After resolving the issue with teachers’ wages the next step is a complete reorganisation of the school network, said Latvia’s Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš in an interview to TV3 programme 900 seconds.
On Tuesday, the 19th of April, Latvia’s government approved the teachers’ pay increase schedule proposed by the Ministry of Education and Science. This schedule provides for setting the lowest hourly rate for all teachers except pre-school education staff at EUR 8.50 starting with the 1st of September 2023.
Kariņš said there will be a meeting of the government held on Friday. This is when the government will approve all necessary Cabinet of Ministers requirements to make the schedule completely clear.
The PM reminded that the government has been working on the teachers’ pay issue since the day it was composed. It was a lengthy and complicated process, the PM said about the changes.
“It is not just an empty promise,” he said, promising teachers’ wages to actually grow.
“The next step is the school network, which needs to be fully reorganised,” said the PM.
As previously reported, the Cabinet of Ministers plans to approve regulations on the schedule for the increase of teachers’ wages on Friday, the 21st of April.
Latvian Trade Union of Education and Science Workers, meanwhile, has plans to organise a protest on the 24th of April, followed by a three-day teachers’ strike.
Also read: Latvian government scrambles to approve teachers pay increase schedule