Teachers' union head: bureaucracy takes time away from working with children
Inga Vanaga, head of the Latvian Trade Union of Education and Science Employees, says teachers are burdened by paperwork requirements at national, municipal and school level. She cites fear of inspections as one reason and calls for a lighter administrative load.
Inga Vanaga, head of the Latvian Trade Union of Education and Science Employees (LIZDA), told the newspaper Kas Jauns Avīze that the large volume of documentation weighs on teachers' daily work. In her words, it takes away time that educators could devote to pupils. She says the problems exist at the national, municipal and individual school level.
Requirements at different levels
According to information compiled by LIZDA, mandatory documentation at the national level is set by Cabinet of Ministers regulations No. 325 and No. 528. These cover development plans, methodological work documents and minutes of teachers' council meetings. Vanaga also criticises a proposal for an individual and group work log, in which a teacher would have to state planned outcomes and sign every time.
In her view, the heaviest reporting burden comes from municipalities and schools themselves. The most common reason is fear of inspections, so staff prepare "mountains of paper as a shield". In a survey of more than 500 heads of educational institutions, principals said they also have to handle procurement, accreditation and other tasks.
Duplication and complaints
The study data indicate that municipalities require pupil numbers and teacher workload allocations on paper, even though the data are already in the State Education Information System (VIIS). Schools reportedly pay a 70-euro subscription to the Skolutiesibas.lv portal to obtain document templates. Vanaga also notes that parents' complaints increasingly use artificial intelligence, and replying to them takes many working hours.
She believes the "Skola 2030" curriculum reform created extra work for teachers because ready-made materials and unified guidelines were missing. There is no precise data on how much bureaucratic burden the reform caused.
Call to reduce the burden
Vanaga stresses that the union is fighting for teachers' professional freedom. She also criticises the delayed announcement of centralised exam results. Inga Vilka, a member of the State Audit Office council, says reducing bureaucracy must involve real action and not remain merely a slogan.
