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LIETUVOS SVIETIMO IR MOKSLO PROFESINE SAJUNGA

Lithuania 🇱🇹
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The Lithuanian Education and Science Trade Union (LESTU) is Lithuania’s largest education trade union with over 12,000 members. With 12 central staff and 40 regional coordinators, it uniquely represents workers across all educational sectors – from pre-primary teachers to university researchers and VET instructors.

As a modern, politically independent organization, LESTU effectively protects the social, economic, and professional interests of education staff at national, regional, and institutional levels. Through dialogue with employers, it influences government education policies to address Lithuanian citizens’ needs.

LESTU maintains memberships in the Lithuanian Trade Union Confederation (LPSK), Education International (EI), and the European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE), accessing extensive international networks for project collaboration and knowledge sharing.

At the state level, LESTU provides policy recommendations through the Parliamentary Education Council regarding VET initiatives and cooperates closely with the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports and the Qualifications and VET Development Centre to align Lithuania’s lifelong learning system with economic and societal needs.

The organization’s team of qualified professionals conducts legal analysis, delivers member education and staff development training, and participates in collective bargaining at various levels. Through these negotiations, LESTU regulates essential working conditions for educators, including working hours, professional development, compensation, employment protection, and health safeguards.

The Faces of the Project

Inga Puisa
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Lina KirkickaitÄ—-Khalilov
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Inga Puisa

Inga Puisa is a Project Manager at the Lithuanian Education and Science Professional Union in Vilnius, leading European-funded initiatives since 2010. She has extensive experience in Erasmus+ and European Social Fund projects, focusing on lifelong learning, validation of non-formal and informal learning, gender equality, social inclusion, and quality assurance in education. She has contributed to international projects including TRANSVAL.EU, PROFI-VNFIL, Eduwork.net, Sequences, and WIN Online. From 2016 to 2020, she was a political adviser in the Lithuanian Parliament, supporting education and social policy. She holds a Master’s in Public Administration (performance audit) and a Bachelor’s in Mathematics and Informatics. Fluent in English, she is skilled in project management, research, communication, and digital tools, committed to inclusive education and evidence-based policy.

Lina KirkickaitÄ—-Khalilov

Lina Kirkickaitė-Khalilov is a Project Coordinator at the Lithuanian Education and Science Trade Union, with over eight years of experience in public administration and project management. She specializes in project coordination, data analysis, reporting, and public service delivery, contributing to initiatives in education, employment, and migration. Previously, she served as Chief Specialist at the Employment Service under the Ministry of Social Security and Labour and the National Payment Agency under the Ministry of Agriculture, and as Specialist at the Vilnius County Police Commissariat Migration Board. She holds a Bachelor’s in History and is pursuing a Master’s in State Economic Policy at Vilnius University. Skilled in communication, strategic planning, and Microsoft Power BI, she is committed to efficient, accountable, and high-quality public services.