Editing Kaunas (section)

===Primary and secondary education===
[[File:Kaunas, Maironio gimnazija, 2020.JPG|thumb|Kaunas Maironis University Gymnasium, the oldest operational school in Kaunas, which was moved to this then newly built building in 1863]]
[[File:Rector's Office of the Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, Lithuania in 2016.jpg|thumb|Building where since 1919 the Ministry of Education of Lithuania operated, later since 1921 the entire Cabinet of Ministers until 1940<ref name="SM"/>]]
At the time of paganism Lithuanian children were educated at home schools near [[Manorialism|manors]], however following the [[Christianization of Lithuania]] in 1387 schools began to be established near churches and the first [[parochial school]] in Kaunas was established in 1473.<ref name="datos.kvb.lt"/><ref name="SvietimasLDK">{{cite web |title=Švietimas Lietuvos Didžiojoje Kunigaikštystėje |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/svietimas-lietuvos-didziojoje-kunigaikstysteje/ |website=Vle.lt |access-date=17 August 2024 |language=lt}}</ref> The ability to write was essential for Kaunas' merchants, craftsmen and employees of the offices of city self-government institutions work.<ref name="MokyklosAutc">{{cite web |title=Mokyklos Kaune XVI‑XVIII a. pirmojoje pusėje |url=http://kaunosenamiestis.autc.lt/lt/paieska/teksto-zinute/26/mokyklos-kaune-xvi-xviii-a-pirmojoje-puseje |website=Kaunosenamiestis.autc.lt |access-date=17 August 2024 |language=lt}}</ref>

In 1648, Kaunas [[Jesuit]] College ({{langx|la|Collegium Caunense}}) was established and until 1702 its status as ''collegium inchoatum'' settled down, which meant a [[high school]] with a shortened [[philosophy]] course.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kasperavičiūtė |first1=Vitalija |title=Jėzuitų ir Edukacims komisijos mokyklos Kaune: sąveika ir perimamumas (XVIII a.) |journal=Kauno istorijos metraštis |page=51 |url=https://etalpykla.lituanistika.lt/object/LT-LDB-0001:J.04~2002~1367184063033/J.04~2002~1367184063033.pdf |access-date=17 August 2024 |language=lt}}</ref> Therefore, in the 16th–18th centuries Kaunas had education with levels from primary to secondary school and the studies met demands not only of Kaunas but also of the surrounding area.<ref name="MokyklosAutc"/>

On 14 October 1773, the [[Commission of National Education]] was created by the [[Sejm of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]] and the Grand Duke [[Stanisław August Poniatowski]], which supervised universities, schools and was responsible for other educational matters in the Commonwealth. Because of its vast authority and autonomy, it is considered as the first [[Ministry (government department)|Ministry]] of [[Education]] in European history and an important achievement of the [[Enlightenment in Poland|Enlightenment in the Commonwealth]].<ref>{{cite book |first=Norman |last=Davies |title=God's Playground: 1795 to the present |url=https://archive.org/details/godsplaygroundhi00norm_0 |url-access=registration |access-date=17 August 2024 |date=28 February 2005 |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=978-0-231-12819-3 |page=[https://archive.org/details/godsplaygroundhi00norm_0/page/167 167]}}</ref> At the time the education province of Lithuania was assigned to be managed by [[Vilnius University]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Edukacinė komisija |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/edukacine-komisija/ |website=Vle.lt |access-date=17 August 2024 |language=lt}}</ref>

