Director
Gintautas RUDZINSKAS
Tel.: +370 5 2763831
E-mail.: g.rudzinskas@pprc.lt

Deputy Director
Vytautas ANDRĖKUS
Tel.: +370 5 2767374
E-mail.: v.andrekus@pprc.lt

Deputy Director
Daiva DRUNGILIENĖ
Tel.: +370 5 2767374
E-mail.: d.drungiliene@pprc.lt

Deputy Director
Rasa Šavareikaitė
Tel.: +370 5 230 0277
E-mail.: r.savareikaite@pprc.lt

International Programme Manager
Roma SAUSAITIENĖ
Tel.: +370 5 2772964
E-mail.: r.sausaitiene@pprc.lt

TPDC for a long time was the only such an institution in Lithuania. At the moment TPDC is the national institution which provides specific service package - ensure both re-qualification (in 2001 almost 700 teachers completely changed character of their qualification), diverse professional development of teachers, educators, specialists, heads of the educational institutions and effective functioning of certification mechanism.

TPDC is one of the main institutions implementing modernisation of education and training, improvement of the quality of education and socio-pedagogical study conditions, and harmonisation of educational system, focusing on the needs and abilities/disabilities of children and preferences of educators, creating conditions for continuous teacher training and adult life long learning, promoting intellectual freedom and democratic relations.

Main priorities, objectives and functions of TPDC are stated in the Constitution of Teacher Professional Development Center and realizable in day-to-day functioning.

Objectives:
Concern for the dissemination of General Education Policy and its reform
Initiate active participation of the educational staff in the reorganization of education
Stimulate teachers to improve their qualification
Create conditions for teachers and heads of the educational institutions to improve their professional skills
Satisfy teachers' needs for their own development
Concern for the regional and county programs, dissemination of "good" country and foreign teacher experience
Create conditions for adult national minorities to study national language
Stimulate and create conditions for teacher certification
Render methodological and organizational assistance for in-service training institutions, teachers, educationalists and others in the implementation process of strategical education objectives and projects
Organize the analysis of regional in-service training institutions' programmes and render suggestions for their assessment.

Functions:
Dissemination of General Education Policy
Research on the teacher qualification development, certification and retraining needs
Implementation of strategic country qualification development projects and programs, concern for its dissemination and consultant training
Qualification development organization for the heads and specialists of the educational institutions, county and municipality educational divisions and different teacher groups
Accumulation and dissemination of information about different funds, implementation of country's regional programmes, experience of Lithuanian teachers and foreign teachers as well
Organization of ordered events for country teachers despite their institutional subordination
Organization of teacher retraining from different educational institutions
Propagation of the methodological and teaching materials
Creation of conditions for the certification of the staff and teachers. Accumulation of information about the process of certification
Organization of national language teaching and testing of adult ethnical minorities
Creation of conditions for the other teacher in-service training institutions to organize events in the TPDC
Accumulation and analysis of the information about the functioning of other in-service training institutions and rendering suggestions for their improvement.

As mentioned above we have 30 thousand customers every year. In 2002 TPDC carries on 225 short-term and long-term programmes as well as 22 national and international projects of various duration. Target groups are:
Preschool educators
Primary school educators
Basic school educators
Secondary school educators
Career school educators
Librarians
Speech therapeutists
Social workers
Special educators
Surdopedagogues
Tiflopedagogues
Specialists of childcare institutions
Heads of childcare institutions
Specialists of education divisions
Heads of education divisions
College educators
Applicants to principals of general education institutions
Principals of general education institutions
Principals of vocational training institutions
Heads of methodology associations
Supervising instructors
Educators of in-service teacher training institutions
School commands
School secretaries

The structure of TPDC consists of 10 divisions and 2 services. Directly concerned with the development of teacher qualification or re-qualification divisions are: Organizational, Adult Education, Certification, Education Dissemination, National Language, Management, Information and Communicative Technologies division. TPDC also has its own exhibition room, publishing office and hotel. All these form an outstanding and unique set committed to high mission - generate Lithuanian education system, by providing effective information pipeline both between decision-makers and teachers and between educationalists and educators.

TPDC spares a lot of attention to wide dissemination of good practice of Lithuanian educators. Every year teachers present about 2500 methodological research papers based on practice. 6-7 thousand people visit our exhibition room - the center of advanced practice - and convey most innovative and progressive educator's ideas through all over the Lithuanian education system. We wish to expand the area of dissemination of good practice and to join the dynamic European educational area and its networks of exchange of information and experience on issues common to the education systems based on European cultural traditions.

Integration of Lithuania into European Union challenges TPDC objectives and functions both in the long and short run:
Implementation of EU Directive on the education of the children of migrant workers and providing for a rapid adaptation of these children in Lithuania and their integration into the education system of Lithuania, by training professional and competent teacher staff.
Developing the European dimension in education, particularly through the preparing of the educators capable to teach and disseminate the languages of the EU member states
Encouraging mobility of teachers through various exchange programmes.

Teacher Professional Development Center is open to discuss every initiative, project or indeterminate idea from any in-service teacher training institute, educational institution or international organization.

Teacher Professional Development Center suggests cooperation's trends, which meet both the priorities of the educational system of Lithuania and the challenges of the integration processes:
Experience of the associated members of the European Union incorporating the directive of EU on the education of migrant workers children into teacher qualification development programmes
Development of the European dimension in the process of education, training competent teachers capable to teach in the languages of the EU member states.
Teacher qualification development according to school types
Training and qualification development of the heads of educational institutions
Experience of the vocational training
Ethnic cultural heterogeneity retention in the processes of globalisation
Integration of children with special needs
Communication technologies in the process of education
Technologies of distance learning
School internal audit and development planning
Action planning of teacher practice
Assessment of educational institutions, curricula and achievement .

Possible forms for cooperation:
Literature, informational material and programme exchange
Exchange of delegations, getting acquainted with the system of teacher qualification improvement
Lecturer exchange
Implementation of joint programmes
Organising international conferences on actual issues to both countries
Co-operative reclaim of international funds
Participation in the projects implemented by EU educational organisations
Mediation in entering into relations with the educational institutions in both countries.

Teacher Professional Development Center is highly interested to find out your opinion and wishes on the related issues. It could serve for making more concrete common ideas and bring them to life in our productive partnership.