Silina's remarks about small rural schools have caused confusion - Greens/Farmers

RIGA - Prime Minister Evika Silina's (New Unity) statements after the government meeting have caused confusion because they contradict the compromises reached so far, as a result of which the Latvian education system would be strengthened, Harijs Rokpelnis, head of the Saeima faction of the Union of Green and Farmers, told LETA, commenting on Silina's statement that Greens/Farmers was spreading myths about closing small rural schools.

Rokpelnis said that he understood that the past weeks had been busy for all those involved in the budget process, taking care of Latvia's security and defense and in coordinating international cooperation.

The politician explained that on Monday, when representatives of the parties forming the coalition met, they discussed the current situation regarding the planned changes in the financing of schools and confirmed that additional funds would be allocated to the model to finance rural schools, which Greens/Farmers insisted on.

Rokpelnis reminded that the party's objectives regarding the improvement of the quality of education and support for schools in rural areas of Latvia remain unchanged.

The MP pointed out that the party approaches the issue of school funding with great responsibility. On the initiative of Greens/Farmers, meetings have been held between representatives of local authorities and government parties to improve understanding of the educational needs of the regions.

The politician explained that in cooperation with the former education and science minister Anda Caksa (New Unity) and the current Education and Science Minister Dace Melbarde (New Unity), an agreement was reached on school access criteria and transitional funding for secondary schools that do not meet pupil population requirements. Although the Education and Science Ministry has not budgeted for full funding, the issue has not yet been discussed in the coalition. Greens/Farmers believes that education is not an area where austerity measures should be applied.

As reported, Prime Minister Evika Silina (New Unity) said following a government meeting on Monday that the longer the Union of Greens and Farmers propagates myths about the closure of small rural schools the worse for the schools themselves.

She underlined that the new school funding model, Program at School, provides clear criteria. The previous school funding model, Monday Follows the Student, led to very low wages for teachers and a shortage of teaching staff, the prime minister said.

"The sooner we say what the conditions will be in the future, the sooner it will be clear to the children and parents whether the particular school will be financed or not," the prime minister said.

She asked rhetorically whether the politicians who insist on keeping rural schools open, when in reality they cannot provide teachers, will be able to look children in the eye when in five to ten years they will prove unable to find a job or enroll at university, acknowledging that they were the ones who prevented decisions being taken to enable the children to be competitive.

"I want us to adopt clear conditions that municipalities have to meet in order for such schools to exist and have a full funding model," said Silina.

As reported, the new funding model for Latvia's high schools is being phased in from the current school year, primarily providing funding to support staff. The government has agreed to fully introduce the new funding model from September 2026.

To improve the distribution and efficiency of education funding, this year Latvia has started to gradually introduce a new school funding model called Program at School. The reform provides for funding to be allocated on the basis of the type of school program, class size and the number of students enrolled. However, local authorities will be responsible for co-financing schools that do not meet the criteria set by the government.