Today, with lesson, conducted for Form 12 of Kegums Commercial Secondary School by the Chair of the Department of Administrative Cases of the Senate Veronika Krumina, one of the events dedicated to 5-years anniversary of administrative courts – lessons of law for Latvian pupils, has been ended.

„On behalf of pupils and teachers we express our gratitude for excellently organised lesson of law and excursion! This is really valuable work in educating the youth that destroys wrong stereotypes about courts. Director of Correspondence Secondary School of Jelgava district I. Sermuksle”, „Thank you very much for the excursion in the Supreme Court! We felt ourselves as awaited guests! We wish you success in further work! On behalf of pupils and teachers, deputy director of Aizupe Basic School Dita Mauraga”, - these are only several of testimonials of schools.

30 schools from all the Latvia submitted applications for lessons in the Supreme Court. In March and April 722 pupils and teachers took participation in lessons, conducted by senators. During these lessons broader understanding about rights in Latvia, the court system, procedure of legal proceedings, profession of judge has been received. Pupils were interested to hear all that from the primary source – judge in vestment in the court room. This was also the reason why these lessons were conducted in the real court room, not in classrooms of schools, so that pupils would additionaly feel the environment and atmosphere of the court.

After lessons pupils had possibility to visit the museum of the Supreme Court and listen to the history of the Senate of Latvia and the Supreme Court, and also get acquainted with Palace of Justice – to see the court room, in which criminal cases have been reviewed, and in historical court room of the Senate, in which sessions of government have been held at present.

In teachers’shoes there stepped the Chair of the Department of Administrative Cases of the Senate Veronika Krumina, senators Andris Gulans, Jautrite Briede, Janis Neimanis, Ilze Skultane, and also the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Ivars Bickovics. So the lessons were varied in means of forms and topics. The programme was adjusted to wishes of concrete schools, for example, course of next secretaries of Ogre Professional Secondary School met the senator Veronika Krumina, the assistant of the senator Kristine Aperane, the Head of Chancery Elina Kristopane had acquainted with work of court secretaries and Chancery of the Supreme Court.

Great number of various questions that pupils asked judges, approved the interest of pupils towards lessons. „Different things are interesting to pupils, and we tried to explain them, so that those lessons would be useful. It was interesting also for us, judges, and we are ready to cooperate with schools further”, says V. Krumina.

In February of this year there were five years, since Administrative Procedure Law came into force and administrative courts, also the Department of Administrative Cases of the Senate of the Supreme Court, were formed. The Department celebrated this anniversary with several events on education of the society – conference „five years of administrative courts and adnimistrative process in Latvia” on March 27, offer of lessons of law to Latvian pupils in March and April, and also lead of cases on administrative law among students of law that will take place in autumn.

Lessons of law, organised within the framework of anniversary of administrative courts, have been ended, but The Supreme Court is open for cooperation with schools also in other time. School or student bodies, who want to visit the Supreme Court on excursion or receive concrete knowledge, are invited to communicate with the Division of communication.

 

Information prepared by

Head of the Division of Communications of the Supreme Court Rasma Zvejniece

E-mail: rasma.zvejniece@at.gov.lv, telephone: 7020396, 28652211