There are plenty of people who want to study in these courses, so there will probably be enough for an additional group, Rus.LSM.lv learned at the Education Development and Methodological Support Center of the Liepāja Education Board.
The idea of such courses arose when the complete transition to teaching in the Latvian language began.
"We understood that help is needed not only for teachers and students, but also for families. Because also in mixed families where one parent is Latvian and the other is a representative of a minority, they often speak the language of the minority. Or a family where both parents are from minorities. It's clear that we also need to work with an older audience. That's how the idea of courses for parents came about. I've already been called and thanked that there is such an opportunity to improve knowledge of the Latvian language," Kristīne Niedre-Lathere, head of Liepāja's Education Board, told Rus.LSM.lv.
The target audience of the courses are parents whose children study in schools in Liepāja, because it is difficult to help a child with homework without knowing the language. The courses will start on October 30, and will be held at Liedaga iela 5 on Mondays and Thursdays from 17.30 to 19.30, right after work. The total duration of the courses is 42 academic hours, they will end on December 14. Applications are accepted until October 27, so if you ae interested in attending you can fill out the form here.
"There will be two groups, we plan to admit 34 people in total. If the demand is very high, we will admit another group, it will be another 15 to 17 people," Renāte Meļķe, head of communication of the Education Board, told Rus.LSM.lv and added that by Wednesday evening 35 applications had already been received.
The Ministry of Education values the initiative highly. By all accounts, Liepāja is the first municipality in Latvia that accepts course participants from such a target group.
"We continue to reserve funds for similar courses in our budget. I think that in general we should cooperate more closely with parents and offer not only language courses, but also, for example, psychology lectures. This is especially relevant in connection with cases of violence. Adults should also be educated, because a lot comes from the family," said Kristine Niedre-Lathere.
