Official Translation

Official Translation Official Translation REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA LAW ON NONFORMAL ADULT EDUCATION June 30, 1998 No. VIII-822 Vilnius CHAPTER I GENERAL PROVISIONS ARTICLE 1. Purpose of the Law This Law shall regulate the system of nonformal adult education, establish basic principles of its structure, activities and management. The objective of the Law is to provide the participants, providers and social partners on nonformal adult education with legislative guarantees, to help implementation of inborn human right for lifelong development of one's personality, to warrant an individual with opportunities to acquire the knowledge and skills that one needs to be a citizen of a democratic State and to be a specialist in a certain profession, to contribute to creative and sensible use of leisure. In organising nonformal education, one shall rely upon the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, Law on Education, this and other laws and legal standard acts. ARTICLE 2. Basic Definitions of this Law 1. Nonformal Adult Education denotes education, training or studies designed to meet the needs of an individual and society, on successful completion of which no State recognised document testifying to the acquisition of a certain level of education, stage thereof or a separate regulated module, or State regulated qualification, is issued. 2. Formal Education denotes State regulated and controlled education, training or studies on completion of which a person is awarded a State recognised diploma or certificate. Formal Adult Education namely, general education, vocational education and training, college level education and higher education shall be regulated by the Law on Education, the Law on Science and Studies and the Law on Vocational Education and Training. 3. Module denotes a part of a learning or training programme which provides the student with knowledge and skills of a certain level and scale. 4. Providers denote legal and natural persons engaged in drafting and (

1. or)implementation of Nonformal Adult Education programmes. 5. Participants denote adult persons who, following nonformal adult education programmes, go in for education, training, continuous education and training as well as broadening of their cultural and civic outlook. CHAPTER II THE SYSTEM OF NONFORMAL ADULT EDUCATION ARTICLE 3. Goals of Nonformal Adult Education The main goals of nonformal adult education shall be: 1) to help an individual to satisfy his (her) self-education needs and to develop his cultural interests; 2) to develop an individual's creative capacities and abilities; 3) to help an individual to become an active citizen of a democratic society; 4) to create conditions for acquisition of theoretical knowledge and practical skills needed for an individual's professional activities and for upgrading qualifications. ARTICLE 4. Directions of Nonformal Adult Education Nonformal adult education includes: 1) Fostering of an individual's general culture; 2) Acquisition and upgrading of knowledge and skills needed for an individual's professional activities. ARTICLE 5. Forms of Nonformal Adult Education The main forms of nonformal adult education shall be: 1) organised purposeful self-education; 2) courses (day-time, evening-time, continuous, short-term and others); 3) distance education; 4) educational programmes provided by mass media. ARTICLE 6. Providers Nonformal adult education courses may be developed and provided by Lithuanian nonformal adult education institutions, and also general education, vocational education and training schools, colleges and higher schools that have set up/established nonformal adult education units (divisions, groups, etc.), other legal and natural persons, who have been authorised to provide nonformal adult education according to the procedure established by the Government or other Government-authorised institution. This provision is not necessarily applicable to single ad hoc nonformal education events organised by natural persons. ARTICLE 7. Participants A participant of nonformal adult education shall be every adult person (usually not any younger than 18). ARTICLE 8. Social Partners of Nonformal Adult Education Lithuanian State institutions, municipalities, employers and organisations representing their interests, trade unions, religious communities, political parties, non-governmental organisations, other Lithuanian and foreign legal and natural persons may participate in organising, supporting and implementing of nonformal adult education programmes. ARTICLE 9. Founders of Nonformal Adult Education Institutions State institutions, municipalities, non-governmental organisations and other legal and natural persons may found nonformal adult education institutions in accordance with the procedure established by the Government or Government-authorised institution. A nonformal adult education institution may be established by several founders. CHAPTER III ORGANISATION OF NONFORMAL ADULT EDUCATION ARTICLE 10. Nonformal Adult Education Council The Nonformal Adult Education Council is an expert institution defining the general perspectives of Lithuanian nonformal adult education development, providing expert analysis of nonformal adult education system development projects and co-ordinating activities of nonformal adult education institutions. The Government or a Government-authorised institution shall approve the Statute of the Council and the structure thereof. ARTICLE 11. The Rights of Nonformal Adult Education Participants Participants of Nonformal Adult Education shall have the right to: 1) receive information free of charge about operating nonformal adult education institutions, programmes, forms; 2) choose nonformal adult education institution, form and programme; 3) submit proposals concerning nonformal adult education programmes provided to participants, propose their own programmes; 4) receive state support allocated to nonformal adult education in accordance with the procedure, established by the Government, and additional paid leave; 5) after passing examinations in formal education, science or studies institutions, to receive an assessment of the knowledge acquired in the system of nonformal adult education as well as a state recognised document testifying to the acqusisition of a certain level of formal education, stage thereof or a separate regulated part or the programme (module); 6) make an agreement concerning nonformal education conditions with the provider of nonformal adult education and (
2. or)institution funding this education, if nonformal education is to be paid for. ARTICLE 12. Responsibilities of Nonformal Adult Education Providers The providers of nonformal adult education must: 1) draw up a contract on the request of the nonformal adult education participant and (
