"It’s more complicated with living people": why teachers are leaving schools in Latvia

Photo: LETA

Theoretically, there are enough teachers in Latvia. However, the problem lies in retaining them in the profession, stated Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Science (MoES) Lana Franceska Dreimane in the Saeima.

Although the number of students and graduates from pedagogical programs indicates "overproduction", many young educators are leaving the profession or considering doing so in the first five years after graduation.

According to a representative of the ministry, various support mechanisms are being implemented. However, as Dreimane noted, "it’s more complicated with living people", so the main task now is to retain those who have already entered the profession so that they remain in schools.

"It’s not that they don’t finish their studies at universities or don’t go to work in schools. The question is what happens next," said Dreimane.

Could it be that young teachers are poorly trained in Latvian universities? Linda Daniela, the dean of the Faculty of Pedagogical Sciences and Psychology at the University of Latvia, assures that the existing requirements are quite high — only those with a score of at least seven in the relevant subject can apply for pedagogical programs. Nevertheless, she cautiously acknowledged that there is still work to be done to retain the best students.

The importance of psychological support and opportunities for professional growth was also emphasized at the Riga Technical University, under whose auspices the Liepaja Academy, which implements pedagogical programs, operates. University representatives also highlighted the importance of budget places for part-time studies.

As previously reported, according to the results of the international study of the educational environment "Talis 2024", half — 53% — of young teachers in Latvia may leave the profession within the next five years. This is the highest rate among OECD countries.

The study results also show that the generational change in the teaching profession is happening slowly. In Latvia, 62% of educators have more than 20 years of teaching experience. Most of them are of pre-retirement age or will soon retire.

Young teachers — with up to five years of experience — make up only 13%. They are most numerous in schools in large cities — 17%, and least numerous in rural schools, where their share is 12%.

As reported by bb.lv, recently, two dozen educators and one principal have resigned from a single school in Riga.