Education Ministry blunder leaves no funds to cover promised teacher raises

Due to a miscalculated education subsidy the Education Ministry is short zl. 800 million to cover the long-promised raises for teachers. "If we do not find the additional funds in the budget, there will be no pay raise this year," warn the councilors. According to new rules introduced by the so-called "Teacher's Card" last spring, 75% of the teachers' salary was set by the Ministry, the remainder was up to the local councils to decide. According to ministerial assessments the new law gave teachers an average additional sum of zl. 196, while the councils believe the amount was significantly underestimated and should amount to zl. 250-zl. 300. Both sides failed to agree on the final amount of the raise yesterday and the Ministry maintains the division is the result of different interpretations of the regulations concerning the education subsidy. (Zycie, page 3) P.S.