Education and Science, Financial Services, Latvia

Tatjana Koke.

If an extra LVL 15 million is not allotted to the ministry next year, it will have to consider which functions it would have to give up, writes LETA.

Koke explained that the Education and Science Ministry's budget for this year is LVL 186 million smaller than in 2008, and it will be reduced another LVL 60 million in 2010. Therefore the ministry's budget will be cut almost LVL 250 million altogether by 2010, and that means that the ministry will not be able to perform all the functions that it currently performs.

Koke said that the Education and Science Ministry has three main goals in structuring the budget: cost optimization, improving export capacity for higher education, and enhancing national values, for instance, through the organization of the school and youth song and dance festival.

Koke confirmed that reorganization of the Education and Science Ministry will continue, which means that more ministry's employees will be laid off and the salaries for the remaining employees will be reduced.

As reported, local governments have informed the Ministry of Education and Science that they are planning to shut down 36 schools and reorganize 68 educational establishments within the framework of the schools network reform in Latvia.

So far the ministry has approved closing down 27 schools.