Misunderstanding over pupil numbers leaves Bārbele primary school without teacher salary funding
Bārbele Primary School has been left without state funding for teachers' salaries after the first month of the school year, as it has only 17 pupils while the new funding model requires at least 45. The school's management says it misunderstood the Education Ministry's criteria.
After the first month of the new school year, Bārbele Primary School has no state funding to pay its teachers for the work they have done. The reason is that the school's management misunderstood the new school funding model and its criteria.
The government approved the new funding arrangement back in April, and the Education Ministry informed the school's leadership about the changes more than once. Despite this, the institution interpreted the criteria incorrectly.
Pupil numbers fall short
Under the new model, a school must have at least 45 pupils to qualify for state funding. Bārbele Primary School, which is a private educational institution, currently has only 17 pupils — far below the required threshold.
Because the required number of pupils has not been reached, the school has not received funding, and its management currently has no clear solution for how to pay teachers for the work carried out in September.
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