The Language Centre of the Faculty of Arts and Education of Kauno kolegija Higher Education Institution (HEI) is implementing a six-month project “Lithuanian Language Course for People Who Have Fled Ukraine due to Russia’s War of Aggression Against Ukraine”, during which Ukrainian citizens living in Kaunas, Kėdainiai, Alytus and Jurbarkas have the opportunity to learn Lithuanian language levels A1, A2 and B1 and Lithuanian sign language free of charge. The project is funded by the 2014–2021 Bilateral Cooperation Fund of the European Economic Area (EEA) and Norwegian Financial Mechanisms.
Interest in the Lithuanian language exceeded expectations
Ieva Brazauskaitė-Zubavičienė, Head of the Language Centre, is pleased that the interest in the courses has significantly exceeded expectations. ‘When preparing the application, I was worried whether we would be able to gather 70 people, but after the first stage, we have already exceeded this number by double. If such trends continue in the spring, then the number of participants will exceed 250 people,’ shares I. Brazauskaitė-Zubavičienė.
According to her, the decision to offer courses not only to Ukrainian refugees living in large cities but also in smaller towns worked out very well. There are 20 participants in Jurbarkas, and 45 in Kėdainiai and Alytus, although 15 people were planned in each city. Almost all participants expressed a desire to learn in a contact way, although the lecturers were ready to conduct courses remotely if necessary.
‘By learning the language of the country you live in or its basics, it is much easier to adapt, find a job, and understand our culture and the system of government. I think this shows respect for our country, our culture, and our language. We also have school-age children. These courses help them become more involved in the teaching process at schools, and children are very receptive and learn the language much faster and easier,’ says I. Brazauskaitė-Zubavičienė, who contributes to the implementation of the project about the benefits created by the courses.
The training programme includes socio-cultural activities
To strengthen social integration, course participants will have the opportunity to study not only in regular classrooms but also in various educations, study visits to different regions of Lithuania. According to the Head of the Language Centre, the project strives to educate participants comprehensively, such a learning model is an effective way to smoothly integrate foreigners. In addition, these courses are a great opportunity for Ukrainians living in Lithuania to meet.
‘Adults have greater opportunities to find employment and be more competitive in the labour market. It is easier to adapt to various everyday situations, for example, it is easier to communicate with a doctor, in a store, etc. Students have higher learning achievement results, easier studies in higher education institutions, and later better employment opportunities,’ I. Brazauskaitė-Zubavičienė shares the opportunities that open up for course participants.
The Head of the Language Centre notes that an extremely rare but valuable case is Lithuanian sign language courses. Through the cooperation of Kauno kolegija HEI with the Kaunas Centre for the Deaf, deaf and hard-of-hearing Ukrainians living in Kaunas have the opportunity to learn Lithuanian sign language.
