The right to establish a private education institution in Latvia is provided to natural or legal persons for whom implementation of education programmes is one of their modes of occupation.
Private education institutions are financed by its founders. The state and municipalities take part in financing private education institutions in accordance with the regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers on the minimum costs for implementation of education programmes per one educatee in case the respective education institutions provide accredited programmes of basic and secondary education in the state language.
After its establishment, the education institution shall be registered in the Register of Education Institutions. The register is maintained by the Ministry of Education and Science.
The founder or its authorized representative shall submit documents necessary for registration within one month from the passing of decision to establish the education institution in question. The documents shall consist of application, confirmed statute of the institution and documents affirming information mentioned in the application. The documents shall be submitted to the Ministry of Education and Science, Rīga, Vaļņu iela 2, room № 206.a or 215.
The application shall consist of the following data:
1) title of education institution;
2) legal address of education institution;
3) founder and head of education institution;
4) legal status of education institution;
5) decision to establish education institution and date of its adoption;
6) space of premises and equipment of education institution;
7) sources and procedure of financing;
8) contact information (telephone, fax and e-mail).
Within a month after submission, the official responsible for the establishment and maintenance of the Register of Education Institutions shall review the documents and take the decision to register, postpone or refuse the registration of the institution.
In case the education institution is registered, a Certificate on Registration of Education Institution shall be produced and issued. In case the registration is postponed or refused, a justified decision of the official responsible for the establishment and maintenance of the Register of Education Institutions shall be delivered to the applicant.
The education institution has the right to enroll educatees only after receiving the license for implementation of the proposed education programme.
In order to license an education programme, the head of the education institution or its authorized person shall submit an application to the Licensing Commission of General Education Programmes (Ministry of Education and Science, Rīga, Vaļņu street 2, room № 611) with the following data:
1) title of education institution;
2) founder of education institution;
3) legal status of education institution;
4) legal address and telephone number of education institution;
5) number of the Certificate on Registration of Education Institution;
6) title of education programme;
7) code of education programme;
8) number of educatees covered by education programme;
9) address of implementation of education programme;
10) name, surname, post and telephone number of person authorized to settle licensing issues.
The following documents shall be enclosed to the application:
1) education programme;
2) notification of the founder of education institution on compliance of rooms with the education programme’s implementation purposes;
3) conclusion of the State Agency “Public Health Agencyâ€;
4) conclusion of the State Firefighting and Rescue Service;
5) conclusion of the State Labour Inspectorate;
6) copy of the Certificate on Registration of Education Institution.
The Commission for Licensing General Education Programmes shall review the submitted documents in a month’s time and decide whether or not to issue a license. In the case of an affirmative decision the license on implementation of respective education programme shall be issued. If the decision is not affirmative, the applicant shall receive a refusal in written form, with explanations of faults in the application.
Accreditation of an education programme enables the institution to issue state-recognised education certificates on the completion of an education corresponding to the respective education programme. In accreditation process the quality of education programme’s implementation must be evaluated. The licensed education programme must receive accreditation in two years’ time after awarding the license.
For additional information please refer also to the Association of Private Schools of Latvia, Chair InÄra Kalniņa. Address: Kurbada iela 2, RÄ«ga, LV-1009, tel./fax + (371) 7287230, e-mail: hpsh@latnet.lv
Enclosure:
Supplement 1: List of respective normative enactments – 1 page
Supplement 1
List of respective normative enactments:
* The Education Law (1998); Article 59, Item 2.
* Regulations â„– 498 of the Cabinet of Ministers, adopted 27 November, 2001, “On the procedure of financing basic, secondary and higher education programmes implemented by private education institutionsâ€.
* Regulations â„– 399 of the Cabinet of Ministers, adopted 13 September, 2001, “Regulations on the minimum costs per one educate (per year) implementing general basic and general secondary education programmesâ€.
* Regulations â„– 569 of the Cabinet of Ministers, adopted 14 October, 2003, “Amendments to the Regulations â„– 399 of the Cabinet of Ministers as of September 13, 2001, “Regulations on the minimum costs per one educate (per year) implementing general basic and general secondary education programmesâ€â€.
