Our Language Policy Development project has been run in partnership with the State Lithuanian Language Commission, the Committee on Education, Science and Culture of the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania and Vilnius University.

The highlight events of the project are:

19-22 October 2005
David Crystal’s & David Graddol’s Visit Programme

• David Crystal’s public speech at Vilnius University and launch of his book Language Death translated and published in Lithuanian. The book is available commercially.
• David Crystal’s & David Graddol’s plenary speeches at the 1st International Conference on Applied Linguistics held by Lithuanian Studies Department and Foreign Languages Institute of Vilnius University.
• David Graddol & David Crystal participated in round table discussion Perspectives and Policies for ‘Small’ Languages organised by the State Language Commission (Lithuania). Representatives of Latvian and Estonian State Language Commissions participated.

For more information, please contact Vilma Backiute, English Language Projects Manager.

12-14 March 2004
Language Education Management Seminar

The heads of university departments that offer Lithuanian as a Foreign Language courses and representatives of other state institutions received a three-day input on management. The working language was English which indirectly provided an opportunity to develop the English Language skills. The group of 16 participants, representing state language institutions have become a network for professional exchange and key contacts for the British Council Lithuania in further activities on language policy, including the English language teaching.

For more information, please contact Vilma Backiute, English Language Projects Manager.

4-6 February 2003
Language Policy Consultancy Visit

Dave Allan, the Director of the Norwich Institute for Language Education (NILE) in the UK and a regular previous language policy consultant on behalf of the Council of Europe in Estonia and Latvia, visited Vilnius to offer initial advice and impetus to a two-phase Language Policy Development Project planned to take place in the period 2003 – 2005. The visit included round table meetings and a working dinner with the representatives of key language policy institutions in Lithuania. David Alan’s report is available at request.

For more information, please contact Danguole Kizniene, Projects Manager for Education, Science and Governance.