(adds more information)

Riga, Oct 1 (LETA) - Local governments will be allocated a total of EUR 622,102,510 to ensure teachers' salaries by the end of the year, which is more than planned in the budget, the government decided on Tuesday.

The funding has been allocated according to the information on the number of pupils as of September 1 entered and approved by local governments and private educational institutions in the State Education Information System. The estimated funding is EUR 5.49 million higher than the amount approved in this year's budget, due to an increase in the number of pupils, explained the Education and Science Ministry.

The additional funding will be provided from contingency funds and through appropriate reallocations.

The government early this year approved EUR 416.17 million allocation to local governments for teachers' salaries for the period from January 1 until August 31, and today allocation of EUR 205.9 million was approve for the last four months of the year.

The allocated state subsidy will be distributed to pay the salaries of teachers at local education institutions. The allocated funding will ensure that primary and general secondary, vocational and special interest education teachers will receive the lowest monthly salary rate of EUR 1,526 for a 40-hour weekly workload.

The majority of the allocated funding, or EUR 443.095 million, is earmarked for teachers' salaries at local government primary and general secondary education institutions, local government special education institutions and local government vocational education institutions, as well as for compulsory contributions to state social insurance.

EUR 75,354,091 will be earmarked for the remuneration of teachers employed in municipal education institutions to educate children from the age of five and for compulsory contributions to state social insurance.

EUR 31,408,288 will be earmarked for the partial remuneration of teachers in municipal special-interest education program s and compulsory state social insurance contributions.

EUR 72,244,710 will be allocated for the salaries of teachers working in municipal special education institutions and special pre-school groups. Part of the funding will also be earmarked for maintenance costs of educational institutions.

The state budget funding is also earmarked to support the transition to Latvian-language education for pupils who have completed minority education programs in the previous school year.

Funding is also provided for interest education institutions of national importance and for balancing the workload of interest education teachers.

The ministry reminded that local governments, as founders of schools, must allocate the funding "rationally and efficiently".