In the second reading, the Saeima of Latvia by a majority of votes approved amendments to the Laws “On Education” and “On General Education”, which provide for the transition to the Latvian language of instruction in schools where it was previously carried out in Russian.
The bills approved in the second reading provide that teaching in Latvian in all classes of all schools of national minorities will begin in the 2025-2026 academic year – the transition will take place over three years. In addition, the changes will also affect preschoolers – as early as September 1 next year, they exclude the use of the language of national minorities.
The bill also establishes more stringent requirements for the knowledge of the Latvian language for the administration of educational institutions and teachers. Russian language and similar subjects become optional.
Recall that earlier the Minister of Justice of Latvia Janis Bordans said that the ministry plans to develop a mechanism for restricting the use of two languages, which provides for a ban on the use of the Russian language in public places and at work.
In addition, the study of the Russian language from the first grade was canceled in Kazakhstan.