Latvian Saeima reviews proposed education and exam reforms

The Saeima's Education, Culture, and Science Committee is reviewing proposed amendments from the Ministry of Education and Science regarding primary and general secondary education standards. These reforms, intended for the upcoming academic year, aim to significantly alter how student achievements are assessed, specifically concerning the administration and evaluation of centralized exams.

Coalition partners hold differing views on the implementation. While the Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS) supports certain measures, such as the 'Program in School' funding model and efforts to maintain regional educational accessibility, they have expressed concerns regarding the pace of reform and the lack of clarity in final drafts. Specifically, ZZS leadership criticized the plan to introduce a mandatory centralized natural sciences exam for 9th graders in the 2026/2027 school year, citing potential shortages in teaching staff and technical resources.

Education Minister Ilze Indriksone has proposed a compromise regarding minimum passing thresholds. While the current draft suggests removing minimum score requirements for all centralized exams to obtain a basic education certificate, Indriksone advocates for maintaining minimum thresholds for Latvian language and mathematics, while removing them for natural sciences. This distinction is based on the status of language and math as core competencies.