Ádaži council rejects winning candidate for new kindergarten post

Ádaži Municipality Council deputies have refused to appoint Sniedze Brakovska, the winner of a competition to lead a new kindergarten in Podnieki, LSM reported. Brakovska has filed complaints with the Ombudsman and the State Labour Inspectorate.

The Ministry responsible for municipalities said that winning a competition does not automatically guarantee an appointment, but deputies must be able to justify their vote.

Brakovska said she was disappointed because she had expected the competition to assess her professional qualifications rather than her current or former political affiliation. She said she had wanted to work in her municipality and help establish the new educational institution.

Brakovska previously led the private preschool Patnis for four years. She has higher education in preschool pedagogy and communications, a master’s degree in institution management, and is continuing master’s studies in education sciences.

She scored more than 200 points in the municipality’s competition, at least 50 points ahead of the other candidates. The competition commission unanimously voted to recommend her for appointment.

However, most council deputies abstained from supporting her appointment, while Jānis Leja of Latvia First voted against it. No explanation was given during the council meeting.

Leja later told Latvian Radio that Brakovska had a poor reputation that the competition evaluators had not taken into account. He referred to two alleged cases involving violence against children at the private preschool Patnis and said there were other matters he did not want to disclose.

Brakovska rejects the deputies’ allegations and believes her previous political activity was the reason for the decision. A new competition for the kindergarten director’s position has been announced.