On 16 June 2021, the Saeima, in its final reading, supported amendments to the Law on Higher Education Institutions drafted by the Ministry of Education and Science, providing for the award of state-funded scholarships to young people from large families studying at Latvian higher education institutions.
This is considered a historic event, as for the first time since the restoration of independence, a new scholarship fund based on social criteria will be introduced.
The scholarships are planned to be paid to young people who begin their studies in the autumn semester of 2021 at the undergraduate level—in full-time, on-site college and bachelor's degree programmes. Undergraduate studies are the first prerequisite for a successful start in the labour market; without them, it is impossible to apply for a highly qualified job, while further achievements depend to a large extent on one's own initiative and abilities.
Young people from large families up to the age of 25 will be eligible to apply for the social scholarship, including those studying at state and private higher education institutions and colleges, in both state-funded and tuition-paying places.
Several conditions have also been established for receiving the scholarship. Thus, upon admission to a higher education institution, the results of the centralised examinations (CE) in mathematics and Latvian may not be lower than the national average in the year the examination is taken (if the CE has not been taken, the grade on the certificate of general secondary education must be at least 6.7). During the course of studies, the student's weighted average grade must be 6.5 or higher; the student must be passing and have no academic debts.
To introduce the social scholarship, the Ministry must prepare amendments to the Law on Higher Education Institutions, as well as to the Cabinet of Ministers regulations on scholarships, establishing the amount of the social scholarship, the criteria for awarding it and the administrative procedures. The Ministry will also have to develop the necessary functionality in the State Education Information System to ensure data exchange and create data-exchange solutions with other data registers.
Author:
Ministry of Education and Science
izm.gov.lv
