The Ministry of Education was established immediately after the proclamation of the Latvian state on 18 November 1918. The first Minister of Education was Dr. KÄrlis Kasparsons (18 November 1918 – 11 June 1920). He was forming the Ministry which started its real functioning only from 23 July 1919. During the meeting of 8 December 1919, the People’s Council adopted the Law on Latvian Education Institutions, which constituted legal grounds for the Ministry’s operation.
The School Department with Basic and Secondary School Divisions was established in the Ministry of Education. In June 1921 the Secondary School Division was renamed the Secondary and Trade School Section. The School Department existed until the beginning of August 1924, when it was transformed into the School Central Board. The Board was divided into three directorates: folk school, secondary school and trade school.
In April 1928 reorganization took place in the Ministry of Education - the former School Department was renewed; however, the division into three directorates remained unchanged.
On 17 December 1929 the Saeima (the Parliament of the Republic of Latvia) adopted the Law on the Structure of the Ministry of Education. In compliance with this law, the Minister of Education had the right to issue regulations binding for education institutions and officials. The Ministry’s structure consisted of the Minister’s Secretariat, School Department and Ethnic Minorities’ Education Department. All higher education institutions, the Monument Board, State Archive, State Art Museum, National Theatre and Opera were supervision of the Minister of Education.
During the Soviet occupation, when Latvia was incorporated in the Soviet Union, the Ministry of Education was closed down. In 1940 the People’s Commissariat of Education of the Latvian SSR was established. On 19 August 1966 the People’s Commissariat of Education was transformed into the Common Republican Ministry (common republican ministries were created in the sectors where peculiarities of the united republics had to be taken into account in parallel with certain centralization).
Basic schools, secondary schools, evening (shift) secondary schools, boarding schools, orphanages, children’s pre-school and out-of-school institutions were under supervision of the Ministry of Education of the Latvian SSR. The Ministry also took care of teachers’ training, provided schools with teaching aids and text books, and settled juvenile guardianship and trusteeship issues.
On 29 September 1966 one more ministry - the Higher and Secondary Special Education Ministry of the Latvian SSR - was established on the basis of the State Higher and Secondary Special Education Committee of the Council of Ministers of the Latvian SSR. It planned the long-range development of higher and secondary special education of the Latvian SSR and lead research work in higher education institutions. Studies in higher and secondary special education institutions took place under its methodological guidance. Higher education institutions and nine secondary special education institutions were under direct jurisdiction of the Ministry.
Today the Ministry of Education and Science is the leading public administration institution in the Republic of Latvia in the field of education and science, as well as in the areas of sport, youth and state language policies. It is located in Vaļņu iela 2, Riga, in the art nouveau building designed by architect Edgars FrÄ«zendorfs (FrÄ«zendorfs Edgars ValdemÄrs Eduards, born in 1881) in 1911. Initially, the building was designed as an office building of the Vidzeme Province Farmers Mutual Assistance Association. 78 various institutions are under subordination of the Ministry, but 27 – under supervision of it; the Ministry is also a holder of capital shares in 11 enterprises.
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Ministers after the renewal of Latvia’s independence |
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Ministers in the time of prewar independent Latvia (before World War II) |
