Vidzeme schools compete for teachers as shortages deepen

Schools in Latvia’s Vidzeme region are trying to fill teacher vacancies by attracting staff from other schools, LSM reported. The shortage is considered critical in Cēsis Municipality, particularly among mathematics, science and foreign-language teachers.

While schools complete final renovations before classes resume in two weeks, their directors are facing one of the busiest periods of the year. Schools are offering social benefits to attract teachers, but filling one vacancy can leave another school without a member of staff.

“We are still looking for a mathematics teacher. We are slowly beginning to fill the vacancies, but it is not a cause for joy because the situation is that when one school gains a teacher, another loses one,” said Zane Riekstiņa, the director of Priekuļi Primary School in Cēsis Municipality.

The school completed renovation work this summer, including improvements to several classrooms and the purchase of new equipment. Riekstiņa showed a newly equipped mathematics classroom with an interactive whiteboard and ergonomic desks, but said the equipment would be of little use without a mathematics teacher.

Riekstiņa took over as director on July 1 and initially found that the school had eight teaching vacancies. To fill them, she approached specialists from various fields and invited them to retrain as teachers. A lawyer has agreed to teach social sciences, while a student will teach history.

The shortage of teachers is expected to become increasingly serious as more educators retire in Latvia over the coming decade. Mathematics currently has the largest number of vacancies.