Following the [[Partitions of Poland|Third Partition of the Commonwealth]], Kaunas and [[Lithuania proper]] became a part of the Russian Empire. In 1843, the [[Gymnasium (school)|Gymnasium]] of the [[Kražiai College]], one of the most important centers of education and Jesuit science in Lithuania, was transferred from [[Kražiai]] to Kaunas, and currently it is named [[Kaunas Maironis University Gymnasium]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Kražių kolegija |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/kraziu-kolegija/ |website=Vle.lt |access-date=17 August 2024 |language=lt}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Istorija |url=http://kmug.lt/apie-gimnazija/istorija/ |website=Kauno Maironio universitetinė gimnazija |access-date=17 August 2024 |language=lt}}</ref> In 1848, Kaunas became capital of the [[Kovno Governorate]] which had 197 Lithuanian primary schools, however the education was greatly affected by the [[Lithuanian press ban]] (1865–1904) and [[Russification]] policies, especially after the 1863 [[January Uprising]].<ref name="SvietimasRI">{{cite web |title=Švietimas Lietuvoje Rusijos imperijos valdymo metais |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/svietimas-lietuvoje-rusijos-imperijos-valdymo-metais/ |website=Vle.lt |access-date=17 August 2024 |language=lt}}</ref> Nevertheless, Kovno Governorate was one of the leading governorates by population [[literacy]] – 55,3%, compared to the average of 19% of population (9 years or older) of the Russian Empire in 1897.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kauno gubernija |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/kauno-gubernija/ |website=Vle.lt |access-date=17 August 2024 |language=lt}}</ref><ref name="RastingumasVle">{{cite web |title=Raštingumas |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/rastingumas/ |website=Vle.lt |access-date=17 August 2024 |language=lt}}</ref>

[[File:School notebook cover with Vytautas the Great, printed in the 1930s in Lithuania.jpg|thumb|150px|School notebook cover with Vytautas the Great, an example of patriotic education in interwar period Lithuania<ref name="patriot"/>]]
Following the adoption of the [[Act of Independence of Lithuania]] in 1918, the [[Government of Lithuania]] was soon forced to retreat from [[Vilnius]] to Kaunas in January 1919, therefore since 1919 the [[Ministry of Education and Science (Lithuania)|Ministry of Education of Lithuania]] operated in Kaunas.<ref name="SM">{{cite web |title=Tarpukario Lietuvą menantis pastatas Kaune: čia buvo sprendžiami svarbiausi valstybės klausimai |url=https://www.delfi.lt/multimedija/archyvas/zvilgsnis-i-lietuva/tarpukario-lietuva-menantis-pastatas-kaune-cia-buvo-sprendziami-svarbiausi-valstybes-klausimai-73750532 |website=DELFI |access-date=17 August 2024 |language=lt}}</ref> These events resulted in the influx to Kaunas of Lithuanian intellectuals (e.g. [[Jonas Jablonskis]], [[Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas]]) and teachers who began educational activities.<ref>{{cite web |title=Prieš 100 metų Kaunas tapo laikinąja sostine |url=https://www.15min.lt/naujiena/aktualu/lietuva/pries-100-metu-kaunas-tapo-laikinaja-sostine-56-1081994 |website=15min.lt |access-date=17 August 2024 |language=lt}}</ref> During the [[interwar period]] the Lithuanian [[educational system]] was transformed based on Western countries examples and the [[Constituent Assembly of Lithuania]] adopted the Primary Schools Act which required 7-11-year-old children to attend free primary education for four years (the primary education was prolonged to six years in 1936) and many new schools for various ages pupils were established.<ref name="Svietimas18-40">{{cite web |title=Lietuvos Respublikos švietimo sistema 1918–1940 |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/lietuvos-respublikos-svietimo-sistema-1918-1940/ |website=Vle.lt |access-date=17 August 2024 |language=lt}}</ref> Moreover, children were taught [[patriotism]] from an early age, later children joined [[Ateitis]] and [[Lietuvos Skautija]] organizations, while school notebooks covers for pupils were printed with famous Lithuanian personalities portraits (e.g. [[Vytautas]], [[Birutė]], [[Jonas Basanavičius]], etc.).<ref name="patriot">{{cite web |title=Tarpukaris: vaikų patriotizmą ugdė ir sąsiuvinių viršeliai |url=https://kaunas.kasvyksta.lt/2018/06/17/kultura/tarpukaris-vaiku-patriotizma-ugde-ir-sasiuviniu-virseliai/ |website=Kaunas.kasvyksta.lt |access-date=17 August 2024 |language=lt}}</ref> In 1922, the [[Kaunas Art School]] was established in Kaunas and it was the only public [[art school]] in interwar Lithuania.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kauno meno mokykla |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/kauno-meno-mokykla/ |website=Vle.lt |access-date=17 August 2024 |language=lt}}</ref> In 1931, Jonas Laužikas established a [[special education]] school in Kaunas which was the first such type school in Lithuania and it still operates.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pirmosios vaikų su intelekto negaliomis mokyklos direktorė: baisiausia buvo sovietmečiu |url=https://www.delfi.lt/seima/klasiu-kovos/pirmosios-vaiku-su-intelekto-negaliomis-mokyklos-direktore-baisiausia-buvo-sovietmeciu-96126273 |website=Delfi.lt |access-date=17 August 2024 |language=lt}}</ref> The overall improvement of education system during the interwar period resulted in 92% of literacy rate of the population in Lithuania in 1939 (mostly only part of the older age inhabitants were still illiterate).<ref name="RastingumasVle"/>

