Ministry

In compliance to stipulations in the Law on Education, Law on General Education, Law on Vocational Education, Law on Higher Educational Establishments, Law on Scientific Activities, Law on Sports, Law on Official Language and Regulations of the Ministry of Education and Science (hereinafter “Ministry”) the Ministry is the leading state administration institution in the field of education and science, as well as in the fields of sports and official language policy, and it shall be responsible for the development of draft legislative acts regulating the relevant fields and draft policy planning documents, supervision of the implementation of the policy in the state administration institutions, agencies subordinated to the Ministry and capital companies, where the Ministry is a shareholder (hereinafter – institutions subordinated to the Ministry).

Supreme goal of the Ministry 

The Ministry ensures development and implementation of a policy in the fields of education, science, sports and state language promoting sustainable growth of welfare of the citizens of Latvia as educated, healthy, physically and mentally developed personalities and integrity of the society of Latvia.

The Ministry strengthens and ensures provision of information to the public, explanation of the adopted resolutions and the link with the society by means of implementing the best practice of the administration process and transparent principles of operation of the state administration.

The task of provision of information to the public, explanation of resolutions and ensuring the link with the society refers to all the directions of operation defined for the purpose of achieving the goal of the Ministry (programs).

The Ministry is implementing its goal by means of the Ministry operational programs.

Main tasks and operational directions of the Ministry

For the purpose of achieving its goal the Ministry implements operational programs in the following directions:

• General management of implementation of the policy of education, science, sports and state language and composed measures;
• Policy, quality and management of general education, values education and interests education;
• Policy, quality and management of vocational education, continuing education and life-time education;
• Policy, quality and management of higher education and scientific activities;
• Sports policy and management;
• Single state policy in youth field developing and implementation of youth policy organizing and coordinating;
• State language policy and management.

Direction: General management of implementation of the policy of education, science, sports, youth and state language and composed measures

Major tasks of the Ministry:

• to ensure unified, good and efficient management of the fields of education, science, sports and state language, including the establishment of a good action policy and organisation of its fulfilment;
• to ensure implementation of the policy initiatives affecting several fields under the Ministry responsibility.

Direction: Policy, quality and management of general education, values education and interests education

Major tasks of the Ministry:

• to ensure the development of the national policy in the fields of preschool education, general basic education and general secondary education, including education of minorities, as well as specific types of general education – special education, social and pedagogic correctional education, as well as interests education and values education;
• to ensure the implementation of the national policy in the above fields, including organisation of the work of social correctional educational establishments and special boarding school subordinated to the Ministry, as well as to ensure the work of pre-school educational, general basic educational, general secondary educational and interests educational establishments in cooperation with the founders of the relevant educational establishments.

Direction: Policy, quality and management of vocational education, continuing education and life-time education

Major tasks of the Ministry:

• to ensure the development of the national policy in the field of vocational education, continuing education and life-time education;
• to organise the work of the vocational educational establishments subordinated to the Ministry ensuring the quality and accessibility of their services.

Direction: Policy, quality and management of higher education and scientific activities

Major tasks of the Ministry:

• to ensure the development of the national policy in the fields of higher education and scientific activities promoting the development of the knowledge society and knowledge economy in Latvia;
• to ensure the implementation of the national policy in the fields of higher education and scientific activities.

Direction: Sports policy and management

Major tasks of the Ministry:

• to develop the national sports policy with the aim to develop healthy, physically and mentally developed personalities;
• to organise and coordinate successful implementation of the national sports policy.

Direction: Single state policy in youth field developing and implementation of youth policy organizing and coordinating

Major tasks of the Ministry:

• to promote co-operation of public and municipal institutions, youth organizations and other entities involved in the youth work and provide unity of action in the state policy elaboration and implementation in the area connected with youth activities;
• to co-ordinate and to organize system of measures for youth work in municipalities and provide methodological assistance to municipal institutions;
• to co-ordinate and organize trainings and exchange of experience for people involved in youth work;
• to develop international co-operation in youth field;
• to promote young people and people involved in youth work access to information about youth rights, duties, possibilities and responsibility.

Direction: State language policy and management

Major tasks of the Ministry:

• to develop the state language policy with the objective to strengthen the status of the Latvian language and ensure sustainable development of the language;
• to organise the implementation of the state language policy, including provision for learning the state language, availability of international documents in the state language, by means of coordination of the implementation of the state language policy and encouraging multilingualism of the citizens of Latvia.

