In line with the Education Law everyone has the right to qualitative and inclusive education, and the persons have the right to acquire education regardless of the material and social status, race, nationality, ethnic origin, gender, religious and political affiliation, health condition, occupation, and place of residence.

General context

Education Development Guidelines 2021-2027 is a medium-term policy planning document that defines a unified national policy and development strategy in education. The guidelines specify the overarching goal and goals of the education policy, the main directions of action and tasks for achieving the set goals, the results of the policy and performance indicators. The overarching goal of the educational development guidelines for 2021-2027 is to provide quality educational opportunities to all residents of Latvia in order to promote the development and realization of their potential throughout life and to build their ability to change and responsibly manage the constant changes in society and the economy. 

In line with the Education Development Guidelines 2021-2027 “Future Skills for Future Society", inclusive education is a process that ensures that the diverse needs of all learners are met, maximising opportunities for each learner to participate in learning, culture and diverse communities and minimising exclusion from education and learning.

Targeted learners that are clearly identified in laws and strategies as groups in need of focused support and guidance are:

• Refugee students
• Migrant students
• Ethnic minority (Roma) students
• Students with special educational needs or disabilities
• Students from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds.  

Legislative framework

According to the Education Law, a minor child of an asylum seeker and a minor asylum seeker has the right to qualitative and inclusive basic education and secondary education, and also the right to continue the commenced education after attaining the age of majority.

In line with the Education law, special education is general and vocational education adapted for persons with special needs and health problems, or with special needs or health problems.

Other binding laws and regulations:

Convention against discrimination in education

Law on the protection of the children's rights

Law on assistance to Ukrainian civilians

Procedures by which Minor Asylum Seeker shall be Provided with Opportunities for Acquiring Education

Requirements for general education institutions to enroll students with special needs in their educational programmes

National policy objectives

Support to students from lower socio-economic backgrounds

The support measures are continued (please see about the previous measures below) in 2024 by the project "School in the Community". The aim of the project is to develop an integrated school-community or municipal education ecosystem approach, promoting inter-institutional cooperation and the involvement of the student's parents (persons exercising guardianship) in the educational process, in order to ensure coordinated action to reduce the risk of social exclusion and early school leaving for students and to promote the acquisition of general primary and secondary education content. Project implementation period: 01.07.2024.-31.08.2029. 

Project target groups:

• students of general education institutions from grades 1 to 12, 
• students of vocational education institutions and general education institutions implementing vocational education programmes from course 1 to 4.

In 2025, 58 cooperation agreements were concluded, including 18 vocational education institutions and 40 municipalities. In the first semester of the 2025/2026 academic year, the project implemented several informative and educational events, organized regional think tanks on the implementation of Initiatives and Partnerships projects, organized training for student mentors, and provided individual support to more than 2,600 students. Several significant project activities launched in 2026, including mentoring of students, supervision of teachers and support staff, implementation of Initiatives and Partnerships projects and twinning support measures, as well as expanding the circle of potential cooperation partners to provide individualized support to students.

Further references: 
Cabinet of Ministers regulation: https://m.likumi.lv/ta/id/353690  
Programme’s provider website: https://www.viaa.gov.lv/lv/projekts/skola-kopiena  
Website of the programme: https://www.skola-kopiena.lv/about

In 2017-2023, the State Education Quality Service was implementing a European Social Fund Project Support for Reducing Early School Leaving “Pumpurs”. It aimed to reduce the number of children and young people leaving school and dropping out before graduation. With a help of the project, municipalities provided individual support to learners who might quit education due to lack of private resources. This included reimbursement of the costs of transport, meals, dormitory or the purchase of individual learning materials. The project was not focused on providing short-term financial assistance, but on creating a sustainable, comprehensive mechanism for a supportive and inclusive school environment for all learners.

Support to students with special education needs or disabilities

Access easing, selection procedures and accessability and adapted infrastructure are regulated by the Cabinet of Ministers regulation Requirements for general education institutions to enroll students with special needs in their educational programmes.

Support to Roma students

Measures to support and involve Roma students in education are an important priority, reducing the number of Roma students who drop out of school, do not complete compulsory education and do not continue with general secondary education. It is planned to continue the started and successful implementations:

• to ensure cooperation between the municipality, school, educators and parents in order to identify Roma students in time, who might stop studying, and provide them with individual support (also in learning certain subjects);
• to provide support for Roma mediators;
• to develop the practice of Roma teacher assistants in educational institutions where a larger number of Roma children study.

Social and emotional learning

Students at risk of drop-out and/or early leaving from education and training, and students at risk of bullying, which often coincides with a lower socioeconomic background. In 2022 the amendment to the General Education Law was adopted stating that the providers of general education programmes have to ensure systemic support to students for development of social and emotional competence. The new competence based curriculum ensures that students also develop social and emotional competence through the learning content (curriculum). Schools and teachers are offered a ready-made curriculum with lesson plans on social and emotional learning. Various research findings, including OECD studies and reports, show that the social and emotional competence of teachers and students reduces bullying situations in schools.

Schools may use the lesson plans for social and emotional learning for grades 1 to 12. Schools are also encouraged to use the European guidelines for educators on enhancing supportive learning environments for vulnerable learners and on promoting well-being and mental health at schools. 

Support to Ukrainian refugee students

The regulation on support for the education of Ukrainian refugee children provides that the municipality and the school provide individualized support to Ukrainian students who are registered in a Latvian school.

At the beginning of 2025, 7,665 Ukrainian refugee children aged 5 to 18 were registered in Latvia, of which 3,322 students were registered in the Latvian education system (source: the Ministry of Education and Science). 

In 2025, the government provided funding for children's and youth day and 24-hour camps to provide psychological and emotional support, promote Latvian language learning, and promote integration for Ukrainian refugee children. Funding in the amount of 900 thousand euros was provided until November 1, 2025, and the support programme was implemented by the State Education Development Agency in cooperation with local governments. The camps were organized for students in grades 1 to 12, inviting 50% of Ukrainian and 50% of Latvian students to participate. The camp programmes offer both Latvian language classes and a variety of other events and creative activities for Ukrainian and Latvian youth that will improve communication and interpersonal skills. At the same time, it is a way to promote social and emotional skills and strengthen psychological and emotional well-being, which is important for both Ukrainian and Latvian children and youth due to the geopolitical situation. 

In 2024, a total of 86 camps were organized in municipalities (64 - day camps, 22 - 24-hour camps), in which 1361 Ukrainian children and 1366 Latvian children were involved. The total number of participants in both day and 24-hour camps was 2727 participants.
The same support measure was provided in 2022.                                                          

In 2022, the Children's Hospital Foundation implements the Society Integration Fund project Psychological and emotional support for Ukrainian refugee children and their families, actively involving the Ukrainian refugees themselves - specialists in the implementation of the project, as well as volunteers, strengthening the solidarity and unity of society.