Like Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south, this year Latvia is celebrating 100 years since the foundation of its first republic in 1918, with a wide ranging celebratory programme that already started in 2017 and will continue into 2021. More than 40% of Latvia’s total Centenary budget has been assigned to the School Bag project. The project includes the exploration and experiencing of nature and cultural values, scientific achievements and successful business models into the school programmes, and aims to make it accessible to every schoolchild in Latvia. 40% of the Centenary state budget over five years will cover the implementation of the integrated teaching programme as well as the related travel expenses and entrance tickets for the events. Funding for the School Bag will be forwarded to the local governments according to the total number of pupils. The local governments, together with schools will plan the most effective way to use the funding.

Research (available in Latvian) by the Academy of Culture of Latvia shows that one fifth of all pupils of Latvia have not visited a single extracurricular cultural or regional learning event during the school year. The transportation costs and entrance ticket prices are what is most often mentioned as an obstacle. Besides, many extracurricular activities very much depend on the teachers’ competence or initiative. The School Bag will solve these problems by providing the funding and offering a wide range of educational must-see events for pupils. This complements the curriculum reform of the education system that will be introduced in schools starting from September 2018 - the contemporary approach, when learning takes place not only in the classroom, but also through practical experience. This is why the Ministry of Education and Science supports the intention to keep the School Bag in the school programmes after the Centenary as well.

Visit the website to find out more: https://lv100.lv/programma/latvijas-skolas-soma/ (mostly in Latvian).

Source: Latvian Eurydice Unit