Latvia needs a different pay system for teachers, Prime Minister Evika Silina (New Unity) said Wednesday in an interview on Latvian Television.
According to Silina, it is evident to everyone that the government has been investing sizable resources to raise teachers’ salaries and that there should not be situations where teachers’ salaries are decreasing instead of growing. Still, 2 percent of teachers have seen their salaries reduce, and now it is necessary to figure out how it became possible.
“What the trade union asked for was to balance teachers’ workloads, and I gather there must be some catch. I am not an expert either,” Silina said, adding that it is necessary to analyze why a small number of teachers are now receiving less for their work.
The prime minister implicitly admitted that the current pay system is too complicated and hard to understand and manage.
As reported, the Education and Science Ministry will propose a new school funding model with a clearly defined teacher’s salary in order to put an end to the “tossing of the ball” between local governments and the state, Education and Science Minister Anda Caksa (New Unity) said earlier this month in an interview on TV3 channel.
The minister said that this offer would clearly define the teachers’ salaries and the teachers could not be paid a variable amount. “In my view, a teacher’s salary should be EUR 2,500, this target should be reached within three years,” said Caksa.
She informed that the ministry will propose the aforementioned funding system to the government in its new report and it could come into force from the next school year.
Source: BNS
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