The second year of Enefit's "Iespējamā misija: Save STEM" kicks off

Hip-hop artist Fiņķis stops just a few steps before the finish line of his first marathon to draw attention to problems in Latvia's education system. With this symbolic gesture, he points out that one in five students in Latvia does not complete their education. With this step, Enefit, together with "Iespējamā misija" (Mission Possible), is launching the second year of the STEM teacher recruitment project "Enefit's Iespējamā misija: Save STEM."

On May 18, the Riga Marathon took place, where rapper Helvijs Fiņķis also started his first 42 km run. For several months, he shared his preparation process on social media and inspired his followers to be active and overcome challenges. However, on the day of the marathon, he unexpectedly stopped just before the finish line. He held up a sign with the message: "School is a marathon that one in five students never finishes," symbolically reflecting how many young people in Latvia do not complete their "education marathon."

"This was my first marathon. I was ready to run it to the end, but I chose to stop to draw attention to the fact that, like me, thousands of students in Latvia will not cross their finish line – graduation. The path to education is like a marathon – it takes time, endurance and perseverance, and along the way you often have to overcome doubts, fatigue and the desire to give up. That is why support is so important – from family, friends, teachers or simply someone who tells you that you can do it," says Helvijs Fiņķis.

Statistics reveal a worrying reality – only one in four students in Latvia is able to pass the 60% threshold in the 12th grade mathematics exam, while around 2,700 young people in 2024 did not even reach the minimum 15%. The picture is similar in other STEM subjects – for example, of those who chose to take additional exams, only 1% passed physics with a score above 60%, programming – 1.27%, computer science – 0.59%, and biology – 4.66%. This is a sign that the system is failing to adequately prepare and support students. And yet politicians are discussing raising requirements, risking a further increase in the number of young people who do not finish school.

"With this campaign, we wanted to highlight a problem we see in schools – students try hard, but often they don't have teachers who can motivate, inspire and help them reach the finish line. That is why "Iespējamā misija" is working to train such teachers, especially in STEM subjects, where students need the most support," says Ramona Urtāne, chair of the board of "Iespējamā misija".

For 17 years, the Iespējamā misija foundation has been training new teachers, with a particular focus in recent years on STEM subjects to help address the lack of motivation and support among students. Applications are now being accepted for the leadership development program "Enefit Iespējamā misija: Save STEM," which aims to train more than 150 enthusiastic and highly motivated teachers over three years who can support students in their "marathon."

More information and the application form are available at: www.skolasmaratons.lv/