3. or)institution funding this education; 2) ensure quality of provided nonformal adult education programmes; 3) inform State governing and self-governing institutions about provided nonformal adult education programmes according to the procedure established by the Government-authorised institution; 4) develop, up-grade, provide nonformal adult education programmes according to the wishes of participants, founders and supporters of nonformal adult education. ARTICLE 13. The Functions of the Ministries, Other Governmental Institutions, County Governors and Municipalities Ministry of Education and Science shall: 1) develop legal documents regulating nonformal adult education according to its competence; 2) together with the Nonformal Adult Education Council co-ordinate activities of State and municipalities nonformal adult education institutions, define priority trends in co-ordination with regional development programmes; 3) submit proposals concerning State funding and support procedure for nonformal adult education, design projects of development of the nonformal adult education institutions system and their financing and submit them to the Government; 4) order and finance nonformal adult education programmes and special projects; 5) order and finance scientific research in the field of nonformal adult education; 6) together with non-governmental adult education institutions found adult education information centres, that collect and systematise data on adult education, organise in-service training for educators of adults, provide information and give advice to legal and natural persons, interested in adult education, provide information to the Ministry of Education and Science, non-governmental adult education institutions and other legal and natural persons, developing and (
4. or)implementing nonformal adult education programmes; 7) may support nonformal adult education programmes provided by other institutions and organisations, taking into account their importance and quality. 2. Ministry of Social Security and Labour shall: 1) taking into account the demands of the labour market, develop activities of the adult education system related to nonformal vocational training and continuous education of the unemployed and those who have been given notice to leave the job. 2) Order and finance nonformal adult education programmes and special projects according to its competence; 3) If necessary, order and support scientific research of nonformal adult education, which helps to adapt to the labour market demands. 3. Other ministries, Governmental organisations, County Governors, and municipalities according to their competence shall: 1) organise and co-ordinate activities of nonformal adult education institutions subordinate to them; 2) order and finance nonformal adult education programmes and special projects; 3) order and support, if necessary, research on the current situation of nonformal adult education; 4) investigate demands of nonformal adult education. CHAPTER IV PARTICIPATION GUARANTEES ARTICLE 14. Support to The Participants Working According to a Job Contract 1. At the request of persons, who work according to a job contract, state or any other support allocated to nonformal education may be granted, as well as paid additional leave at the time agreed upon with the employer. The duration of this leave, funding conditions and other support is indicated in a collective or job contract . 2. Conflicts concerning paid leave or other support are examined according to the existing job conflict settling procedures. Article 15. Responsibility for the Use of Paid Leave A person, who received paid leave and support for nonformal education and used it not according to the purpose, must recover losses to the employer or other natural or legal person who provided support, according to the procedure established by laws. ARTICLE 16. Guarantees of Providers Providers of nonformal adult education, registered in the State Register of Educational Institutions, shall have the right to receive support in accordance with the procedure for support of educational institutions, established by the Government or government-authorised institution. CHAPTER V FUNDING AND SUPPORT OF NONFORMAL ADULT EDUCATION ARTICLE 17. Funding Principles and Forms 1. Interested legal and natural persons and participants may finance nonformal adult education. It can also be funded from municipalities or the State Budget according to the procedure established by the Government or Government-authorised institution. 2. Funds, necessary to upgrade professional qualification and requalify civil servants shall be granted from municipal or State budgets according to the procedure established by the Government or Government-authorised institution. These funds shall make up not more than 3 percent of the annual salary fund of the institutions maintained by the said budgets. 3. Courses for the unemployed, including those, who wish to start their own business and other persons in search of employment, who wish to acquire a new or change the present qualification, shall order regional Labour Exchange and finance them from the Employment Fund according to the procedure established by the Law on Support of the Unemployed. 4.The State may support nonformal adult education providing funding to: 1) participants of nonformal adult education; 2) programmes and special projects; 3) up-grading of professional qualifications of nonformal adult education providers and their in-service training; 4) acquisition of necessary premises and equipment for nonformal adult education, and also rent of premises. 5. Nonformal adult education programmes and special projects ordered by State institutions, shall be funded from the State Budget. 6. Nonformal adult education programmes and special projects ordered by the municipalities shall be funded from the budget of municipalities. 7. The State shall finance nonformal education for socially supported persons and groups thereof. The Government or Government-authorised institution shall establish procedure and amount of funding. 8. Government or Government-authorised institution shall establish procedure of submission of applications for funding from the State or municipal budget and rules of using the funds. ARTICLE 18. Provision of Premises for the Nonformal Adult Education Institutions Premises belonging to state institutions as well as those belonging to municipalities in accordance with ownership or trust right, may be provided, on the basis of rent or use agreement, to nonformal adult education institutions in compliance with the order prescribed by the Government. I promulgate this Law passed by the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA VALDAS ADAMKUS