As Lithuanian educational institutions face a shortage of textbooks, schools are increasingly turning to digital teaching tools. According to data from the digital learning environment "EDUKA Klasė", increased user activity has been observed this year.
For his part, Dainius Žvirdauskas, president of the Lithuanian Association of School Principals, emphasizes that although the update of the programs was necessary, the implementation process showed systemic gaps.
"In Lithuania, the program update was carried out by experts, but the publication of textbooks was not synchronized. Publishing houses did not have the capacity, which is why there is still a shortage of textbooks, there are many practical difficulties, and digital learning tools are necessary," the report quotes Dainius Žvirdauskas, president of the Lithuanian Association of School Principals.
Teachers also emphasize that textbook authors not only have to create content, but also combine it with imprecisely designed programs. As a result, digital learning tools become not an additional, but a primary work tool.
This trend is also reflected in statistics - according to "EDUKA Class" data, user activity has increased by 36 percent this year, and compared to the 2023-2024 school year, the total number of users has increased by 24 percent.
“Blended learning – combining printed and digital content – has become the norm in modern schools. Digital content is used especially actively in grades 1, 2, 4 and 6,” says Jūratė Mikulevičiūtė, head of the content group at “Ateities pamoka”.
According to her, for the second year in a row, mathematics and Lithuanian remain the most popular subjects on the platform. The use of quick test tasks has also increased significantly - their activity has increased by as much as 33 percent.
ELTA reminds us that when students in odd-numbered grades began studying according to the updated curriculum in the fall of 2023, teachers drew attention to the lack of new textbooks.
In response to complaints, the government decided in January last year to double funding for the development of digital education. It was also decided to allocate almost 29 million euros for textbooks and teaching aids, including digital ones.
This year, an additional 10 million euros is being allocated for the purchase of textbooks.
It is estimated that during the period 2023–2024, publishing houses published more than 200 textbooks or parts thereof prepared under the new programs.
