The Ministry of Education and Science is responsible for education, science, sports, youth and state language policies in Latvia to foster a highly innovative, wealthy and integrated society in which everyone has equal opportunities for development.
The Ministry is responsible for:
- pre-school, basic and secondary education, including education in minority languages;
- vocational, continuing education and life-learning;
- informal and values education;
- juvenile correctional education;
- education for children and young people with special needs;
- the field of higher education and research;
- the national sports policy;
- coordinating development and implementation of youth policy;
- international cooperation in youth field;
- promoting access of young people to their rights;
- strengthening the status of the Latvian language;
- promoting engagement in foreign language learning among the public.
The Latvian education system consists of general education, vocational education, higher education and adult education. In state and municipal educational institutions the language of tuition is the state language – Latvian. Education in other languages of tuition can be acquired in private educational establishments, as well as in state and municipal educational institutions where they provide educational (study) programmes for national minorities.