Strategic guidelines

• Strategy of the Ministry of Education and Science for Years 2007 – 2009
• Concept
• Program
• Strategic guidelines of the development of education for years 2007 – 2013
• Strategic guidelines of the development of life-time education for years 2007 – 2013
• Program for the increase of the wages of teachers (except pre-school teachers not involved in the preparation for school of five and six years old children) for years 2006 – 2010.
• Concept “Proposals for the improvement of the system of centralised exams”
• Concept for implementation of the European Council Anti-doping Convention No. 135
• National sports development program for years 2006 – 2012
• National program of youth policy for years 2005 – 2009
• Concept of the national youth policy
• Strategic guidelines of the state language policy for years 2005 – 2014
• Program of the state language policy for years 2006 – 2010

Strategic guidelines for the development of education for years 2007 - 2013 

The strategic guidelines for the development of education for years 2007 – 2013 define the goals of the development of education for further seven years and directions of operations for their implementation, as well as the results of operations, policy results and criteria of their achievement.

During one and half years the Ministry of Education and Science was working at the above document and in the course of cooperation with all the stakeholders of education there was a possibility to learn the public opinion, to arrange joint working groups, meetings, discussions, to engage in continuous communication and to list to different views and consequently to improve the quality of the above document. „The most important achievement of this document is that a development model intended for work and action for the benefit of every individual and the society of Latvia has been created by common effort in the field of education”, Inita Juhņēviča stressed (Deputy Director of the Department of General Education of the Ministry of Education and Science).

Experts of the Ministry of Education and Science performed detailed analysis of the situation in education and assessment of the results of implementation of the Education Development Concept for years 2002 – 2005. The above analysis and assessment are based both on the statistics data and research in education carried out both in Latvia and on the international level. In the result of the analysis of the situation the achievements of the preceding planning period were identified and the topical problems in the field of education were found out, for instance, the insufficient offer of pre-school education, low quality of the basic education, low prestige of the teacher’s profession, incompliance of the vocational and higher education to the needs of the national economy, insufficient accessibility of education, etc.
For the purpose of solving the above problems and in the course of implementation of the development model in Latvia and the tasks set in the National Development Plan a human, who shall be able to obtain education during the whole life, is put in the centre of the development of education. The goals of the strategic guidelines for the development of education are defined to improve the existing system and to implement new priorities.

The directions of activities defined in the strategic guidelines comprise both formal and informal fields of education. Special attention is paid to the quality of pre-school and basic education, modernisation of vocational education, improvement of competitiveness of higher education by emphasising the improvement of the material base for studies required for mastering the practical skills compliant to the requirements of the labour market. Efficient measures are envisaged for the provision of support to children with special needs, socially excluded risk groups, etc. For the implementation of the above the capabilities of the education management have to be strengthened, including the provision of high quality of the teachers’ work, promotion of cooperation with parents and society.

Totally 57 millions Lats have been provided for the implementation of the strategic guidelines for the development of education of the Ministry of Education and Science. The following tasks are defined in the above strategic guidelines (listed in the sequence of priority):

• To introduce and pay for the pedagogic work of a teacher’s assistant for the purpose of providing support to children (Grades 1 – 6) with learning difficulties – 7.6922 Million Lats;
  To improve the social conditions of students at vocational educational establishments by means of increasing scholarships during years 2007 – 2010 up to 20 Lats per month on average, during years 2011 – 2013 up to 40 Lats per month, the total amount for year 2007 – 4.3611 Million;
• To develop the structure model for the distribution of study programs in compliance to the needs of agriculture and to ensure its implementation in the system of higher education (encouragement of the development of Doctor’s studies – at least 200 new places for Master studies per year, at least 100 new places for Doctor’s studies per year; the number of places for studies in the fields of natural sciences, engineering sciences, medicine and environment sciences increased by at least 300 per year. Provided increase of the scholarships fund by at least 5% per year) – 20 Million Lats.
• To ensure continuous attraction of the state investment for the purpose of arrangement and modernisation of educational establishments – 16.952 Million Lats.
• etc.

Inita Juhņēviča added that „The strategic guidelines provide for the implementation of essential improvements in the field of education for ensuring a possibility to obtain the education compliant to individual interests, abilities and needs of the national economy for every citizen of Latvia. The measures provided for therein refer to every person irrespective of age, place of residence, social status, etc.”.

The Ministry of Education and Science is satisfied with the achievements and would like to thank representatives of other state and municipal institutions, professionals and education experts for the invested work in the development of documents. For instance, Education and Science Workers Trade Union, Association of Education Managers, Employers’ Confederation, Union of Municipalities, Rectors’ Council, Rectors’ Council, Union of Parents “VISI”, Consultations Council “Education for Everybody” have all actively participated in this work. Thanks to everybody, who have helped in the development of the above document.

Strategic guidelines for the development of education are the most important education policy planning document setting the goals of the education development for the coming seven years, directions of activities for their implementation, as well as particular results of operation, policy results and criteria of their achievement.

The implementation provided for in the Strategic guidelines is included in the Strategy of Operation of the Ministry of Education and Science  for years 2007 - 2009.

Additional information available from:
Inita Juhņēviča, Deputy Director of the Department of Vocational Education and General Education of the Ministry of Education and Science, ph. 67047908, 29135235, e-mail: inita.juhnevica@izm.gov.lv