School enrolment in Latvia to fall by a third by 2040 - EC report

RIGA - The number of schoolchildren in Latvia will fall by 32 percent by 2040, according to the European Commission's Education and Training Scoreboard 2023, based on projections by Eurostat, the European statistics office.

The report also highlights the ageing of teachers in Latvia as a concern. Over the next decade, it could be difficult to provide enough teachers if new teachers are not attracted to the profession, with 37 percent of Latvia's teachers approaching retirement age. This is also a problem in other parts of the European Union (EU).

According to the report, 38 percent of Latvian teachers are considering leaving teaching in the next five years. Of these, 26 percent are under 50, which is higher than the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) average of 14 percent. While 23.3 percent of Latvian teachers feel that their profession is valued by society, only 65.4 percent would choose it a second time.

Income stability and job security are listed as strong influencing factors in the choice of a teaching profession. However, despite steady improvements, low statutory pay and a heavy workload make the teaching profession relatively unattractive, the report found.

Since 2016, when a new teacher pay model was adopted, teachers' salaries in Latvia have increased by 59 percent by 2021, but they are still below the international average, the report says.

The legislation sets a minimum salary level for teachers, but no higher levels, but salaries cannot exceed the lowest rate by more than 50 percent. School leaders are free to decide on most allowances and salary supplements, such as bonuses and payment for overtime and extracurricular activities, which can reach 50 percent of a teacher's base salary. As a result, some teachers work on average 46 percent more than the 30 hours per week required by law.