She mentioned that the shortage of teachers in schools was an urgent issue, stressing that any reform would not be successful without the people implementing it.
–
At a press conference, Minister of Education and Science Ilga Šuplinska (JKP) pointed out that according to local government data, there are 474 vacancies in Latvian schools in the second half of September, but there is a greater demand for part-time rather than full-time teachers, such as ten lessons in a specific subject.
–
Vladova mentioned that the fact that Šuplinska indicates empty teacher vacancies as part-time, thus seemingly making the situation less dramatic, shows that either the vacancy records were prepared incorrectly or intentionally, but Vladova did not want to believe in the latter option.
–
She said that if the teacher has 16 contact hours, there are still consultations, correction of work, upbringing of the class, methodical work and other responsibilities, as a result of which the required 30-hour rate is reached. At the Šuplinska event, he objected to this statement made by Vladova, emphasizing that even in Riga as a whole, the average teacher’s work rate in all subjects is 23 hours.
–
Vladova explained that her data are not including, for example, home economics or visual arts teacher rates, but the figure mentioned by the Minister includes the employment rate of these professions.
–
Vladova also mentioned that often in positions with 22 to 25 contact hours, together with international projects, parents’ meetings and methodological, the teacher’s working day lasts about 10-12 hours, and then teachers burn out quickly and face various health problems.
–
To change the existing system, Vladova offered to prepare positive stories about the teaching profession, about its success stories on the educational channel “Your Class”, and to publish them in all media.
–
She also proposed the introduction of a system whereby students in pedagogical programs studying in budget places must enter into contracts committing themselves to work at the school for at least three to five years after graduation or otherwise reimburse the state for tuition fees.
–
Vladova also pointed out that the closure of schools will not solve the problem of missing teachers.
–
It has already been reported that the problems related to the shortage of teachers are more directly affecting general education schools, Šuplinska said at a press conference. She said that the teacher rate is 30 hours, but very few schools offer such a rate. Most often in vacancies offering part-time work. There are several reasons for this.
–
“It is clear that the rate for a visual arts or geography teacher in one school may not be due to the number of students. There are also many secondary schools in Riga with 36 to 60 students. From the aspect of school networking, 36 is a border that does not allow secondary schools in the regions,” .
–
She stressed that such schools “do not pay and cannot provide quality”. On the other hand, the second thing that the Ministry of Education and Science has found out is that most of the time there is a lack of science and language teachers.
–
Continuing with the workloads, the Minister emphasized that approximately 30% of the currently working teachers work 0.5 and 0.7 workloads. According to her, the system itself should be able to find a resource for teachers, adding that local governments should also think about the school network.
–
Šuplinska also emphasized the age structure of teachers, pointing out that last year, speaking with all Latvian municipalities, most of them said that they would feel the shortage of teachers in five years. She reminded that statistical data show that half of Latvian teachers are 50 and older.
–
She also mentioned that around 2,458 teachers obtain a teacher’s diploma every year. According to her, if this large number of school leavers does not address the shortage of teachers, it is necessary to address the development trends that exist in higher education, emphasizing exactly the programs they offer.
–
The politician stressed that there are different ways for teachers to enter schools. The “Teachers” project, implemented by the Mission Possible Foundation together with several universities, various short-cycle programs for professional development, as well as a 72-hour course for teachers to become a teacher in another subject.
–
Explaining about remuneration, the Minister stated that according to the charging data, when collecting data from all schools in the 2019/2020 school year, the average teacher rate was 23.66 hours. The average salary for this is 702 euros. If the teacher works the intended rate for 30 hours, then the average salary is 891 euros. On the other hand, if the teacher works 40 hours, then the average salary is 1188 euros.
— .
