Better skills for labour market by education level (including inclusive education, entrepreneurship education and investments in infrastructure) Ministry of Education and Science 2014–2020 planning period Informal consultation meeting Riga, February 28, 2013

Education levels Preschool education General education (Primary, Basic, Secondary) Vocational education Inclusive education

CONTENT  Planning framework and headline indicators: −EU2020 −NDP2020 −Country Specific Recommendations  Current situation, Objectives, Instruments, Expected results: −Pre-school education −Primary education −Secondary education, including inclusive education −Vocational education −Early-school leaving

Planning framework: EU2020 EU 2020 targets: 1. Employment: −75% of the year-olds to be employed 2. Education −Reducing school drop-out rates below 10% −At least 40% of 30-34–year-olds completing third level education EU/ Member States targets Employment rate (in %) Early school leaving in % Tertiary education in % EU headline target75%<10%40% Latvia73% (67% 2011) 13.4% (11.6% 2011) 40% (36% 2012) Lithuania72.8%<9%40% Estonia76%9.5%40%

Planning framework: NDP2020 National Development Plan for : Strategic Objectives and Outcomes (Priority «Human Securitability»; Competencies Development): 1.The reduction of the proportion of children and young people with low basic skills and a simultaneous increase of the proportion of students achieving the highest competence levels by providing:  high quality elementary education and secondary education;  access to activities outside the formal education system to all children and young people 2.In compliance with international trends and labor market forecasts, the creation of a secondary vocational and higher education system that is capable of adaptation and competitive focus on the natural sciences and engineering on the higher education level and on the vocational sector for first level higher education; 3.Development of adult education promoting an increase in productivity and in compliance with the requirements of the labor market

Country-specific Recommendations for Latvia 2012 – Education Take measures to reduce long-term and youth unemployment by:  fighting early school leaving,  promoting more efficient apprenticeships and VET,  enhancing the quality, coverage and effectiveness of active labor market policy and its training component and through an effective wage subsidy scheme.

Preschool education __

Preschool education – I Preschool education – I …the first step must be that foundation or basic skills are achieved by all… «Rethinking education: Investing in skills for better socio-economic outcomes» «(..) The share of 15 years olds in Europe that have not acquired basic skills is around 20%. Member States need to introduce new systemic reforms to strengthen early screening and intervention for learning difficulties and to replace repetition or ability grouping with increased learning support. These efforts within compulsory schooling need to be preceded by high-quality, accessible and affordable early childhood education and care (..) » Participation rates in pre-primary and primary education (ISCED 0 and 1) by age Source: Eurostat, UOE (data extracted July 2011) Conclusion: participation rate of 3-year-old, 4-year-old and 5-year-old children in pre- primary or primary education should be increased

Preschool education - II Policy initiatives: −It is planned to set that the starting age of compulsory primary education is six. −Pilot project is launched ( ) on approbation of introducing the educational program for six year old children. Objective: Age-appropriate pre-school programs, modern teaching methods (reduction of underperformance at primary education, development of creative skills). Instruments: −Support for improvement of training content and methods for children aged 1,5– 4, ensuring the individualised approach and innovative, creativity development targeted training content and training process, EU language studies from the 1st form, as well as education quality monitoring; −Development of the training content that is integrated in respective fields of education for children from the age of 5 and up to form 6. Introduction of the innovative training content and work forms for promoting creativity in basic education

Primary education __

Primary education – I GAP 1: Early stages of education up to higher education does not effectively cover competence-based learning, as well as there is a necessity to scale up learning infrastructure (natural science rooms, sports infrastructure, ICT etc.). GAP 2: International comparisons (IEA, TIMSS, IEA PIRLS) indicates mediocre education quality at later stages of primary education in Latvia. According to the PISA 2009 Results there is a relatively small proportion of pupils in Latvia who show highest competences in reading skills, mathematics and natural sciences, and their number is decreasing. Little or no attention to talented students. GAP 3: Availability of schools close to home in a regional context – net of Latvian rural schools. Objective 1: Strengthen the provision of transversal skills that increase employability such as entrepreneurial initiative, digital skills and foreign languages, development of competency-based learning. Objective 2: Development of efficient school network in Latvian regions, ensuring the qualitative and varied education, including availability of interest and informal education at the primary and basic school stages and creating circumstances for modern, decentralised education and employment solutions within the framework of life-long education.

Primary education – II Foreign Languages «Rethinking education: Investing in skills for better socio-economic outcomes» «Languages are more and more important to increase levels of employability and mobility of young people, and poor language skills are a major obstacle to free movement of workers. Businesses also require the language skills needed to function in the global marketplace. (..) The typical age for starting to learn the 1st foreign language is between 6 and 9, whereas the 2nd foreign language generally becomes compulsory between 10 and 15» Policy initiatives: −Latvia is currently introducing reforms on language learning. It is planned to introduce English as a 1st foreign language in the first grade starting September 1, Also introduction of 2nd foreign language is planned at an earlier stage.

Primary education – III Small rural schools Optimisation of the education institutions network  In the result of: −economical crisis, −state administrative and territorial reform, −school network optimization, −changes of the school funding model, −general difficult demographical situation and −growing mobility, there is a need for changing the role of current schools in rural areas in the local community context.  In accordance with the OECD PISA 2009 results, study achievements of rural pupils are lower that those of urban schools. Investments in infrastructure for such community centres is needed that will allow attracting more professional teachers, as well as extending availability of life-long education and interest education in the corresponding territories.

