28 Previously Convicted Individuals Allowed to Teach in Latvia Last Year
Last year, Latvia's education quality authority reviewed 31 applications from previously convicted individuals seeking teaching positions and granted permission to 28. Three were denied, and no restrictions were placed on the types of student groups the approved teachers may work with.
Last year, the Education Quality State Service (IKVD) committee responsible for assessing individuals received 31 requests from people with criminal records who wanted to become educators. The committee approved 28 of these requests and rejected three. According to the service, none of the issued permits contained restrictions on which student groups the teachers are allowed to work with.
The assessments are carried out under the Education Law and regulations adopted by the Cabinet of Ministers. The law generally prohibits people convicted of intentional crimes from working as teachers. The only exception is when the criminal record has been cleared or removed and the IKVD has determined that the person's employment would not harm students' interests.
When evaluating possible risks, the committee looks at the type and nature of the crime, the applicant's attitude toward it, how much time has passed since the offence, and what the person has done in that time. It also considers potential threats to students' health, safety, intellectual and physical development, as well as the candidate's ability to perform general teaching duties.
In addition to handling individual applications, the IKVD last year continued to advise school principals and teachers about the assessment procedure. The service also ran personnel checks in the Ministry of the Interior's punishment register before schools were accredited and before school principals underwent professional performance evaluation.
