Education and Science, Latvia

The Education and Science Ministry has proposed to establish four regional blocs with different criteria for the minimum number of pupils. The first block would be Latvia's cities with at least 50,000 residents, where secondary schools should have at least 150 pupils. In early September, 60 schools would not meet this criterion, while 33 secondary schools have the necessary number of pupils.

The next bloc would include development centers of administrative territories and Greater Riga areas - Adazi, Sapaspils, Kekava, Olaine, Marupe and Jurmala. In these territories, the minimum number of pupils in secondary school would be 120. Based on data with the new administrative territories as provided in the administrative reform, 43 secondary schools would not meet this criterion, while 22 would meet it.

The third bloc would include territories of counties with the minimum number of secondary school pupils being 45, and 60 schools would not meet this criterion, while 40 would have the necessary number of pupils. The last bloc would include territories close of the EU external border and those territories were the distance to the closest other educational institution is at least 25 kilometers. The requirement for 30 pupils in secondary schools would be met by three schools and failed by one secondary school.

In order to improve efficiency of the school network, the Education and Science Ministry has been tasked to prepare a proposal on the optimal school network. 

The Education and Science Ministry also plans to present by February 2020 a new school financing model that would focus on schools' basic needs and not just quantitative indicators.