankienė said: “This is simply irresponsible, and it should not even be up for debate whether such programmes should exist. They should have been discontinued long ago. There is no reason to train nurses who will speak in Russian.” The nurse added that language is undoubtedly an important issue, and these students will either go to Western countries or return to Ukraine, where Russian is not needed: “I’m not even sure it’s morally right to offer Ukrainians the chance to study in the language of their occupiers.”
Meanwhile, Bartuševičienė, despite the criticism, emphasizes that students are being integrated into Lithuanian society, and the study also includes learning the Lithuanian language. She added that the main thing is to offer the opportunity to study, not the language issue.
Andriejus Sadauskis, a representative of the Lithuanian College Association, did not want to comment specifically on the Utena College case, but said that no other Lithuanian higher education institution currently offers study programs in Russian.
The Lithuanian Ministry of Education, Science and Sports has also been involved in resolving the issue, emphasizing that it is not forbidden to offer study programs in a foreign language. At the same time, the ministry indicated that it calls on higher education institutions to refrain from establishing ties with unfriendly countries, especially Russia. It will also review who those students who study in Russian are, and the possibility of changing the rules is not ruled out.
Read the whole article in English here: https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/2610053/utena-college-offers-courses-in-russian-ministry-says-it-s-legal-but-some-are-upset
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