Improving civic and citizenship education in Latvia

Abstract

The chapter characterizes citizenship education in Latvia within the national education system and on the level of public interest and involvement. The article particularly focuses on a large school education reform carried out in Latvia since 1991. The chapter concludes with recommendations for further research in the field of citizenship education in Latvia, as well as for policymakers. As regards possible policy changes, the author suggests raising civic competence, and replacing the sometime exaggerated manifestations of patriotism with awareness about security issues, individual and democratic values, and the sense of belonging at different levels. In addition, an aim should be to enhance the ability to critically assess political and economic developments.