Moreover, these universities’ leaders believe that higher education in Lithuania should be free. “In striving towards a breakthrough and revolution in the country’s political, economic and cultural life, we need reforms in the education system – we must seek harmonious higher education development, especially in the humanitarian and social sciences. We are convinced that the unification of the Vytautas Magnus and Lithuanian Educological universities will help strengthen the potential of studies and academics in these fields,” said VDU chairman Valdas Adamkus and LEU chairman Henrikas Algirdas Juškevičius.

Other problems they pointed out included an impending shortage of mathematics, information science and physics teachers and the high price of education in Lithuania. “Why are studies at the Parisian Sorbonne university free while they’re so expensive in Lithuania? This is why we lose so many bright young people. I doubt that those who finish school with perfect grades stay in Lithuania to study,” said Juškevičius.