To mark the beginning of the school year, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya visited a Belarusian educational institution in Vilnius to speak with the team that continues to educate Belarusian children in exile.
The meeting focused on the current challenges facing educators, from Lithuanian language proficiency requirements to finding support and engaging with foreign embassies. The school’s leadership noted that the team’s main goal is to return to Belarus and continue their work there as soon as circumstances allow.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya noted that Lithuania remains ready to provide humanitarian support to Belarusians, but maintaining this support requires daily effort. She emphasized that the regime’s security services are actively working to sow hostility between Belarusians and their allies. Every effort is therefore being made to preserve the space for the Office and Belarusian initiatives, including educational ones, to continue their work.
Ms. Tsikhanouskaya thanked the teachers for continuing to develop Belarusian education in exile and for maintaining their commitment to return to Belarus.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “I am truly grateful for this meeting, thanks to which we could speak in person and I could hear about the challenges you are facing. I want to thank each and every one of you for continuing to teach our children despite all the difficulties and the challenges of life in exile. Your dedication and professionalism are of great value. In a free Belarus, we will need your experience, your modern approaches, and your belief in education. Thank you all for continuing to inspire children despite all the difficulties”.
