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History

In the late 1980’s, after almost 50 years of Lithuania being incorporated into the Soviet Union, though in terms of “perestroika” and “glasnost” various youth initiatives and movements manifested across the Eastern Block nations, including Lithuania.

In 1988 Lithuanian Student Forum took place at the Vilnius University with participants of student representatives from most of higher educational institutions in Lithuania and beyond. The major topics of interest for the Forum were: public transport discounts for students and dismiss of the obligatory army service for young male students. During the Forum an appropriate Resolution has been adopted, calling everyone to pay attention on the violation of student rights and interests within higher education, as well the absence of independent non-partisan student organisations in Lithuania and the region.

Next year, in 1989 another Forum took place which led the beginning for the Coordination Council of Lithuanian Students – transition movement, aiming at founding an independent national union of students in higher education in Lithuania. At the time H. E. Vygaudas Ušackas (Head the European Union’s mission to Russia from 2012, European Union Ambassador to Afghanistan 2010-2012) was a deputy Chair of the Council. At that time Coordination Council of Lithuanian Students worked closely with Sąjūdis movement in terms of struggle for regaining Lithuanian Independence, though being independent from Sąjūdis.

Independent Lithuania and Student Movement

Hopefully on September 18, 1991 a steering conference of LSS took place and later LSS was registerred as a legal entity and started acting properly. During the time LSS was hosted by Vilnius University Students’ Union till year 2000, when it moved to a new office in 12 Geležinio vilko str., Vilnius.

The first years of activism were marked by student protests and campaigns towards enhancing student participation in higher education governance and providing public transport discounts for full time students. After joining ESIB – The National Unions of Students in Europe (now – the European Students’ Union – ESU) in 1998 and launching Baltic Organisational Meeting with Students Union of Latvia in 1999, LSS increased its presence on international higher education arena significantly. As a result of cooperation with student representatives from Nordic countries Lithuanian Student Identity Card (Lietuvos studento pažymėjimas – LSP) project was launched by LSS in 1998, providing a room for supporting members of LSS though the distribution of revenue. At the moment LSS is the only distributor and administrator of LSP.

Unfortunately due to existence of internal disputes, on July 1, 2000 three members of LSS founded another organisation – Lithuanian National Union of Student Representations (Lietuvos studentų atstovybių sąjunga), which afterwards got bankrupted in October 2012.

In 2006 LSS became a full member of Nordic Organisational Meeting (Nordiskt Ordförandemøte – NOM) and started dealing with discrimination in higher education policy in Lithuania, annually providing a relevant research on the matter.