The unified electronic application system introduced this year for 10th grades in capital city gymnasiums and secondary schools has significantly simplified the process for parents; however, it has also caused a side effect—children were registered in several schools at once, while unnecessary applications were not deleted, thereby creating artificial queues, public media reports.
Next year, it is planned to improve the system so that it automatically removes outdated applications.
"As soon as a parent receives a spot based on their first priority application, the system will automatically delete the others. This will speed up the process and make the waiting less complicated," explained Ivars Balamovskis, acting director of the Education, Culture, and Sports Department of the Riga City Council.
There is also a consideration to introduce a limit on the number of applications submitted or the number of specified priorities.
The Ministry of Education and Science is currently also developing rules for student admissions; however, they do not plan to control the admission process itself. Rudolf Kalvans, director of the ministry's education department, noted that secondary education is based on the principle of free competition.
"This means that the state does not intend to limit, for example, the submission of applications based on the declared place of residence of the student or other criteria. This is a matter of selection, and some aspects are already enshrined in legislation," he said.
The ministry also hopes for an improved application submission system that will be unified for the entire country starting from preschool education. Its testing is currently underway, involving 11 municipalities, and a module for kindergartens is planned to be implemented in January next year. Regarding secondary schools, Riga would like to use this system by next summer; however, it is still unknown whether the nationwide system will meet the needs of the capital.
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