2026

Parliament strengthens the role of libraries in promoting reading literacy 

On March 31, the Parliament’s Education, Culture and Science Committee unanimously conceptually supported amendments to the Library Law, which envisages adapting it to the needs of modern society and strengthening the role of libraries in education. 

The Library Law was adopted back in 1998, and since then the functions of libraries have changed significantly. It is necessary to strengthen the activities and functions of libraries, especially considering their role in promoting reading literacy and informing the public. An educated and informed public is also essential for national security. 

The aim of the amendments is to ensure free and unrestricted access to information, knowledge and cultural heritage for everyone, as well as to promote lifelong learning and civic participation of society. Libraries are increasingly becoming multifunctional centres, especially in the regions. 

The amendments are intended to expand the definition of a library, strengthening it as an educational, information, cultural and public relations institution. 

The law also provides for the first time for the establishment of the Latvian library network as a proportionate, coordinated and unified set of state, municipal and private libraries covering the entire territory of the country. This network will include 

• the National Library of Latvia, 
• public libraries, 
• libraries of higher education institutions, 
• libraries of general and vocational education institutions, and 
• special libraries. 

The draft law also specifies the basic functions of libraries, including strengthening their role in the development of local communities. At the same time, it is intended to reduce the administrative burden, for example, the accreditation period for libraries is planned to be extended from five to six years, but libraries of general and vocational education institutions will no longer need to be accredited. 

For the amendments to the Library Law to enter into force, they still need to be considered in Parliament in three readings.

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.