However, Lithuanian driving schools seem to be stuck in the 20th century. Because many of the aforementioned technologies cannot be used – they work according to old procedures. This wastes time, money and paper unnecessarily.
Olga Židvlenkova – a well-known driving instructor – does not mince words: the driver training system is outdated. In your public in a FB post she voiced a lot of criticism: driving schools remained in the “stone age” not by their own will, but because the ministries and institutions regulating the schools’ activities set such an order.
According to Olga, perhaps the most clearly visible and very inefficient part of the work organization of driving schools is the management of documentation. Driving instructors have to perform even several unnecessary functions, spend money inefficiently, and also purchase large drawers for storing papers. Papers that sometimes no longer have any meaning.
Can’t see E.health
“When admitting a student to courses, we need to see his health check-up certificate. It can be found in E.sveikata, after all, many important certificates are in electronic form these days. Unfortunately, we have to ask the student to print the report and bring it. Or to give you access to your E.health account. They are very surprised: why does “Regitra” see the necessary documents, while driving schools still ask for papers in the old fashioned way?” – says O. Židovlenkova.
She regrets that driving schools do not have any power to find the necessary data by accessing the databases based on the personal identification number.
“It is even more strange that we have to demand a health certificate after the future driver has already been checked by the Registry.” After all, when admitting a person to the theory exam, “Regitra” requires both a health certificate and first aid course documents.
So why waste resources and precious time, checking a person several times, if he has already been checked and can really learn to drive?” – the driving instructor does not understand such logic.
Another important moment: when a student passes the practical driving test at a driving school, its representatives must enter data about a positive result in the “Regitras” system. However, paradoxically, in that “Regitra” access, Olga and her colleagues can see if a person has passed the theory exam in “Regitra”, but they cannot see until when it is valid.
“If “Regitra” is constantly bragging about improving its “Drivers’ Portal”, then why are they not improving our working conditions – after all, we are just as important as their customers.
And now, it turns out, we are half blind – we don’t know, maybe the document will expire tomorrow. Therefore, once again – we ask the student to print this document, we make a copy of it.
Among us girls, it is easy to photoshop the date of such a document these days. After all, we’ve had experience with COVID-19 certificates that people “proceeded” on their own. So rely on papers 100%. we really can’t,” says Olga Židvlenkova like peas.
According to her, the work of driving schools is regulated by many institutions – the Lithuanian Transport Safety Administration (LTSA) and the Ministry of Transport above it, as well as the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports, “Regitra” under the MIA. So many babysitters, but a headless child.
What if the car is stopped by the police or LTSA?
Another aspect shows the futility of paper grades. Driving instructors do not have to carry the above papers with them, as it is not necessary. If the training car were to be checked by LTSA officers, they could find all the necessary documents in the electronic space.
“However, we are still required to archive these documents together with the training contract. For this purpose, I bought a large chest of drawers with large uprights,” laughs Olga Židvlenkova. She has been archiving papers in this way for more than five years.
I bought a large chest of drawers with large uprights…
“We continue to collect waste paper, even though all the necessary data about students is not even in one system. Imagine: a person may have lost his driver’s license 10 times, and we still keep his old licenses, which have no validity.
It’s true, sometimes we get strange responses that papers are safer, because a flood in the Registry Center could destroy all the information. I am amused by such talk: The Register Center has a backup electronic storage. And papers can really sink and burn.
Papers take up a lot of space
The school where Olga works is not large, so there is no need for a large closet or a separate room for papers. A chest of drawers at home is enough for now.
“When a new student comes to me, I carry his entire archive with me in the car. When the studies are over, the archive goes to the chest of drawers at home. It may not be a tragedy for me, but schools with thousands of students need to find additional spaces.
In addition, Greta Thunberg, when she found out how much paper we use unnecessarily, would probably be seriously angry”, the instructor also mentions the problems of cutting down trees.
Greta Thunberg / “Scanpix” photo.
Who needs two rooms? Are pitches with “snakes” necessary?
Another strange requirement for driving schools is to have two separate rooms. One – as an office, the second – as a separate hall for classes. In this day and age, when distance learning and working are so popular, such a requirement seems redundant.
“Administrative and training rooms must be separated. So you can’t install them in your apartment, you have to rent them, which costs money.