In January 1919, the [[War School of Kaunas]] was established as a [[military school]] for [[junior officer]]s, while since 1921 the [[senior officer]]s studied at the [[Higher Officers' Courses]] which in 1932 became the Higher Military School when a department of the [[Defence Staff (Lithuania)|General Staff]] was established, however both institutions were dissolved in 1940.<ref>{{cite web |title=Aukštieji karininkų kursai |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/aukstieji-karininku-kursai/ |website=Vle.lt |access-date=17 August 2024 |language=lt}}</ref>

The [[occupation of the Baltic states|Soviet occupation of Lithuania]] in 1940 and in 1944 resulted in the [[Sovietization]] of Lithuanian education system which also affected education in Kaunas until 1990, while many students, teachers, and lecturers departed to the Western Europe or faced [[Soviet deportations from Lithuania|Soviet deportations]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Švietimas Lietuvoje sovietinės okupacijos metais (1940–1941 ir 1944–1990) |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/svietimas-lietuvoje-sovietines-okupacijos-metais-1940-1941-ir-1944-1990/ |website=Vle.lt |access-date=17 August 2024 |language=lt}}</ref>

Following the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania in 1990, the Lithuanian education system was once again significantly reformed.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lietuvos Respublikos švietimo sistema po nepriklausomybės atkūrimo |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/lietuvos-respublikos-svietimo-sistema-po-nepriklausomybes-atkurimo/ |website=Vle.lt |access-date=17 August 2024 |language=lt}}</ref> Currently, Kaunas has a network of state-funded schools: 6 primary schools, 17 [[progymnasium]]s, 20 gymnasiums, and 43 private pre-school and general education institutions.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kauno miesto savivaldybės švietimo stebėsenos rodikliai |url=https://www.kaunas.lt/svietimas/kauno-miesto-savivaldybes-svietimo-stebesenos-rodikliai/ |website=Kaunas.lt |access-date=17 August 2024}}</ref> The [[Kaunas University of Technology Gymnasium]] is one of the best ranked gymnasiums in Lithuania (2nd in 2024).<ref>{{cite web |title=Naujausiuose švietimo reitinguose – geriausios gimnazijos, savivaldybės lyderės ir keistos tendencijos |url=https://www.lrytas.lt/lietuvosdiena/svietimas/2024/05/08/news/naujausiuose-svietimo-reitinguose-geriausios-gimnazijos-savivaldybes-lyderes-ir-keistos-tendencijos-31771701 |website=lrytas.lt |access-date=17 August 2024}}</ref> Most of pupils in Kaunas later studies in the universities or colleges as Lithuania is one of the world's leading countries in [[OECD]]'s statistics of population with tertiary education (58.15% of 25–34-year-olds in 2022).<ref>{{cite web |title=Population with tertiary education |url=https://data.oecd.org/eduatt/population-with-tertiary-education.htm |website=OECD |access-date=17 August 2024}}</ref>