Complete national overview - Latvia

Legal System

Every citizen of the Republic of Latvia and every person who has the right to a non-citizen passport issued by the Republic of Latvia, every person who has received a permanent residence permit, as well as citizens of European Union member states who have been issued a temporary residence permit, and their children, have equal right to acquire education, regardless of their property or social status, race, nationality, gender, religious or political convictions, state of health, disability, occupation or place of residence.

The Law on Education adopted in 1998 defines the main organizational principles and procedures of educational services and the Law on General Education adopted in 1999 defines the organizational principles and procedures of general education services.

The Law on Education identifies special education as general and professional education adapted for persons with special needs and health problems, or with special needs or health problems.

The Law on General Education defines the types of education implemented in Latvia. It states that special education is a part of general education. Chapter 8 of this Law defines the implementation of educational programmes of special education. The provision of educational services for children with special needs and the procedures of identification of special needs are defined in the Regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers.

The aims and the goals of general education are described in the Standards of General Education which are adopted by the Cabinet of Ministers.

Main principles and procedures of assessment of students including those with special needs are also adopted by the Cabinet of Ministers.

For more information about legal system of education in Latvia visit: www.izm.gov.lv

Financing

The financing of educational institutions depends on the ownership of these institutions. There are three types of educational institutions – state, municipal and private. The financing of educational services are stated in the Law on Education (Chapter 7).

The state owed institutions are funded from the state budget according to the Law of State Budget for a definite year.

Municipal educational institutions are funded from two main sources – local budget (the maintenance) and the state budget (teacher salaries and social taxes).

All costs of special schools, classes and groups are covered by earmarked subsidies from the state budget according to the regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers.

Private educational institutions are funded by their founders. The state and municipalities share the costs (teacher salaries and social taxes) of these institutions if the curriculum they provide is licensed by the Ministry of Education and Science.

Pre-school education is two-fold. The compulsory education of 5-6 year old children is covered partly by state (teacher salaries) and by municipalities (maintenance). The education of younger children which is not compulsory is completely the responsibility of local municipalities. If pre-school educational institution has groups for children with special needs the funding comes from the state budget as an earmarked subsidy. Then this group is funded by the earmarked subsidy from the state.

It is planned that in the beginning of school year 2009/2010, a new financing system in education will begin – funding following a pupil using a so called “back pack” principle of financing.

 Identification of special educational needs

There is no official definition of special needs in Latvia. Deviations in abilities, intellectual and physical development and behaviour that prevent students following the general curricula as is customary, are considered special educational needs. The students who are identified as having special educational needs are eligible to adapted and special education and educational support.
Usually all children start their schooling in a mainstream environment with the exception of those who have disability diagnosed in early childhood and the parents choose to place them in a special educational institution.
During the first year of schooling, students follow the mainstream curriculum. If they show considerable difficulties in accessing this curriculum and their academic achievements that do not correspond to the requirements of national basic education standards the support team of the school can suggest support measures and the development of an Individual Educational Plan. If the mentioned measures do not work and the child’s achievements have not improved, it can be suggested that the child repeats the year or attends the pedagogical medical commission. Before attending the commission, the child should be assessed by a psychologist, a speech therapist, a teacher and if necessary should have a general health check-up. The commission prepares recommendations regarding what kind of curriculum the child should follow, but it is up to the parents to make the final decision about their child’s education.

There are two types of pedagogical medical commissions – the State Pedagogical Medical Commission (SPMC) formed by the Ministry of Education and Science and Municipal Pedagogical Medical Commissions formed by district or town municipalities. The commissions consist of different specialists – special teachers, psychologists, doctors and social workers. They assess different aspects of child’s performance.
The competence of the SPMC and municipal commissions are defined by Regulations issued by the Cabinet of Ministers.
The commissions can identify the following special educational needs:

• learning disabilities (difficulties);
• hearing impairments;
• visual impairments;
• physical disabilities;
• language impairments;
• intellectual disabilities (disabilities of mental development);
• mental health disorders;
• severe and multiple disabilities;
• chronic illnesses.

Parents can choose what kind of educational institution their child should attend – a special school, a special class in a mainstream school, a special group in a mainstream school or should he/she be included in a mainstream class.

Special needs education within the education system

According to the Law on General Education, special education is a part of general education.
Students who require special organisation of the learning environment, application of special methods of teaching and need additional pedagogical support are entitled to special education. Special education is provided for students with different kinds and degrees of disabilities.
Special education can be organised in different ways.

Pre-school education

Since 2002 pre-school education for 5-6 year old children is compulsory. Education for younger children is optional. The majority of these education institutions belong to the municipalities and some are privately owned. Usually children with special needs attend general groups, but there are a number of special groups and special pre-school institutions (37). The majority of pre-school age children who attend special groups or special pre-school institutions are children with speech and language development problems. Special support is offered to these children to develop their linguistic and communication skills. Normally a speech therapist and special education teachers are engaged to work with such children.
If a child shows any special needs the parents contact the local municipality services to obtain information about what kind of support is available and where can they receive it. As stated previously, the majority of pre-school institutions belong to municipalities it is their responsibility to provide adequate support for the child and the family.
If a pre-school institution decides to admit children with special needs it has to license a curriculum in the Ministry of Education and Science.

