Study “Ukrainian civilians in Latvian education system: practice and challenges”

The aim of the study is to analyze the integration practices of Ukrainian civilians children in Latvia's education system - how successfully Ukrainian kids are included in the education system - and to develop policy recommendations.

Main findings of the study include:

Situation & institutional framework:

According to the data from the Ministry of Education and Science, 3687 Ukrainian children (preschool + grades 1-12) are in Latvian general education system, by October 7, 2025.
It is estimated that approximately one third of Ukrainian children of compulsory school age might be outside the Latvian education system (i.e. learning in Ukrainian system remotely), but the data on the number of school-aged children differ between institutions involved.
In practice schools are in the center of inclusion of Ukrainian children – admission, assessments, individual learning plans, assessment of support needs are done by schools. Municipalities and other institutions play various consultative roles, their involvement is fragmented; main burden falls on schools.
Municipalities report resource constraints: the greatest deficits are reported in support staff, teachers of Latvian language and expertise in working with children of migration background.

Inclusion and Access

Because it is not compulsory for Ukrainian children to attend Latvian-registered school, there are children, who are essentially invisible to the system.
When parents choose a school in Latvia, the dominant factor is distance from home, not support programs, municipal advice or referral. The municipal involvement appears modest.
Some children are enrolled in Ukrainian-led NGOs that provide educational support or online Ukrainian schooling, rather than Latvian schools, due to language barrier, poor prior experience in Latvian schools (bullying, inadequate adaptation), stress of dual schooling, or desire to continue education in their mother tongue.
Language barrier is identified as the central challenge: insufficient Latvian-language proficiency among Ukrainian children impedes subject-learning, communication with teachers and overall integration. This is indicated by schools and municipalities.
Coordination between institutions is weak: the system lacks consistent monitoring and evaluation of inclusion support.

Resources & Support Mechanisms

State budget support is in place for Ukrainian children: e.g. free lunches in grades 1-4; teaching assistant services in schools; non-formal education/Latvian language learning; per-pupil allocations, additional financial support for teachers working with Ukrainian children, etc.
But the report finds, that availability of resources does not automatically translate into adequate usage. E.g., municipalities report that while funds exist for non-formal language learning, only ~25% of the available budget was accessed in 2024 by some municipalities.
Support staffing remains limited: short-term funding mechanisms from the state budget prevents schools from planning resource allocation for integration in the medium and long-term.

Long-term & Systemic Challenges

Because inclusion is largely school-by-school, the process tends to be short-term, reactive and variable: each school “invents the wheel”. This creates extra burden on school staff and limits standardization, as schools try to find ways to support long-term integration measures, by attracting project-based funding and cooperating with integration stakeholders to implement additional support.
The lack of unified data on the inclusion process (e.g. school performance of Ukrainian children, progression, dropout, language levels) limits the ability to evaluate support and adapt policy.
Given the number of Ukrainian children enrolled in the Latvian education system, report highlights the need for sustainable policies, rather than project-based ad-hoc responses. Systems are developed for short-term emergency response that may not be sufficient for long-term integration needs.

Policy Recommendations

Within the framework of the study, an analysis was conducted on the integration of Ukrainian children into the education system, highlighting the main challenges. However, it is important to note that the study’s conclusions and policy recommendations are relevant not only to Ukrainians but also other groups of newcomers.

Strengthening the role of municipalities in integration:

Limited municipal role in integration affects all aspects of integration, including education. With the reception of Ukrainian civilians, the role of municipalities has inevitably expanded, and it is necessary to reinforce it by clarifying their responsibilities within the integration system, including education.

Unified approach to language learning:

Support for learning Latvian is currently provided by various actors. The services need to be coordinated and concentrated within the educational institutions, ensuring broad and continuous access to support. The approach to Latvian language learning should be expanded and planned long-term.

Adapting Existing Educational Integration Resources to School Needs

The report finds that existing educational models for integration are rarely implemented, and there is a lack of data on the implementation process. Schools often cannot implement intensive language-learning models due to limited ability to plan resource allocation in the long term. The integration models should be adjusted to reflect schools’ real needs, emphasizing a long-term, sustainable approach to integration. Unified data collection, monitoring of the inclusion of newcomers in the education system should be monitored and communication with parents should be strengthened.

Introducing and Monitoring Clear, Unified Data-Collection Algorithms

It is necessary to define clear data categories for collection and analysis. Additional attention should be given to data categories, that already exist in national education information system (VIIS). The burden of data collection and analysis should be reduced for schools; they should participate in the process but not serve as the main implementers. Currently, schools self-evaluate how integration is proceeding; this should be complemented by national and municipal level collaboration mechanisms to assess the outcomes, especially in schools with a linguistically diverse environment, focusing on Latvian language proficiency, exam results and other integration-related outcomes.

Adapting Existing Mechanisms to Create Inclusive Environments and Strengthen Cross-Sector Coordination

Existing initiatives, i.e. “School in Community” project, which promotes the development of a municipal ecosystem approach, should incorporate the findings of this study. Particular attention should be given to children who face challenges integrating in the education system – including newcomers and others in linguistically diverse settings. Effective implementation requires collaboration among all integration actors – Society Integration Foundation, NGOs and municipalities – to ensure inclusive and supportive educational environments.

Study “Ukrainian civilians in Latvian education system: practice and challenges” (in Latvian) is available here.

The study was carried out within the project “Successful from First Grade to University: Ukrainian Children in Latvian Schools.” Centre for Public Policy PROVIDUS is responsible for the content of the study.

Projekts "Sekmīgi no pirmās klases līdz augstskolai: ukraiņu bērni Latvijas skolās"