Latvia scrambles to find and train foreign language teachers / Article

Russian remains the foreign language most often chosen as a second language. In addition, some schools offer no languages other than English and Russian. However, from 1 September 2026, schools will no longer be allowed to offer Russian as a second foreign language. Only pupils who have started learning this language before will be able to continue with it. This means that the demand for Russian teachers will fall sharply and the need for teachers of other, previously less commonly taught foreign languages will increase.

It is not possible to train that many new foreign language teachers in such a short time: even if there were enough students, prospective teachers would not get their diplomas in time as studies take four years. Silvija Amatniece (New Unity), Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Education and Science, said that it should be noted that those who have not yet completed their studies often work in schools.

“It is very specific in our country that as soon as a student is enrolled, schools, so to speak, grab these young future teachers like hotcakes and invite them to come and work in their schools,” Amatniece explains.

Amatniece does not say whether it will be possible to provide all the teachers needed but admits that they have to work under pressure and that the ministry is looking for different solutions.

Data on university enrolments show that the majority of students enrolled in language teacher education programs are prospective English teachers: there are more than 100 of them, 20 potential English and German teachers are also enrolled, but universities do not currently prepare teachers of other foreign languages. However, linguistics and translation students are also offered education courses so that they too can work in schools.

The Ministry has also allocated around €130,000 for the professional development of teachers, which will allow a total of around 230 teachers to acquire new qualifications. This is expected to lead to nearly 60 teachers becoming qualified to teach a second foreign language: 34 will become German teachers, 21 Spanish teachers, and 14 French teachers. Russian teachers have also been offered retraining.

Goethe-Institut trains potential German teachers

The Goethe-Institut and the Institut français de Lettonie are also contributing funds and efforts to help Latvian schools find foreign language teachers. They have set up special programs to train teachers already working in schools to teach German and French as a second foreign language.

The Goethe Institute’s further training program has attracted so much interest from teachers that it has not been possible to accommodate everyone.

Jan Sprenger, head of the language department at the Goethe-Institut in Riga, told Latvian Radio that 35 applicants had applied, but only 20 could be admitted. The plan is to train teachers in such a way that they will be able to train other German teachers themselves.

Representatives of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Goethe-Institut in Riga told Latvian Radio that the training capacity could be increased if the Latvian state were involved in financing the training program.

Teacher training at the Goethe-Institut is funded by the German Foreign Ministry. The German Embassy and the Goethe-Institut would not disclose the exact amount invested in teacher training. However, it is known to be several hundred thousand euros. The Latvian side is not funding the training program, at least for the time being. If there is enough money, the Goethe-Institut intends to continue the training program for three years.

French Institute

Mathieu Leporini, director of the French Institute in Latvia (Institut français de Lettonie), tells Latvian Radio that the institute also trains teachers already working in schools so that they can become eligible to teach French as a second foreign language. The first two such groups started training in September. One group consists of 12 teachers who already have a B2 level of French, while the second group consists of the same number of teachers with a weaker knowledge of French.

“It is very important that we train teachers using modern education methods, offering also modern education modules, for example on artificial intelligence, so that teachers are prepared for the challenges that await our society today and tomorrow,” explains Leporini.

Teachers study remotely twice a week for two hours. This learning format has been chosen to make them accessible to teachers from all over the country. The training is paid for by the French State, with funding for the next three years. Leporini also did not specify the costs and hopes for Latvian co-financing in the future.

The French Institute has already started training people who in turn will train French teachers, and is also offering teachers from France to schools. 

In the meantime, the Ministry continues to seek other partners for training foreign language teachers, meeting both embassies and representatives of various institutes. It is known that there is a relatively large interest in learning Spanish in Latvia.

Tell us about a mistake