The Brain Suffers! - Ombudsman Against Children Starting School at Dawn

Ombudsman Karina Palkova expressed dissatisfaction at a meeting of the parliamentary commission on human rights and public affairs on Wednesday, stating that no steps had been taken over the past year to ensure that school classes do not start before 8:00 AM.

Currently, Latvian legislation does not set a fixed time for the start and end of classes — only the maximum number of classes per day and week is defined. Neither the Ministry of Education and Science (IZM) nor the Ministry of Health (VM) considers it necessary to amend the regulations. Instead, schools will be offered recommendations in the next academic year that will be "aligned" with the clinical guidelines for sleep diagnosis developed by the Ministry of Health.

"Recommendations as a communication tool can be effective," said Rudolf Kalvans, head of the IZM education department. He pointed out that even a 15-minute change in the start time of classes in one school can create a "domino effect" throughout the municipality — it will affect the schedules of school buses, as well as classes in music, sports, and art schools. According to him, the start time of classes also impacts the daily lives of parents — their morning logistics, commutes to work, and the organization of the educational process.

"This time is not abstract — if it increases somewhere, it decreases somewhere else," the official noted.

However, these arguments did not satisfy the ombudsman. Palkova expressed doubt that the prepared recommendations would actually change the situation, as nothing significant had improved over the past year. Parents continue to contact the ombudsman's office, dissatisfied that in some schools classes start before 8:00 AM, as well as due to the existence of so-called "zero lessons."

Palkova believes that clear regulation at the state level is necessary, where it will be unequivocally defined when classes can start; otherwise, unequal treatment of children's rights persists.

"I find it hard to explain why in one municipality children have to get up at 6:30, while in another they can get up at 7:30. We cannot adjust technical solutions at the expense of children's health and well-being," the ombudsman emphasized, adding that the recommendations are merely advisory.

Chairwoman of the parliamentary commission Leila Rasima believes that enshrining a minimum acceptable start time for classes in regulations is not an excessive demand. In her opinion, the needs of adults should not be a priority in this matter. "If there are children whose parents drop them off earlier, we need to think about how to organize their waiting time, but not force everyone to start earlier. This is part of the answer to why our classes start so early — it is simply more convenient for parents and teachers," the deputy said.

At the commission meeting, a proposal was made to involve the students themselves, especially high school students, in discussing possible solutions. A representative of IZM responded that young people's opinions differ, and they think "a bit more simply and practically." "They look at the daily schedule: if classes start later, they will also end later. Would I, as an adult, want to leave school at five o'clock?" Kalvans explained, adding that young people probably do not consider the long-term negative impact on brain development and other similar aspects.

Kalvans acknowledged that the skepticism of human rights institutions is justified, but called for first assessing the impact of the recommendations before considering the need for legal regulation. The deputies agreed to return to this issue in September.

As previously reported, former ombudsman Juris Jansons called on the government to establish that classes, consultations, and elective courses in schools cannot start before 8:00 AM. His initiative was also supported by doctors from the Children's Clinical University Hospital.