Some Latvian Schools Still Short of Teachers Days Before New School Year
Just days before the new school year, several Latvian schools are still looking for teachers and support specialists, meaning some may start classes with an incomplete schedule. School leaders say both subject teachers and special education staff are lacking.
With the new school year about to begin, a number of Latvian schools still have unfilled teaching positions. Vacancies exist not only for subject teachers but also for special education teachers and other support specialists, according to data compiled by the State Employment Agency (NVA) as of August 31.
One such school is Biķernieki Primary School in Augšdaugava municipality, which had six open teaching vacancies listed in the NVA data. Principal Aleksejs Mackevičs explains that due to the staff shortage, duties will have to be divided among current employees. The most difficult situation involves support specialists — the school wants to provide students with the services they need, but there simply aren't enough people available to deliver them. As a result, the school will struggle to fully meet the requirements set out in Cabinet of Ministers regulations.
Still, the principal stresses this does not mean classes will stop. On September 1, the school will operate by distributing existing workload among current staff while continuing to search for new hires.
Competition for staff
Even when a vacancy is posted, that doesn't guarantee a school will find a suitable candidate. Ieva Gūtmane, deputy director for studies at the Riga State Technical School of Commerce, says teachers often weigh multiple job offers at once, comparing workload, pay and other conditions. This means schools are effectively competing with one another for available specialists, further complicating the situation.