Mainstream settings

According to the Law on General Education all children should start school in the year when they become 7 years old. The compulsory education lasts for 9 years from the first to the ninth grade. Students with visual and hearing impairments acquire basic education over 10 years. Deaf students have 11 years to finish basic education. Students with severe language disabilities and learning disabilities can have 10 years to acquire basic education.
Students with special needs can attend any educational institution his/her parents choose. The prerequisites for accessing education in a mainstream school are:

• licensed curriculum by MoES;
• support of specialists (special teachers, speech therapists, psychologist etc.)
• remedial instruction;
• smaller classes;
• communication support;
• adequate assessment.

There are special classes in mainstream schools for children with different disabilities and many children are integrated or included in mainstream settings. At present there is no precise data on how many children with special educational needs are accessing education in mainstream settings.
The regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers states how many children with special needs can be integrated or included in a mainstream class and what number of children can be in such a class. Teacher assistants are provided for lessons where children with SEN are integrated.
To follow the instruction during the lessons every child with special needs - if it is necessary - has an Individual Education Plan with the stated aims and goals the child should reach.

After the completion of compulsory education the young person can choose how to continue his/her education. There are several possibilities:

• to attend a vocational school;
• to attend vocational classes in special schools;
• to continue secondary education in mainstream schools.

The choice depends on their abilities and their level of mental or intellectual development.

The possibility to receive education in the most appropriate educational institution is provided for each child with special needs by ensuring:

• the help of qualified specialists;
• acquisition of academic knowledge;
• development of social and work skills;
• practical orientation in education;
• preparation for working life and integration into society;
• remedial instruction and rehabilitation.
  

Teacher training - basic and specialist teacher training

Teachers are trained at the higher education level. To become a teacher a person should enter university or college and complete a full course of professional studies (4 -5 years). Teacher training comprises several components:

• general education studies;
• studies related to specific subject;
• professional studies.

The qualification of special teacher can be acquired in several ways:

• by completing 4 or 4.5 year professional study programme concerning  a specific disability;
• via a 2,5 year study programme (80-93 credits) for teachers who already have a teacher qualification;
• through masters study programmes;
• through in-service training courses for teachers with qualifications in some other subjects (72 study hours).

Development of inclusion

The movement towards integration and inclusion of students with special needs started in the middle of 1990s. The Law on Education stated that every child has the right to obtain his/her education in the school of his/her parents’ choice.
The Ministry of Education and Science has always supported the idea that both trends in special education – special schools (groups, classes) and inclusion in mainstream schools – should exist in Latvia.

Due to the very low birth rate during the last decade the number of students in schools has diminished. This has lead to the situation that every school needs all the children of the local community to attend it to prevent the closure of some classes, or even the whole school.

In this situation more and more mainstream schools and pre-school institutions adapt their curriculum or license new curricula to offer education to children and young persons with different kinds of special needs. To ensure that schools and pre-school institutions have teachers who understand how to work with children with disabilities, universities and colleges offer in-service training for teachers to acquire the qualifications of special teachers. Because of the above-mentioned tendency the number of students in special schools and boarding schools is diminishing.

However, it should be noted that the process of inclusion is not unequivocal. Not all mainstream schools can provide the best support and learning environment the child needs. The attitude of society in general and of parents, children, school staff does not always permit good terms for the integration or inclusion of students with SEN.

There is a strong political will and the support of NGOs to move forward with  the inclusion of children and young persons with different disabilities into the mainstream education system.

The main task of the Ministry of Education and Science, local boards of education and municipality authorities is to provide the best possible conditions for students with special needs in mainstream education institutions.

There is a strong need for the development of a nation-wide support system for persons with special needs. The National Centre for Special Education was established in 2007. Its main objectives are:

• To co-ordinate the development of the support system for SEN;
• To provide methodological guidance for special education;
• To consult all stake-holders about the issues of special education;
• To develop co-operation between different national and international agencies;
• To gather evidence of good practice and to disseminate it;
• To suggest amendments in legislation concerning education of persons with SEN;
• To improve the assessment of children with special needs.
  

Quality indicators for SNE

According to the requirements of legislation, all students with disabilities except those with mental disabilities follow the general education curriculum which is based on the adopted standards of general primary education. That means that they have to take state tests and examinations and to be assessed as students with no disabilities. The process of testing and assessment can be adapted to the needs and abilities of a ‘regular’ student. Students with mental disabilities do not take state tests and their academic success is measured according to the dynamics of their development and their abilities.

The efficiency of every school and pre-school institution, as well as the quality of the education process is evaluated by a special state commission at least once every 6 years. The internal and external evaluation is done based on criteria developed to evaluate different aspects of the education process in the institution.

For more information about the education system in Latvia you can access the new Eurydice database