The Polish University and school in Lithuania

Abstract

Lithuania is the only country of the former Soviet empire where Polish schools survived during the Soviet domination; their number was over 300. Owing to that, Poles in Lithuania, who constitute 8% of the country's population, have preserved the strongest national consciousness. Numerous Polish organisations are active there, with the Polish Union in the lead; also Polish press is published. An important role is played by the Polish University in Vilnius established by the Association of Polish Scientists in Lithuania in the autumn of 1991; the University was re-named Universitas Studiorum Polona Vilnensis (USPV) in May 1998. It is a non-state scholarly and research institution that educates scholars and professionals for the Polish intelligentsia in Lithuania. The University mainly is occupied with medicine, social sciences, humanities and theology. It struggles with housing, pecuniary and technical difficulties as well as with a shortage of academic staff. It is partly aided by scholars from Poland, and as far as financial and technical aid is concerned – by the Polish colony in Southern California; in the years 1992-1998 the University received $ 12, 513 aid from them. The University also patronises Polish schools in Lithuania. Despite the economic troubles and difficulties created by the Lithuanian authorities the number of schools with Polish classes increased from 96 to 125 and the number of pupils from 9995 to 20, 263 in the years 1988 – 1998. Also Polish groups are formed in kindergartens. Polish schools as well as the University are supplied with educational aids and technical equipment by the Polish colony in Southern California and by various organisations in Poland.