A survey of Latvia's residents[1] has revealed an interesting trend – 56% of respondents do not plan to study within the coming year. “You might think these results were driven by the older generation. In part that is indeed the case, but it is worth highlighting the trend that interest in studying is greater among people in their thirties than among those in their twenties,” emphasises Darja Nečepurenko, a teacher with 20 years of experience and the founder of an online language school. The higher the position, the level of education, the income and the number of children, the more actively a person wants to study and raise their qualifications.

The most active students are people in their thirties. “I do not plan to study in the near future” – this was the answer chosen by a third (36%) of young people (aged 18–29) and by 34% of people aged 30 to 39. What is more, only 22% of young people plan to continue studying in future (in any form), while among people aged 30–39 the figure is 30%. In other words, 66% of people in their thirties plan to raise their qualifications, making this the most active group of all age groups.

From the age of 40 onwards, interest in raising qualifications, higher education, language learning and any other educational activities falls sharply: while 34% of people in their thirties said they did not plan to study within the coming year, among people in their forties the figure was 53%, among respondents aged 50 it was 62%, and among those over 60 it ranged from 60 to 80%.

But what do young people aged 18 to 29 think? 13% of them plan to enrol at university within the coming year, one in five will attend courses relevant to their professional field, another 9% – courses to change industry, while 11% will study a foreign language.

“People aged 18 to 29 are the most diverse age category, because it includes both recent school leavers and people who have already taken their first steps in a career, received a promotion and started a family. And yet the fact that their interest in studying is lower than among people in their thirties is, in my view, no coincidence, but a significant red flag, and it may be linked, first of all, to a crisis in the education system. University programmes and courses become outdated faster than the modern world develops. Secondly, I connect the low desire to study with a general lack of confidence about the future and young people's uncertainty about which field they would like to work in and what exactly to do,” explains D. Nečepurenko.

The higher the level of education, the stronger the desire to continue studying:

Ø  68% of respondents with a basic education say they do not plan to study in the near future

Ø  56% of those with a secondary education will not study

Ø  Secondary vocational education – 67% will not continue studying in the near future

Ø  Among those with a higher education, 51% will not continue studying. In other words, almost half want to raise their qualifications in one way or another.

The same trend can be seen in terms of careers – the higher the position a person holds, the more they study. “The phrase that comes to mind is: ‘Which came first, the chicken or the egg?’ I think that the senior positions and high incomes of those who study actively throughout their lives are a consequence of their active and regular studying, not the other way round,” Darja emphasises.

The survey revealed that 55% of qualified specialists plan to study within the coming year, and 62% of managers also plan to study. By comparison, unskilled workers answered in 75% of cases that they would not study within the coming year. In the services and retail sector, 73% do not plan to study.

Accordingly, 24% of managers and qualified employees will attend courses relevant to their professional field. A further 17% of managers are not studying at present but plan to do so in the near future.

University education is in deep crisis: only 3% of Latvia's residents plan to enrol at university. 13% of young people plan to enrol within the coming year, among people in their thirties the figure is 3%, and among those aged 40 to 49 it is 1%. And that is all! At the same time, one in ten of Latvia's residents aged 18 to 39 plans to attend courses in order to change their field of occupation. “This once again indirectly confirms the trend that the pace of learning has increased several times over the past ten years and that many are turning away from classical education in favour of courses. Nor should we forget that, as my previous survey revealed,[2] 24% of people aged 18 to 29 want to leave Latvia within the next three years, and they often associate leaving specifically with studying at university,” the expert explains.

By comparison, 15% of Latvia's residents want to attend professional development courses in their field of work within the year. This is the view of one in five young people (21%), 19% of respondents in their thirties and 18% of those in their forties.

6% of those surveyed said they would attend courses in order to change profession; among young people the figure was 9% and among people in their thirties 10%. After that it was 5% (aged 40–49) and 3% (aged 50–59) respectively. On this question there is no difference between the answers of men and women. “For those who want to change their field of occupation or, conversely, to reach a new level within their own industry – for example, by starting an online business – I will be running a free online masterclass in Latvian on 28 October at 19:00. Anyone can watch, but registration is required. It is available at this link: https://forms.gle/nn5CxTfhXtyeGtYN6

One in ten wants to learn a foreign language this year: 7% for their own needs (communication, as a hobby, etc.), 3% for work, and 1% in order to move to another country. 10% of managers are learning a foreign language as a hobby and a further 6% for work purposes, while 8% of qualified specialists are learning languages as a hobby and 4% for work purposes.

Women more often learn languages as a hobby (8% against 6%), while men do so in order to move elsewhere (2% against 1%).

“I have been teaching Norwegian for almost 20 years, ten of them online, I have written the first Norwegian language textbook in Latvian, and throughout that time I have seen that many people only start learning a foreign language after they have moved. That is very stressful, and English alone is not always enough,” adds the founder and head of the online school.

The study data show that people study most actively in Riga (53% plan to study), the Riga district (51%) and Vidzeme (47%). Less active are the residents of Kurzeme – 34%, Zemgale – 37% and Latgale – 35%.

About Daria Pure language school

Daria Pure language school was founded in 2013 in Oslo, Norway. In 2018 the school introduced a fully digital teaching model, offering a wide range of courses and intensive courses for learning Norwegian and English. In 2024 it received official accreditation from the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills. The school employs a team of experienced teachers led by Darja Nečepurenko, author of the bestselling Norwegian textbook "Først i norsk", founder of the school and a teacher with 20 years' experience. Darja gained her higher education in Norway and also holds a diploma in Norwegian culture and language. Lessons are held in Latvian and Russian.