Education and Science, EU – Baltic States, Forum, Latvia

The findings have worried Latvian publishers. "This kind of discovery makes you think that without serious measures for improving reading ability, literacy figures for Latvian schoolchildren will only continue to fall. Poor reading ability will definitely be a basis for poor school achievements in other subjects," believes Apgada Zvaigzne ABC Chairwoman Vija Kilbloka.

At the same time, the businesswoman noted that Latvian schools are allocated LVL 0.69 for each pupil towards school books. In Estonia, the same figure stands at EUR 30 (LVL 21.6) per pupil, while in Lithuania it is EUR 20 (LVL 14.30), writes LETA.

In order to attract the public's attention to problems connected with children's reading skills, as well as to introduce children and their parents to the works of Latvian children's authors, poets, and illustrators, the publisher Apgads Zvaigzne ABC will hold a Latvian National Children's Reading Congress at the Latvian National Theatre on September 11.