84 children started the new school year at Vilce Primary School, 8 of them in Form 1. “Vilce is one of the oldest places in Latvia, where 150 years ago Pauls Kalniņš, my predecessor, Acting President of Latvia during the German occupation, was born and attended school,” President of Latvia Egils Levits said when congratulating the pupils, teachers, school management and gathered parents on the new school year. “This small school has a very warm atmosphere, shaping youngsters into independent and stable beings who will then be able to move forward in life,” President Levits remarked.
A much larger group of schoolchildren greeted the President of Latvia at Ozolnieki Secondary School, where five classrooms are beginning Form 1 in the 2022/2023 school year. “I have to say that this is a very optimistic school and a very optimistic place,” President of Latvia Egils Levits appreciated.
The President acknowledged the work done by Ozolnieki Secondary School, placing a special emphasis on the role of teachers: “Teachers play a strategically important role in modern Latvia. We need the young generation to continue maintaining the state of Latvia. And you are the ones who prepare our youths with the understanding of Latvian values and extensive knowledge about the world at large. This is an extremely difficult, but an extremely important task.”
