Did you go to Latvian school, happy to meet up with friends, eat pīrāgi and smalkmaizītes and dance the polka together? Or did you go under pressure because you wanted to play sports with your local school friends? Do you think attending school was of any benefit to you later in life? Here is your chance to express your views – anonymously – about the Latvian school system as it was set up when you attended.

A survey has been created by Daina Gross as part of a study of the attitudes of previous generations to their Latvian schooling that will be presented at a conference titled “Latvia Outside Latvia: Culture, History, Emigration and National Identity” organized by the World Federation of Free Latvians (PBLA) which will take place in Riga this October.

The purpose of the survey is to get feedback from Latvians worldwide on their time spent at Latvian school on Saturdays or Sundays back in the 1950s through to the 1990s. Insights into the views of the previous generations will provide valuable information on how to move forward and provide a better quality “Latvian” education to those hundreds of Latvian children who currently live outside Latvia and attend Latvian schools on weekends.

The survey is meant for those Latvians who lived outside Latvia during the trimda years and attended extra-curricular Latvian Saturday/Sunday school. Those who were born and raised outside Latvia, and now live in Latvia are welcome to complete the survey as well.

Survey participants are also encouraged to follow up with an interview at a later date – via email – if they feel they would like to share their views further on a particular aspect of their Latvian schooling.

Click here to complete the survey.

Thank you to all survey participants in advance – your views are valuable to the next generation of Latvians!