Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuanian Sports University, Mykolas Romeris University and Vilnius College have been granted the status of Teacher Training Centre by The Lithuanian Ministry of Education, Science and Sport. The status has been granted for six years.
The decision to establish the Centre was based on the importance of teacher training for society, the need to address the shortage of teachers, the country’s educational needs and the strategic priorities of education policy.
The Teacher Training Centre will focus on the training of teachers in shortage areas, as well as jointly designing and developing teacher training study programmes, offering relevant study modules, and flexible studies for students of the consortium’s higher education institutions. The Centre will also apply and integrate the latest teaching methodologies, technologies and innovative educational tools.
This consolidated Teacher Training Centre will operate as a shared leadership model, i.e. a joint operating agreement that defines responsibilities, contributions, governance, administration, financing and other issues.
Improving the country’s education system
According to the Rector of Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), Prof. Eugenijus Valatka, this initiative was dictated by the contemporary realities.
The Centre will aim to strengthen and develop the capacity of educators to apply innovative, student-centred, STEM-based methods based on the latest research results.
It will also aim to create an ecosystem for educational innovation, which will act not only as an incubator for the adaptation of the best methodologies and tools to Lithuania but also as a catalyst for educational innovation.
According to Jūratė Požėrienė, the Vice-Rector of Studies of the Lithuanian Sports University (LSU), by pooling the potential of educational scientists, the Teacher Training Centre will train teachers, focusing on didactics as a link between theory and practice.
She hopes that the Teacher Training Centre will also become an important professional hub where future formal and non-formal education, vocational teachers and student support specialists will acquire new competences.
Commitment to contribute to teacher training
Her thoughts are echoed by the Rector of Mykolas Romeris University (MRU), Prof. Inga Žalėnienė.
According to the MRU Rector, the interdisciplinary approach to the teaching and learning process, MRU’s experience in the field of organisation of educational technology management, which includes leadership and the ability to apply innovative methods, will be a significant contribution to the activities of the new Teacher Training Centre.
“We will strive to ensure that the Centre’s activities meet the regional needs, taking advantage of the experience of the Sūduva Academy of MRU, which has a long teacher training tradition,” says Prof. Žalėnienė.
The Centre will strive to shape a new educational paradigm in which the teacher is the creator, able to develop new educational methodologies, tools and model educational content. Teachers will be encouraged to engage in research projects, action research focused on the development of didactics and the evaluation of new educational methodologies.
