On April 2, 2026, the closing event of the nearly two-week-long education and arts festival “POSTŪMIS. School as Culture” took place in Panevėžys.
Organized by the “Millennium Schools” (TŪM) programme and Stasys Museum, the festival aimed to summarize, reflect on, and celebrate the changes and achievements that have taken place in municipal schools. As the TŪM programme has been one of the largest educational projects in Lithuania’s independence period in terms of both scope of activities and investments, the festival was equally diverse, offering engaging experiences and new knowledge.
At the closing event, the gathered education community was welcomed by Minister of Education, Science and Sport Raminta Popovienė, Mayor of Panevėžys Loreta Masiliūnienė, Economic Advisor at the European Commission Representation in Lithuania Lina Vatėnaitė, Director of the European Social Fund Agency Dr. Laura Girlevičienė, and Director of Stasys Museum Vaida Andrijauskaitė.
Following the opening remarks, students from various Lithuanian municipalities shared their experiences inspired and enabled by the TŪM programme. Matas Pavilionis from Trakai Vytautas Magnus Gymnasium presented “Youth Joy through the Magic of Theatre”; Jonas Varanauskas from Biržai “Aušra” Basic School spoke about his discovery of a passion for chemistry in “Visible and Invisible”; Izabelė Tamoliūnaitė and Einoras Martinkėnas from Anykščiai Jonas Biliūnas Gymnasium discussed their film production in “Cinema with TŪM”; Milėja Vitaitė and Liepa Gudaitytė from Alytus Jotvingiai Gymnasium presented “Science – at School or in Nature?”; and Adomas Zaikinas from Molėtai Gymnasium reflected on leadership through action.
After the warmly received student presentations, the stage welcomed Vilius Vaitiekūnas, Head of Education at Stasys Museum, who introduced the festival’s educational activities; Judita Šarpienė, Head of the TŪM programme, who presented the programme’s nearing completion results; and Vaida Lukošiutė, head of the Deaf Association and lecturer, who shared her personal story.
Bringing together education and the arts, “POSTŪMIS. School as Culture” invited participants to three thematic strands: architecture workshops, teacher-led educational activities, and the final programme conference.
As early as January, at Stasys Museum, an architectural installation—the central axis of the festival—began to take shape through collaboration between architect Simona Gaigalaitė, founder of the “Inout” architecture studio, and students from Panevėžys. From March 23 to April 1, educational activities led by teachers participating in the programme took place at the museum, engaging students from different regions of Lithuania. The objects, texts, and visual materials created during these sessions became part of the installation. On April 2, the festival concluded with the final conference and a celebration of the work accomplished.
The conference recording can be viewed HERE.
The main objective of the TŪM programme is to reduce disparities in student achievement and the quality of education between different schools within municipalities and across municipalities. This is pursued through investments in activities that support the implementation of updated curricula, strengthen knowledge and skills, promote inclusive education, enhance leadership competencies among school leaders and teachers, and place additional emphasis on cultural and STEAM education. All of this is carried out based on the principle of school networking within municipalities—encouraging sharing and collaboration rather than competition.
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