2025

Media literacy is an essential component of literacy today 

During the UNESCO Global Media and Information Literacy Week, which took place at the end of October, the State Chancellery updated the topic of media literacy as an essential basic skill by publishing the second updated edition “Handbook against disinformation: recognise and resist. 2nd edition”. Compared to the first edition, this digital edition has been supplemented with several new fact-based refutations of disinformation messages. 

As part of the week, several thematic events were held in Latvia, organized by the Baltic Centre for Media Excellence, Latvian higher education institutions, and libraries. The week’s program also included an online mini course for teachers “Artificial Intelligence in Education” offered by the UNESCO Latvian National Commission.

The State Chancellery has also prepared an English translation of the handbook “Handbook against disinformation: recognise and resist. 2nd edition”, which will benefit an international audience. 

The digital information world has fundamentally changed the flow of information. Nowadays, various attempts to manipulate information are all around us. In cases where there is no hard evidence, manipulation is used to distract from the lack of evidence or to replace evidence with misleading words. Therefore, understanding the techniques of information manipulation is an essential part of the media literacy skills that everyone needs to navigate the digital world of the 21st century.

The second edition of the Handbook publishes a refutation, for example, of the disinformation message that Russia had a reason to invade Ukraine on 24 February 2022, because Ukraine threatened Russia’s security. In fact, Russia had no reason to believe that Ukraine was preparing to attack it, which would allow it to carry out a preemptive attack. Given that Ukraine was smaller and militarily weaker than Russia, there was no reason to think that it could prepare to attack Russia. This would be an act of aggression against a nuclear power, so such an attack would be almost suicidal. Since 2022, none of Russia's accusations against Ukraine of developing weapons of mass destruction have been confirmed. The reasons for the war were fabricated and Russia is the aggressor. 

The goal of Global Media and Information Literacy Week is to promote media and information literacy in society to improve people's critical thinking skills on information, media and technology issues, as well as to promote civic participation, self-expression, economic development in the country and to combat disinformation and misleading information. This year's theme was - Minds Over AI - Media and Information Literacy in Digital Spaces.

Innovation Grants for Students – Investment in Creativity 

The European Union-funded programme "Innovation Grants for Students" has been launched in Latvian universities, offering students the opportunity to develop their innovation skills and implement creative research ideas with practical applications. The programme will be implemented until 2029 and will strengthen cooperation between higher education institutions and the business sector, fostering the development of Latvia’s innovation ecosystem.

The total funding for the programme is EUR 13.9 million, with a plan to involve at least 6 500 students from various universities. Latvian tertiary education institutions can apply for project funding, with a maximum public financing of EUR 250 000 to EUR 3.3 million per project, depending on the number of full-time students at the receiving institution and its partner organizations. Universities will organize student innovation idea competitions, and it is planned that at least 30% of innovation proposals will be related to artificial intelligence technologies, internal and external security, and educational technologies. Additionally, at least 40% of projects will be implemented by interdisciplinary teams. As a result, approximately 1 500 student ideas' prototypes are expected to be developed.

The programme provides support for students through two types of grants: 

• a large grant (EUR 13 899) for developing an innovative idea based on an existing concept,
• and a smaller one (EUR 3 418) for initial idea development and testing. 

Additionally, students will have access to scholarships and the opportunity to participate in innovation competitions and workshops.

This initiative will enable students to practically develop their innovation and entrepreneurial skills while fostering university&industry collaboration, ensuring the development of new talent and preparing a workforce that meets labor market demands. 

The programme will promote:

•  an innovation-oriented education approach at universities,
• enhance students' knowledge and innovation competencies,
• support the development of innovative ideas and new entrepreneurs, and
• strengthen cooperation with businesses to train specialists aligned with labor market needs. 

University faculty members involved in the programme’s implementation will enhance their competencies, while student innovation growth during their studies will contribute to Latvia’s long-term innovation development and improved performance in the European Innovation Scoreboard.

It is expected that at least 10% of students who develop innovation and entrepreneurship competencies will secure internships or employment in companies engaged in research and development activities or scientific institutions.

The first phase of the Student Innovation Grant Programme (2018-2023) was implemented by the University of Latvia (UL), Riga Technical University (RTU), Ventspils University of Applied Sciences, and the Latvian Maritime Academy, involving other Latvian universities, scientific institutions, and over 100 businesses.