Importantly, training facilities are rarely used these days. Many students are now looking for opportunities to listen to lectures live online via Zoom or Teams. Also searches for recorded media. Sometimes it’s not really worth it to knock across the city to listen to the same thing live that you can see on the computer screen. This is much more convenient, because the student can listen to the lecture at a convenient time, saving time and gas. More than one school has already filmed the training course. Once students have access to it, they review the material and, if they have questions, send them to the teacher.
However, such a consultation may not necessarily take place in special premises. So they are more necessary “on paper” than in reality. Therefore, we are looking for various solutions to bypass such an imperfect system. Let’s say I become a co-tenant of the premises – we share the costs with another driving school.”
Olga is convinced that the third completely meaningless requirement for driving schools is the rental of driving training grounds:
“Such sites, at least in the city of Vilnius, are intensively destroyed. Because it does not bring as much profit as the construction of residential houses. But there is another nuance. The few sites in the city center that are still “live” do not meet safety requirements. Suppose there were no sidewalks and pedestrian crossings nearby.
Only two sites outside Vilnius meet the safety requirements. Does this mean that my student and I have to drive across town specifically to that remote site during class? Just to do the one or two school credit exercises required by the LTSA? Well, it’s illogical.”
Those exercises that Olga mentions are a “snake” forward and backward (between five points) and an “elbow” (a tunnel turned at an angle of 90 degrees), which must also be passed forward and backward.
However, Olga and her students have not been on such a site for at least six months (but she pays for the rent because she cannot avoid that obligation). Because, according to the instructor, there is no need for such pitches as they are now.
“If I see that a person lacks the skills to perform a maneuver or navigate between obstacles, we stop in any secluded place, set up markers (I have them in the trunk), and that’s it. Such free spaces are full. Let’s say at Litexpo when there are no events.
In addition, those must-rent pitches are not long enough for a student to accelerate from first to third gear “from scratch”. Especially if the drive is mechanical. Therefore, I am still looking for some secluded road where we can do this exercise without disturbing other road users: start and stop (several times).
So it turns out that the rent of the premises, the rent of the site, the costs of cleaning the site – all these are additional, but completely unnecessary costs, which do not affect the quality of education”, summarizes Olga Židvlenkova, who collects papers in a chest of drawers.
LTSA promises transformations
The description of the driver training procedure, which must be followed by driving schools, was approved in 2014. It hasn’t changed much since then. Now the Lithuanian Transport Safety Administration is talking about transformations.
Eglė Kučinskaitė, LTSA’s communications manager, confirmed that this year the agency started work and aims to strategically and realistically assess the situation and the driving school system that has been operating for many years.
“At the moment, LTSA specialists and lawyers are reviewing and evaluating the procedure for additional training (training for impaired and suspended drivers). As early as this autumn, we will present our vision to educational institutions in this area, propose changes and invite discussion, discuss and search for solutions.
In the next year, 2025, the review of driving schools and the procedure for initial training will be a priority work of the LTSA. Our goal is to fundamentally revise the initial training procedure. We don’t want the requirements for the training of future drivers to be just for the sake of the requirement.
Now I don’t want to expand and comment on the details of the plans, because the procedure is currently being reviewed by specialists, we evaluate each requirement that was included in the description a long time ago critically and through the prism of rationality. However, we certainly have plans to reduce bureaucracy, abandon unnecessary paper documents and move them to the digital space.
Taking into account the technological possibilities, the changed people’s habits, the issue of training facilities is also being considered, and at least for now we think that changes here are inevitable”, commented Eglė Kučinskaitė.
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#Driving #instructor #Olga #schools #live #stone #age #blind #Business
**Interview with Olga Židvlenkova, Driving Instructor: Outdated Systems in Lithuanian Driving Schools**
**Interviewer:** Thank you for joining us today, Olga. You’ve made some bold statements about the state of driving schools in Lithuania. Can you start by explaining what you mean when you say driving schools are “stuck in the 20th century”?
**Olga Židvlenkova:** Thank you for having me. The driving schools in Lithuania are burdened by outdated procedures that waste time, resources, and even paperwork. Many technologies that we could use to streamline processes are simply not being utilized because the regulations have not kept pace with modern practices.
**Interviewer:** You mentioned inefficiencies in managing documentation. Can you elaborate on that?
**Olga Židvlenkova:** Absolutely. We still require students to present physical health check-up certificates when they enroll, even though these could easily be accessed electronically via the E.sveikata system. This requires students to print documents, which is not only inconvenient but also feels redundant, especially since “Regitra” already accesses these records for theory exams.
