Given the shortage of teachers in Riga, educators who wish to continue working will not lose their jobs following the planned changes to the municipal preschool education network, Vice Mayor Vilnis \u0136irsis (New Unity) told journalists on Friday.<\/p>\n
\u0136irsis explained that discussions about changes to the education network have been ongoing for some time, and that the main driver is demographic trends. In recent years, the number of newborns declared in Riga has significantly decreased, inevitably affecting the structure of educational institutions.<\/p>\n
He argued that the planned changes will allow resources\u2014including teaching staff\u2014to be used more rationally, as schools and preschools often face staff shortages. \u201cEveryone will benefit,\u201d \u0136irsis said, adding that \u201csaved resources will not be taken out of the system\u201d but instead used to improve working conditions and increase teachers\u2019 salaries.<\/p>\n
He also noted that Riga is not a regional town where closing an institution would require travelling long distances. \u201cAny inconvenience will mean crossing the street, taking public transport one stop further, or walking a few extra minutes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
According to the vice mayor,<\/p>\n
the plan primarily foresees administrative consolidation, such as streamlining documentation systems.<\/p>\n
He suggested that some of the signature-collection campaigns aimed at preserving the current system may be driven by vested interests. \u201cI urge parents not to worry\u2014we will explain and address concerns,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe currently lack teachers\u2014we will find a role for everyone. No one who wants to work will be left without a job,\u201d \u0136irsis emphasised.<\/p>\n
Chair of the Riga City Council\u2019s Education, Culture and Sports Committee, Laima Geikina (New Unity), acknowledged that change is never easy and that public concern is understandable. She stressed that the city\u2019s main goal is to ensure high-quality education. \u201cWe do not want anyone to end up in difficulty\u2014we want to provide quality education,\u201d she said, reiterating that no willing teacher will lose their job.<\/p>\n
Under a decision adopted by the Riga City Council on the 19th of February 2025, several general education institutions will be merged in the 2026\/2027 academic year, including: Riga 74th Primary School with Riga 64th Secondary School, Riga R\u012bn\u016b\u017ei Secondary School with Riga 31st Secondary School.<\/p>\n
In Purvciems, Riga 64th Secondary School will operate in three buildings located within one block.<\/p>\n
In Vecm\u012blgr\u0101vis, the newly formed secondary school will function in two buildings, with one eventually being phased out.<\/p>\n
In Gr\u012bzi\u0146kalns, Riga 1st Christian Primary School will be merged with Riga 6th Secondary School. In the Avoti and Centre neighbourhoods, changes are planned in the organisation of Riga Rai\u0146is Secondary School, consolidating its operations into one building and freeing up premises on Avotu Street 44.<\/p>\n
Further optimisation measures are planned for the 2027\/2028 academic year, including possible mergers of: Riga Broce Lyceum with Riga Sarkandaugava Primary School, Riga Gai\u013cezers Primary School with Riga Me\u017eciems Primary School<\/p>\n
The situation will also be assessed in Bolder\u0101ja, Daugavgr\u012bva, and \u0136engarags.<\/p>\n
The reform includes both institutional mergers and the closure of certain buildings.<\/p>\n
In \u0100genskalns, three preschools\u2014\u201cIevi\u0146a,\u201d \u201cSpr\u012bd\u012btis,\u201d and \u201cPumpuri\u0146i\u201d\u2014will be merged while retaining both service locations. A similar approach is planned in Ziepniekkalns and Gr\u012bzi\u0146kalns, where institutions will be legally merged but continue operating in their existing buildings.<\/p>\n
However, in some areas the number of buildings will be reduced. In Bolder\u0101ja, the building at St\u016brma\u0146u Street 7 will close; in I\u013c\u0123uciems, Lido\u0146u Street 10A; and in Purvciems, Marsa gatve 16. Services will continue in other available buildings.<\/p>\n
More extensive reorganisations are planned in Imanta, where several preschools\u2014including Riga 104th Preschool and institutions \u201cKurzeme,\u201d \u201cImanta,\u201d \u201cMargrieti\u0146a,\u201d and \u201cKamen\u012bte\u201d\u2014will be merged. In \u0136engarags, preschools \u201cZilb\u012bte\u201d and \u201cDzintari\u0146\u0161\u201d will be combined.<\/p>\n
Overall, seven buildings will be freed up in neighbourhoods such as Daugavgr\u012bva, Vecm\u012blgr\u0101vis, Dzirciems, \u0136engarags, Latgale suburb, and Sarkandaugava.<\/p>\n
The municipality plans to repurpose them for other pressing needs.<\/p>\n
\u0136irsis previously stated that the most affected neighbourhoods will include Vecm\u012blgr\u0101vis, I\u013c\u0123uciems, and \u0136engarags. Around ten kindergarten buildings are planned to be physically closed, while others will be legally consolidated to reduce administrative costs.<\/p>\n
He emphasised that where service locations remain physically open, parents should have no reason to worry. Even in cases where kindergartens are fully closed, alternative preschools are typically located just a few blocks away.<\/p>\n
The reforms are driven by what officials describe as a \u201cdemographic dip,\u201d as declining pupil numbers have left some institutions operating at only 50% to 60% of capacity.<\/p>\n
Read also: Latvian police open criminal proceedings over latest Epstein case materials<\/a><\/p>\n Follow us on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0X<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Given the shortage of teachers in Riga, educators who wish to continue working will not lose their jobs…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":950,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[91],"tags":[332,1220,1221,169,1222,1223,168,1224],"class_list":{"0":"post-949","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-riga","8":"tag-featured","9":"tag-kindergartens","10":"tag-laima-geikina","11":"tag-latvia","12":"tag-pre-school-education","13":"tag-reorganisation","14":"tag-riga","15":"tag-vilnis-kirsis"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/949","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=949"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/949\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/950"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=949"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=949"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=949"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}