Results of audit

1. Results of audit “Implementation of secondary and vocational education system in compliance with the set objectives” Ieva Braumfelde Director of Audit Department State Audit Office of the Republic of Latvia 13 k-5 Skanstes Street, Riga, LV-1013 Telephone: +371 67017500 Fax: +371 67017673 E-mail: lrvk@lrvk.gov.lv Home page: http://www.lrvk.gov.lv 05.09.2008.

2. Contents • Audits in the field of education • Objective of audits • Organization of education system • Scope of audits • Key findings • Audit recommendations

3. Two audits in the field of education • Implementation of Vocational Education System in Compliance with the Set Objectives completed in March 2008 • Implementation of General Education System completed in December 2007

4. Why?

5. Objective of audits (1) To gain assurance that education system achieves the objectives set in Education Law: to ensure that every resident of Latvia has the opportunity to develop his/her mental and physical potential in order to become an independent and a fully developed individual, a member of the democratic State and society of Latvia

6. Objective of audits (2) To gain assurance that education system achieves the objectives set in General Education Law: to create an environment for the development of a creative and comprehensively educated individual, as well as to create an environment for the uninterrupted continuation of the education of pupils, for the acquisition of a profession, and for an independent orientation in public and State life

7. Organization of general education system

8. Organization of vocational education system

9. Scope of audits (1) • Organization and management of education system • Funding of education system • Planning, qualification and work remuneration system of teaching staff • Content and quality of education system

10. Scope of audits (2) Audit on general education system: • Ministry of Education and Science (MES) and 3 subordinated institutions • 9 district local governments and 31 town (parish, region) local governments • 17 education boards • 35 general education schools • Interviews with sector experts • Questionnaire survey involving 329 teachers and 828 students

11. Scope of audits (3) Audit on vocational education system: • MES and 2 subordinated institutions • 15 subordinated vocational education schools • 1 vocational education school, where the MES is capital shareholder • Questionnaire survey sent to the State Employment Service, Employers’ Confederation of Latvia, and 5 industry associations

12. Key findings • Operation of education system in compliance with the requirements of regulatory enactments is not provided • Substantial deficiencies were disclosed regarding operation of education system • As a result – education objectives may not be achieved

13. Organization and management of education system (1) • Organization and operation of education system does not ensure achievement of set objectives to planned extent and quality: • Performance indicators are not aimed at achievement of objectives • Implementation deadlines for the objectives are not established • Specific objectives stipulated by policy documents are not included in the Strategy of MES

14. Organization and management of education system (2) • Several tasks specified within the regulatory enactments were not carried out • Objective and comprehensive assessment of the quality of education has not been ensured: • Lack of quality assessment strategy • Non-quality evaluation and licensing of education programmes • Standards for several types of vocational education programmes are not developed

15. Organization and management of education system (3) • Standards of professions are not developed for all vocational qualifications • Planning of vocational school long term development is not performed • Insufficient control at vocational schools over planning, collecting and utilization of State budget funds and legal use of real estate property

16. Planning, qualification and work remuneration system of teaching staff (1) • Planning of the required number of teaching staff is not carried out • Evaluation of teachers’ professional qualification has not been performed • Register for vocational school teaching staff has not been developed • Information in the Register for general education teaching staff is inaccurate

17. Planning, qualification and work remuneration system of teaching staff (2) • Remuneration does not reflect actual teacher’s work volume • Determination of work remuneration is not transparent • Remuneration for overtime working hours is not defined

18. Planning, qualification and work remuneration system of teaching staff (3) • Information on teachers training needs is not aggregated • Insufficient financing for further education for vocational education teaching staff (1 lat per teacher per year)

19. Content and quality of education system (1) General education: • Assurance was not gained that mandatory content of general education is based on scientifically justified approach • No particular account taken of the age periods of children, particularly those with special needs • General skills and knowledge are included as basic requirements for study subjects, but do not address the social awareness of pupils

20. Content and quality of education system (2) • Large amount of study content included in a single study subject • Insufficient time for strengthening and revision of knowledge • Lack of modern learning aids and creative teaching methods • Lack of specified and uniform procedure for evaluating study achievements

21. Content and quality of education system (3) • Learning aids necessary for implementation of education standards are not specified • Lack of uniform procedure for learning aids approbation • Rights to free of charge education are not ensured: • State financing is sufficient for 1 textbook per student per year • Students buy or rent textbooks from schools

