Critics of education reform whine too much - Sadurskis

RIGA - Critics of the Education and Science Ministry's suggestion to lower the school age to six whine a little too much, and this also concerns Latvian Trade Union of Education and Science Employees, which insists that teachers are not prepared for such a reform, Education and Science Minister Karlis Sadurskis (Unity) told Latvian Television today.

Sadurskis pointed out that the trade union was making teachers "to look dumber than they actually are", and said he was confident that teachers were up for the task.

All in all, Sadurskis is optimistic about the reform that the government will be reviewing next week. The legislation could reach Saeima at the beginning of April. Not all coalition partners are experts on education, but Sadurskis thinks that he has succeeded at convincing them to support the reform.

The coalition partners overall agree that young people should graduate from school at the age of 18, but discussions are continuing about whether children should start going to school at the age of seven or six.