Within the Commission: the teacher remuneration system should be set as soon as possible BNN

"The teacher compensation system should be put in place as soon as possible, it is not acceptable that the work needed to improve it is planned over a number of years, and we need short-term goals that we could state to improve the situation, "said Kaspars Ģirens, chairman of the Commission, at the meeting of the Saeima commission on public spending and audit.

The Saeima press service reports that on Wednesday, November 28, members of the commission met with representatives of the Court of Accounts, the Ministry of Education and Science (IZM), the Latvian Trade Union of Workers of the Education and science, to review the results of audits carried out by the Court of Auditors on the benefits of teachers' remuneration.

The results of the audit conducted in 32 schools in Latvia and the Ministry of Education and Science show that the system of remuneration of teachers must be simplified, made more understandable and transparent, explained the representatives from the state audit office. It was concluded that none of the schools had fully complied with the rules on teacher remuneration, while the teachers' pay and salary were determined at the discretion of the school management. .

The problems are also found in the school system, consisting of bonuses, cash prizes and bonuses. In addition, it is concluded that 70.8% of the salary of new teachers is only recognized when the new school year begins and they are informed in Parliament.

Based on the results of the audit, the SAO has invited the ministry of the sector to evaluate the possibility of imposing on teachers the standard of 40 hours a week instead of the previous 30 hours and to bring in other changes to reduce the bureaucratic burden of determining working time and remuneration. Teachers should be informed in advance of the amount of expected salaries, as well as additional supervision of the use of national reserved grants. In turn, municipalities are urged to adapt pay regulations in schools and to promote respect for teachers' rights, for example by taking appropriate overtime.

The Saeima Press Service notes that the Ministry of Education and Science has explained to the committee members that various changes related to the teacher compensation system are being implemented regularly and that this work will continue in the future. future, but that problems such as aspects such as the different pressures exerted by teachers will arise. However, board members noted that some of the issues raised during the audit were already being addressed early in the next school year and asked the SC to set realistic, but shorter, timeframes for resolving them.