22. Content and quality of education system (4) Vocational education: • Development and publication of learning aids in accordance with vocational educational programmes is not organised • Development and approval of model educational programmes is not provided

23. Content and quality of education system (5) • Vocational education programmes do not provide their students and students of general education programmes with equal possibilities to continue education at a higher level • Within the framework of licensed vocational education programmes, equal qualification level may be achieved by attending 6 fold fewer the number of course hours

24. Content and quality of education system (6) • Equal opportunities for obtaining vocational education are not provided: • Financing for purchase of books and periodicals differs 7 fold • Funding regulations (minimum costs) are not being met by all schools • Learning aids’ purchase costs per student differ 26 fold • Outdated learning aids are used for obtaining profession skills

25. Funding of education system (1) • Financing is not transparent: • Impossible to trace the amount of the allocated financing in accordance with specified objectives • Unified principles by which local governments provide funding for schools and control rational utilisation of funds are not established • Information on education programmes’ implementation costs is not aggregated

26. Funding of education system (2) • Lack of procedure for allocation of funding for vocational schools • Lack of updated information regarding necessary financing for implementation of particular education programmes in accordance with the existing situation • Funding for specific objectives is not being allocated

27. Funding of education system (3) • Non-certified vocational education programmes are financed • Minimum costs for implementation of vocational education programmes is not being ensured • All study aids necessary for implementation of education programmes are not provided • Written-off and not recorded learning aids are used in teaching process

28. Audit recommendations • Towards improving the education system and respective internal and external regulatory enactments, in order to prevent fragmented implementation of education system and facilitate improvement of education quality • 39 recommendations for general education • 49 recommendations for vocational education

29. To improve organization and management of education system (1) • To develop implementation plan for the objectives set in policy documents • To harmonize the policy documents with the Strategy of MES • To establish overall uniform performance indicators aimed at achieving objectives • To improve Registers so that their data can be used in development and implementation of education policy

30. To improve organization and management of education system (2) • To establish planning mechanisms for long-term development of vocational schools and the number of State funded students in certified vocational education programmes

31. To improve planning, qualification and work remuneration system of teaching staff (1) • To improve the work remuneration system of teaching staff: • Establish single procedure for accounting of working hours • Ensure accounting and remuneration of overtime working hours • Review working hours and duties to be handled by the teachers

32. To improve planning, qualification and work remuneration system of teaching staff (2) • To assess necessity for planning the number of teaching staff required in the country • To develop guidelines for planning of the improvement of professional skills of vocational education teachers and organization of further education courses

33. To improve content and quality of education system (1) • To improve education standards and their development process, anticipating their development based on the scientific research through involvement of sector experts and practitioners • To specify in regulatory enactments target groups that require teaching according to their specific needs

34. To improve content and quality of education system (2) • To determine skills and knowledge to be acquired at each grade, specifying clear borderlines • To determine learning aids necessary for implementation of education standards • To ensure development, approval and provision of learning aids for vocational schools

35. To improve funding of education system (1) • To restructure MES budget programmes in order to provide clear distribution of funding among respective types of education • In cooperation with local governments: • To establish unified principles by which local governments provide funding for schools and control rational utilisation of funds • To agree on sufficient local governments’ contribution to ensure learning process • Review minimum cost of general education implementation per student per year

36. To improve funding of education system (2) • To ensure students’ rights to receive education free of charge by providing learning aids for quality learning of study subjects • To establish single approach to utilization of own resources of schools • To determine unified and traceable procedure for planning of financing for vocational education

37. To improve funding of education system (3) • To estimate the necessary financing for implementation of particular vocational education programmes in accordance with the existing situation • To ensure that vocational schools are provided with all the learning aids necessary for implementation of respective vocational education programmes • To ensure equality in awarding increased scholarships at vocational schools

38. Further activities of SAO • Monitoring of implementation of recommendations, inter alia in cooperation with Parliament Committees: • Public Expenditure and Audit Committee • Education, Culture and Science Committee • Follow-up audit planned in 2010

39. Thank you for attention! The State Audit Officeof the Republic of LatviaPhone: +371 7017500Fax: +371 7017673E-mail: lrvk@lrvk.gov.lv