Riga, Nov 19 (LETA) - The Latvian Trade Union of Education and Science Employees (LIZDA) urges lawmakers to find in the 2026 budget all the necessary funding for the implementation of the new school financing model Program at School, the head of the trade union Inga Vanaga told LETA.

Teachers' pay reform is one of the priorities in next year's budget, but the additional funding earmarked is less than the Education and Science Ministry has estimated. It was previously reported that there is a shortfall of around EUR 8 million for next year, and twice as much for 2027 and 2028.

Back in September, Education and Science Minister Dace Melbarde (New Unity) said that work to raise the funds was continuing. But the situation has not changed significantly and not all the funding needed to fully implement the reform from September has been allocated.

Melbarde, through her adviser Renars Lazdins, told LETA that the main priority of the 2026 draft state budget is national security and defense, so additional funds for education will only be available if the country's economic situation improves.

Asked how serious the impact of the funding shortfall would be, the politician replied that "active work" was underway to implement the model to the extent planned. A reallocation of European Union funds is planned to ensure the implementation of school support functions.

The full funding of the model will be decided by the new parliament and the government it approves when working on the 2027 draft state budget.

Meanwhile, Vanaga believes that full funding must be found in next year's budget because "we cannot have another reform without sufficient resources". Otherwise, the attraction of new teachers could be jeopardized. She pointed to previous experiences with the implementation of the new School2030 curriculum and underfunded inclusive education.

Vanaga sees the missing EUR 8 million as a significant sum and is skeptical about the offer to cover part of the funding from structural funds, as "they do not last forever". Politicians, she said, need to clearly communicate to the public which parts of the reform can be implemented and which may have to be postponed or changed if the missing funding is not secured.

In parallel, the teachers' trade union promises to express "strong criticism and condemnation" if the government and parliament do not find the missing part of the funding, reminding that education is announced as one of the three priorities of the 2026 national budget, along with security and demography.