For example, the university business incubator UniLab, initially established at the RTU and the University of Latvia as part of the Student Innovation Grant Programme, has become a key instrument in supporting science commercialization. It is now implemented by all four Latvian research universities in collaboration with the leading Scandinavian venture capital and acceleration fund Accelerace. During the first phase of the programme, Riga Technical University students built an underwater drone adapted for Latvia's conditions, and in collaboration with telecommunication industry, launched Latvia’s first Industrial PhD programme, with the first doctoral degree awarded in 2023.

2024

At least 100 Latvian language teachers to be trained for integration of foreigners

The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the rules for the implementation of the measure "Expanding the offer Latvian language learning" prepared by the Ministry of Education and Science, which will result in the development and licensing of a study programme for teachers of Latvian as a foreign language and the training of at least 100 teachers of Latvian as a foreign language for adults. The Regulation has been developed in the light of the Government's Action Plan, which includes:

•  the development of a unified framework for the provision of courses in the teaching of the state language to adults,
• support for quality assurance of the courses,
• training of adult teachers and
• support for the teaching process.

As part of the expansion of the Latvian language learning offer, the University of Latvia in cooperation with the Latvian Language Agency will ensure the development, licensing and approval of a Latvian language study programme, preparing new teachers of Latvian as a foreign language and ensuring modern Latvian language learning for adults. 100 teachers will be able to provide Latvian language training to 4 800 persons per year, facilitating the integration of adult foreigners into Latvian society and the labour market. According to the National Development Plan 2027, it is necessary to reach 84% of Latvian-speaking adults in Latvia whose mother tongue is not Latvian. The Ministry of Education and Science sets up a Project Monitoring Board to monitor the implementation of the project and ensure its quality. The total amount of funding available under the measure is EUR 615 498.

2023

Funding has been redistributed for the implementation of the support programme for Ukrainian refugee children

In April 2023, the government supported the proposal of the Ministry of Education and Science for the redistribution of funding, so that more than 1 million EUR would be directed to the organization of various non-formal education events for Ukrainian refugee children. The support programme is planned to be implemented until December 1, 2023, involving approximately 3500 children and young people.

Support measures are organized in order to reduce the psycho-emotional stress caused by the war events for Ukrainian children and youth, as well as to strengthen the ethnic identity of Ukrainian children and their unity with the Ukrainian community living in Latvia. Likewise, it is important for Ukrainian refugee children to continue learning the Latvian language in order to fully and successfully integrate and be included in the cultural environment and education system of Latvia. The planned support is needed both for those Ukrainian teenagers and young people who study remotely in Ukrainian educational institutions and whose communication with their peers in Latvia is limited, as well as for those who simultaneously study in both Latvian and Ukrainian educational institutions and feel overloaded.

Various activities will be organized in the support programme:

• for learning and strengthening Latvian language skills both in language teaching and learning classes and in creative language integrated learning classes,
• for the preservation and practice of the Ukrainian language, traditions and cultural values, in order to reduce the psycho-emotional tension of children and young people and to maintain community ties with the Ukrainian community in Latvia,
• to get to know the natural and cultural space of Latvia, in order to integrate more successfully into the local community in cooperation with Latvian children and young people, etc.

According to the data of the Civil Defense Administration of Latvia, by the end of February 2023, 8928 Ukrainian refugee children between the ages of 5 and 18 were registered in Latvia. 4299 students are registered in the Latvian education system, of which 1524 are in preschool educational institutions, 2775 are in general educational institutions, and 74 are studying in professional educational institutions. Thus, there is not enough information about a large part of Ukrainian school-age children, including 5-6-year-olds who should start school on September 1 - where, how and whether they study, what is their social and psycho-emotional state.

Taking into account the experience of 2022, when the funding allocated for the organization of camps was only partially used, non-formal education events are planned for 2023, which will not be limited to the organization of camps in the summer period. This time, diverse measures will be able to be implemented by the end of the year and the offer will be much broader and more flexible, taking into account the needs of Ukrainian children.

The support programme will be implemented by the National Education Center in cooperation with local governments, which will attract event implementers through a tender procedure. They can be both state and municipal institutions, as well as non-governmental organizations, higher education institutions, organizers of children's camps, as well as non-governmental organizations of the Ukrainian community and organizations that provide support to Ukrainian refugees.

Various forms of activities can be used in the implementation of the events, such as language learning and interest-related (hobby) education classes, creative workshops, team-building events, excursions, walking in nature, outdoor activities, visiting a museum/cultural event.