Secondary education __

Secondary education – I GAP 1: Early stages of education up to higher education does not effectively cover competence-based learning, as well as there is a necessity to scale up ICT infrastructure and use of digital learning materials. GAP 2: Decrease of number of students (% and total) choosing exams in natural science subjects. Objective 1: Strengthen the provision of transversal skills that increase employability such as entrepreneurial initiative, digital skills and foreign languages, development of competence-based learning. Policy initiatives: −Latvia is currently introducing reforms on language learning. It is planned to introduce English as a 1st foreign language in the first grade starting September 1, Also introduction of 2nd foreign language is planned at an earlier stage, as well as using English and other foreign languages as instruction languages; −Under state budget resources it is planned to integrate entrepreneurship competence in secondary education content.

Secondary education – II  Decrease of number of potential students in natural science programs at higher education level. Secondary education graduates who have chosen to pass exam in natural science subjects, % of total number of graduates YearChemistryPhysicsBiology 20095,7612,1015, ,9210,6810, ,7310,319, ,359,129,57

Inclusive education GAP 1: Insufficient provision with appropriate training programs, materials and equipment for integration of pupils with special needs (as well as minorities such as Roma) in general education, as well as the deficit of support for teachers who work with pupils having special needs. Policy initiative: −Optimisation of special education schools network, including school governance. Objective 1: To promote inclusion of pupils with special needs in general education institutions and to ensure equal opportunities and support for pupils in studying the training content, as well as to promote inclusion in education of the young people subjected to the social exclusion risk, strengthening the capacity of teachers and social workers for the work with the young people subjected to the social exclusion risk.

General education Support Instruments - I 1)Support for informatisation of schools – developing of digital training materials and equipping schools with ICT to ensure learning process that meets contemporary requirements. 2)Support for improvement of training content and methods for children Aged 1,5–18 – ensuring the Individualized approach and innovative, creativity development targeted training content and training process, EU language studies from the 1 st form, as well as education quality monitoring 3)Support for teacher capacity building for ensuring a modern and qualitative education process – attraction of young and talented teachers for work at schools, ensuring the mentoring system at schools, as well as development of teachers` overall competences (incl. development of entrepreneurial, leadership, creativity, ICT and foreign language skills, interdisciplinary training content formation skills); 4)Development of small rural schools, optimisation of educational institutions; 5)Establishment of a support system to develop talents of pupils 6)Support for development of publicly available sports infrastructure

General education Support Instruments - II Inclusive education: 7) Continuing education courses for teachers on inclusion of pupils with functional disabilities in the general education flow; 8) Development of study materials for children with special needs and methodical materials for teachers, school social workers, etc. on the work with the risk group children for inclusive education; 9) Access to trainings and activities beyond formal education for young people with special needs, promoting their social inclusion and developing their social, civil and communicative skills; 10) To promote inclusion and integration of the Roma in the general education system, strengthening the school capacity for the work with Roma pupils.

Vocational education __

[Initial] vocational education - I GAP 1: Vocational education does not effectively cover competence-based and workplace-based learning, there is a need for better matching of students competences and labour market needs. GAP 2: Proportion of VET students in age group (national goal: 50/50 in 2020) Policy initiatives: −It is planned to introduce legislative changes regarding governance of vocational education institutions; −It is planned to introduce legislative changes in order to promote workplace- based learning elements in VET curricula; −Further optimisation of vocational education institutions network analysing market needs at regional and national level (school types, qualification/program portfolio).

Vocational education - II  36% of total number or vocational education teachers are 55 and older.

Initial vocational education - III Objective 1: Improving the professional education programme implementation quality by facilitating quicker integration in the labour market and ensuring balanced mastering of competences and skills for professional activity and continuing education (incl. improvement of teachers’ competences, development of modular education programs, enhancing educational practices). Objective 2: Improvement of infrastructure ensuring implementation of VET programs to facilitate correspondence of VET to the requirements of labour market. Support Instruments: 1)Development of VET infrastructure to secure the necessary provisions for the implementation of new future oriented VET programs, including the purchase of necessary equipment, facilities and technologies to satisfy the labour market demands for training the needed specialists, especially regarding the demands from the regional labour markets; 2)Provision for training practice for the professional education institution students; 3)Development of education programmes for life-long learning and improvement of practical skills in the workplace for teachers and practice tutors in co-operation with Latvian employers

Early-school leaving - I GAP 1: Share of early school-leavers aged having left or not acquired secondary education (13.3% in 2010, 11.6% in 2011). Trajectory for decreasing the share of early school leavers Source: National Reform Programme of Latvia for the Implementation of the EU2020 strategy *Estimation of the European Commission GAP 2: Availability and quality of career guidance system. Objective 1: To reduce early-school leaving and youth unemployment by implementing preventive and compensatory measures for youngsters under the risk of early- school leaving, as well as for improving the accessibility of VET Share of early school leavers *

Early-school leaving - II Support Instruments: 1)Implementation of 1-year and 1.5-year professional education programmes by creating the opportunity for acquiring qualification and integrating into the labour market within a short time; - compensatory measure 1)Implementation of career choice activity complex encouraging choice and preventing early-school leaving, including social support and grants for youth subject to risk and would acquire qualification useful in the labour market. – preventive measure 1)Implementation of training of young people at youth centres for their social inclusion and competitiveness on the labour market, developing social, civil and communicative skills of young people. - intervention measure

Thank You for attention!