[2010-02-08] In 2010 the most important factor of the successful integration of the foreigners granted asylum – knowledge of the Lithuanian language – stays the same

Since old times the Lithuanian people spoke Lithuanian language, so the arriving foreigners, willing to integrate successful into the Lithuanian society, should make every efforts studying the Lithuanian language. Not inconsiderable percent of the foreigners arriving to Lithuania, having Russian language skills, still think, that the Lithuanian language is not the essential factor for the successful integration into the Lithuanian society. But the lingual skills of the residents of Lithuania are changing constantly. Some decades before the most of the Lithuanian people could speak not only Lithuanian language, but also Russian, but the current situation has changed. The youth of Lithuania is oriented to the Western countries and chooses to study at schools English or German language.

The foreigners coming to Lithuania meet at first the problem of the not knowing of the Lithuanian language. About 80 % of the foreigners granted asylum come to the Refugees Reception Center not knowing the Lithuanian language, the last know only the basic phrases. The not knowing of the language raises the additional problems for the foreigners not only employing but also getting an occupation.

According to the data of “The Survey on the Processes of the Refugees’ Integration” made in 2007 64,4 % of the interviewed foreigners granted asylum mentioned the lack of the Lithuanian language skills as the biggest problem seeking for the employment.

According to the social integration program of the foreigners granted asylum, financed by the state, the courses of the Lithuanian language of 190 hours are organized for the adult foreigners granted asylum.  The organized courses of the Lithuanian language are not enough for the satisfaction of the needs of the knowledge of the language, so since January 2009 the additional training of the Lithuanian language according to the computer programs is organized in the Refugees Reception Center in accordance with the project “Knowledge, Work – Future”.

The training of the Lithuanian language (duration – 190 hours) is organized for the foreigners granted asylum in the Refugees Reception Center according to the social integration program of the foreigners granted asylum finances by the state. The organized Lithuanian language courses are not enough for the satisfaction of the needs of the language skills, due to the different level of the education of the foreigners granted asylum, the psychological problems.

In 2010 the Refugees Reception Center, implementing the project “Knowledge, Work – Future” (the perennial program of the European Refugee Fund in Lithuania of 2008-2013 and the annual program of the European Refugee Fund in Lithuania of 2008), continues the additional training of the Lithuanian language for the foreigners granted asylum using the computer programs.

Both the adults and the children can learn the Lithuanian language additionally. The training of the adults proceeds according to the curriculum of 190 hours, the training of the children – according to the curriculum of 140 hours.

It is planned to implement the activity the whole year. As the praxis shows, the additional training of the Lithuanian language using the technologies is a very useful activity, because the foreigners granted asylum attend these courses willingly.

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