Why national minority education reform was needed in Latvia

Until the mid-1990s, two different school systems - Russian and Latvian - existed in Latvia, each with its own education programme. When the new language laws came into force in 2000 and the ability to speak Latvian became an integral part of life in both the state and private sectors, it was necessary to create an education system able to provide equal opportunities in the labour and education markets for graduates from both Latvian and national minority schools. This involved achieving that up to 60% of classes in national minority schools are taught in the Latvian language, but up to 40% of classes are available in the language of national minority or bilingually, thereby ensuring that the numerous national/ethnic minorities living in Latvia had the opportunity to obtain instruction in their respective mother tongues and preserve their cultural heritage.

The said Law on Education was adopted in 1998. The working group charged with drafting the Law included international experts, directors of national minority schools, teachers, and experts from the Ministry of Education and Science, who based their decisions on experience gained from national minority education programmes implemented in several other European countries.

The Law on Education provides a solid foundation for the national education system. The Law ensures that the national minority education programme includes both the content necessary for taking forward ethnic cultural heritage and learning the Latvian language, which enable society integration on the basis of Latvian as the official language.