From next year, they plan to introduce another scholarship for pedagogy students

The scholarship would be applicable to students enrolled in the study program who started their studies from July of this year.

Unlike scholarships for educators in priority fields, the same conditions will not be imposed for awarding this scholarship, as students are employed in educational institutions during the study program.

With the draft regulations, the Ministry of Education and Culture hopes to ensure the sustained interest of current and potential students in the work environment-based second-level professional higher education study program “Teacher”, promoting the influx of qualified pedagogues into the Latvian education system.

The Ministry draws attention to the fact that in the education system of Latvia there is a constant formation of vacancies, and in several educational institutions there are gaps in the learning of the educational program.

At the same time, the possibilities to fill vacant jobs are limited, because it is possible to work as a pedagogue if one has a pedagogical education or a person acquires a pedagogical education that meets the professional qualification requirements set by the Cabinet of Ministers.

In addition, not every person with a higher pedagogical education has the right to teach any subject.

Until now, students of the second-level professional higher education study program were granted scholarships of up to 280 euros per month.

At the same time, taking into account that the students work in educational institutions during their studies, the size of their scholarships should be the same as the scholarships of teachers of priority fields in bachelor’s programs, or 300 euros per month, the ministry is convinced.

Universities will have to create a scholarship fund, including providing funding for the provision of scholarships for those studying in the study program in accordance with the amount determined in the agreement concluded between the university and the ministry on the preparation of certain specialists.

In order to promote support during studies, the government decided at the beginning of September to award a scholarship of 300 euros to 485 students of the thematic field “Teacher education and educational science” of the program group “Teacher education”.

The scholarship is primarily intended for students who are studying in one of the teacher preparation study programs in the following fields of study: natural sciences, technology and mathematics, EEA languages, special education.

If the funding for these scholarships is still available to the teachers of these priority subjects after the scholarships have been awarded, future teachers of other subjects will also be able to receive it in a competition based on success.