After alarming PISA results, Latvia may make reading skills a national priority

The leadership of Latvia's State Education Development Agency has announced that promoting reading literacy should become a national-level priority. The statement came after this week's release of the PISA 2025 test results, which caused significant concern. Agency representatives shared this with Latvian Television's "Panorāma" news program.

A long-term decline

Agency leaders note that the decline in students' reading proficiency is not a sudden development — the negative trend has been visible for several years already. This indicates the problem is not an isolated incident but a systemic issue that has gradually deepened over time.

Lack of a unified approach

One of the main reasons cited by the agency is that, until now, efforts to promote reading in Latvia have largely depended on individual initiative — engagement within families, the personal dedication of certain teachers, and the enthusiasm of various project organizers. A coordinated, nationwide strategy ensuring a consistent approach across the entire education system has been missing.

What a national priority would mean

By elevating reading literacy to a national priority, the agency signals the need for broader, systematic action rather than continued reliance on isolated enthusiasts' efforts. Specific steps and measures to be implemented under this priority have not yet been detailed, but the announcement points to an intention to strengthen the state's role in improving reading skills across the education system as a whole.