Geography studies at the Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences in the context of demand for teachers of geography

Šiame straipsnyje nagrinėjamas geografijos mokytojų poreikis Lietuvoje pastaraisiais metais. Apžvelgiama geografijos programos studentų, pasirinkusių nuolatines ir ištęstines studijas, teritorinė sklaida 2006–2014 metų laikotarpiu. Įvertinama geografijos studijų programos vieta Lietuvos edukologijos universitete (LEU) pastaraisiais metais. Išryškinama geografų absolventų nuomonė apie studijas ir įsidarbinimo galimybes.The article represents a discussion about the demand for teachers of geography in Lithuania in recent years. It contains a survey of the territorial distribution of students in the full-time and extended geography studies in 2006–2014. The role of geography study program in the Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences (LUES) is evaluated. The opinion of geography graduates about the studies and the possibilities of employment are highlighted. Conclusions: 1. The demand for teachers is predetermined by two factors: 1. The necessary number of teachers depending on the number of comprehensive school students and weekly number of geography lessons, 2. The available and predicted number of teachers predetermined by the ratio of higher school graduates versus teachers of pensioner age. 2. The LUES has always been the main Lithuanian high qualification geography teachers training centre. The total number of its graduates amounts to 4150. Over 65 % of geography teachers in comprehensive schools have graduated from the LUES and almost all of them belong to the qualification category of senior teachers. Most of them have long teaching experience. This circumstance allows predicting the lack of geography teachers in the nearest future due to an increasing number of teachers approaching the pensioner age. 3. The territorial distribution of entrants to geography studies at the LUES after the restoration of Lithuania’s self-dependence is assuming a regional character – the university becomes the centre of attraction for the entrants from the eastern and southern Lithuanian regions. 4. In 2013–2014, geography was one of the most popular specialties in the LUES and the most popular subject in the new (established two years ago) Faculty of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Technology. 5. Analysis of the links between the professional activity and geography study program and striving to find out the opinion of respondents about the bachelor studies revealed that the LUES geography graduates rather positively rate the geography study program. The survey of possibilities of employment performed in 2014 showed that 34.0 % of respondents work as teachers of geography and 27.0 % are occupied in activities related with geography