On Thursday, 14 May, the Saeima in the third and final reading adopted amendments to the General Education Law, thus legally obliging municipalities to ensure that children have access to Latvian language education in all preschools.

The approved amendments instruct municipalities to ensure that from 1 September 2021 the preschool education programme is available in the state language in all the preschools subordinated to them.

The amendments outline that educational institutions that implement preschool education programmes will have to provide Latvian language acquisition support to those learners who need it, including children whose mother tongue is not Latvian.

The amendments also instruct preschools, starting 1 September 2021, to carry out a special needs assessment for each child who starts compulsory education in the pre-school education programme. The Law also mandates educational institutions to provide children with special needs with the necessary support measures and assistance in mastering the curriculum.

On Thursday, the Saeima also supported the related amendments to the Education Law. Taking into account the pressing question of preschool waiting lists, the Law provides for a registry of prospective preschoolers that will include information on children from the age of 1.5 years until the start of primary education. The amendments task the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development with managing and maintaining the registry of prospective preschoolers, so that parents can register their children in it online for preschool education programmes.

Saeima Press Service