Tag Archives: Latvia

According to collegesanduniversitiesinusa, Latvia has a long and varied educational history, with the first schools in the country being established during the medieval period. At this time, education was mainly focused on religious instruction and was provided by church-run schools. It wasn’t until the 16th century that secular education began to be offered in Latvia, with the establishment of grammar schools that taught Latin and other subjects. The 19th century saw a significant expansion of educational opportunities in Latvia. During this period, primary education became compulsory for all children and secondary schools were established to provide further education for those wishing to pursue higher studies. The curriculum was heavily influenced by German culture due to Latvia’s close ties with Germany at that time. In 1921, Latvia gained independence from Russia and set about establishing its own educational system. In 1922, a comprehensive school system was introduced which provided free education for all children up to the age of 14 as well as free university tuition for those who wished to pursue higher studies. This system remained largely unchanged until 1940 when it was replaced by a Soviet-style curriculum which focused on political indoctrination rather than academic achievement. After regaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, Latvia set about reforming its educational system once again. The focus now shifted towards providing quality education for all citizens regardless of their socio-economic background or ethnicity; something which had been lacking during Soviet rule. To achieve this goal, reforms were implemented such as introducing tuition fees at universities, introducing vocational qualifications into secondary education, and creating an extensive network of libraries throughout the country. Today, Latvia’s educational system is highly developed and provides quality instruction at all levels from primary through to tertiary level. The country has achieved impressive results in international assessments such as PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) which measure student performance across different countries; indicating that Latvian students are well prepared for their future careers both domestically and abroad. In 2009, Latvia was a small Baltic nation located in Northern Europe, bordered by Estonia to the north, Lithuania to the south and Russia to the east. It had a population of around 2 million people and was a member of both NATO and the European Union (EU). Since independence from Russia in 1991, Latvia had been slowly transitioning towards democracy and free market economics. This process had been largely successful but it had also been hindered by internal divisions over national identity, language and ethnicity. In 2004, Latvia joined the EU which helped to stabilise its economy but also brought with it new challenges such as immigration and security concerns. Latvia’s geopolitical position in 2009 was very precarious. The country was surrounded by powerful neighbours such as Russia and Belarus who were keen to exert their influence on the region. This threat was compounded by tensions between Latvia’s ethnic Russian minority (which comprised around 25% of the population) and its ethnic Latvian majority. These tensions often erupted into violence or demonstrations against the government which further destabilised the country. Despite these challenges, Latvia still managed to remain relatively secure due to its membership of NATO which provided protection from external threats such as Russia or Belarus. The EU also provided economic stability through access to markets and financial assistance programmes which allowed Latvia’s economy to grow steadily during this period. Overall, Latvia’s geopolitical situation in 2009 was fairly stable compared with other former Soviet states such as Ukraine or Georgia; however there were still significant risks posed by its powerful neighbours that needed to be addressed if it wanted to maintain stability in the long-term. Check mathgeneral for Latvia in 2017.