People who have declared their place of residence in Rīga, as well as Ukrainian civilians who live in Rīga, can attend the classes free of charge. Courses are available to adults, except for the unemployed.
Every year, the demand for these courses is quite high, especially in the first few days when the application is just announced, but the influx is decreasing later. Courses for the first half of the year are usually full within two or three days, said Irina Vasiļjeva, integration specialist at Riga Neighborhood Population Center.
Courses are conducted both face-to-face and remotely, depending on population demand. Last year, about half of the groups took place remotely.
Language learning is provided at levels A and B, with courses taking place for about two to three months.
People who fail to apply in the first half of the year can do so next half year when courses resume around mid-summer or fall.
“There are very few Ukrainians in these Rīga municipal courses. This is where either residents who have recently come from different European countries are learning, or locals who need to refresh their knowledge. This time, it's also hard to say who the target group will be this year because it's very different. Of course it's not pupils. These are working people who have an interest in learning Latvian or who have an interest in improving their knowledge,“ Vasiļjeva said.
These are not the only courses where you can learn Latvian.
Pēteris Grūbe, head of the Ukrainian refugee center, said Ukrainians arriving in Latvia have many different opportunities to learn Latvian. The courses are organized by the Ukrainian Refugee Centre, the Society Integration Foundation, as well as other institutions, where language learning is mostly free, thus the possibilities are considerably greater than for third-country nationals.
The head of the Ukrainian Refugee Centre also pointed to the observation that Ukrainians completing Latvian language courses in the center are also going to take the state exam, because the desire to learn Latvian and to obtain official certification is also high.
Information on how to apply is available on the neighborhood center website apkaimes.lv in Russian, English and Latvian.