**Interviewer:** It sounds frustrating. What do you think is the root cause of these outdated practices?
**Olga Židvlenkova:** The root cause lies with multiple regulatory bodies involved in our operations — the Lithuanian Transport Safety Administration, the Ministry of Transport, and others. Each institution has its own rules, leading to confusion and excess paperwork. We’re stuck in a system designed for the past with no clear path to modernization.
**Interviewer:** You’ve mentioned physical paperwork multiple times. What effect does this have on your daily operations?
**Olga Židvlenkova:** It’s chaotic! For example, I have to store vast amounts of paperwork in large filing cabinets, while actually, all the necessary data should be available in one integrated system—if only the design allowed for it. When students come to me, I often end up carrying their entire archive in my car. This approach is not only impractical but also contributes to unnecessary environmental waste.
**Interviewer:** I see. There are also some specific requirements for driving schools, like separate training and administrative rooms. Do you think these rules are still relevant?
**Olga Židvlenkova:** No, not at all. Given the rise of online learning, requiring physical separation of administrative and training spaces seems outdated. With many students preferring online lectures, the demand for physical classrooms is diminishing. It forces schools to incur unnecessary rental costs, which ultimately makes education less accessible.
**Interviewer:** What changes would you like to see from the Lithuanian Transport Safety Administration?
**Olga Židvlenkova:** We need a review and overhaul of the current regulations. The LTSA has promised transformations, and I truly hope to see practical changes that simplify processes and reduce reliance on paperwork. It’s vital for the efficiency of driving schools and, by extension, the quality of driver training in Lithuania.
**Interviewer:** Thank you so much for your insights, Olga. It’s clear there are many challenges ahead, and we hope to see some positive developments in the driving school sector.
**Olga Židvlenkova:** Thank you for having me. Let’s hope for the best!
Es to environmental waste. Just think about the amount of paper used unnecessarily. It’s 2023, and we are still functioning as if it were the 20th century.
**Interviewer:** It sounds like a significant burden. What do you think could be an effective solution?
**Olga Židvlenkova:** The solution lies in digitization. We need a unified system where all relevant documents and data about students can be accessed electronically. If “Regitra” can see these documents, why can’t driving schools? This would save us time, reduce costs associated with maintaining physical records, and also help the environment by cutting down on paper use.
**Interviewer:** Have there been any discussions with regulatory bodies about these needed changes?
**Olga Židvlenkova:** Yes, but progress has been slow. The Lithuanian Transport Safety Administration has hinted at reviewing the current procedures, but the lasting change needs to come swiftly. They’ve acknowledged the need to reduce bureaucracy and move towards a digital space, which is promising, but until they implement those changes, we are stuck with old requirements that don’t make sense.
**Interviewer:** It seems you also face challenges with the physical premises. Could you explain that?
**Olga Židvlenkova:** Absolutely. There’s an odd requirement for driving schools to have separate classrooms and offices. In this age of online learning and remote work, it feels redundant. Many students prefer to learn online. Moreover, maintaining separate spaces incurs additional costs that don’t enhance the quality of education. I can conduct lessons and training anywhere as long as there’s space and safety, yet bureaucracy insists on these outdated norms.
**Interviewer:** Additionally, you’ve mentioned issues with mandatory driving training grounds. Can you explain more?
**Olga Židvlenkova:** Yes! The required training grounds are becoming rare, especially in cities where real estate is more profitable than maintaining these sites. The ones that are left often don’t meet safety standards or are too far from students. Instead of being restricted to specific locations that are often inappropriate, we should locate safe areas based on actual conditions rather than pointless regulations.
**Interviewer:** What do you think is the public’s perception regarding these challenges faced by driving schools?
**Olga Židvlenkova:** I believe most people are unaware of the extent of the complications we face due to outdated systems. They assume there is an efficient process behind the scenes. It is crucial for both the public and the authorities to recognize that fine-tuning these systems will ultimately serve better drivers and improve road safety.
**Interviewer:** where do you see the future of driving schools in Lithuania heading?
**Olga Židvlenkova:** I am hopeful. If the regulatory bodies can commit to modernizing the outdated systems and embrace technology, we could see a significant improvement in how driving schools operate. This will not only benefit instructors but, most importantly, the students who will become our future drivers. We have to believe that change is possible!
