Opening of a Lithuanian secondary school in Punsk, on the Polish-Lithuanian border, has been delayed due to financial constraints.

The school, where the language of instruction will be Lithuanian, to cater to the local minority group, only received 1.5 million zloty (about 340,000 euro) from the Ministry of the Interior (MSWiA) to complete construction, according to Ryszard Grzybowski, from the Sejny County offices.

Gzrybowski added that the county was supposed to receive four million zloty (about 1 million euro) to finish the school’s construction and to build a sports facility. The actual amount received will pay for basic construction to be finished, but is too little to allow the school to open for students.

The local Lithuanian minority was hoping that the school would open in the fall for the new academic year and in time to celebrate the 1000 year anniversary of the Lithuanian state this year.

“This is a let down because that two or three million shouldn’t be a problem for the Polish state [to provide],” claims Olgierd Wojciechowski, head of the Lithuanian Society in Poland.

Wojciechowski added that it was agreed between the two governments that Lithuania will finance construction of the primary and middle schools in Sejny county and Poland will finance the secondary school. Lithuania has already allocated the appropriate sum of money.

County authorities started building the schools in 2006 and construction was set to finish in 2009. over 3 million zloty have been invested total in the town.

Residents of Punsk have been awaiting the building of a Lithuanian school for a long time. The town’s secondary school is over 50 years old and graduates about 40 ethnic Lithuanians annually. (mmj)