As the demographic decline triggers inevitable school closures, teachers face potential job losses, though the law mandates specific severance payments regardless of their future employment status or retirement plans.
The Impending Demographic Challenge
The education system faces a complex landscape. While some major cities struggle with teacher shortages, a significant demographic decline is looming. This creates regional disparities where some schools thrive while others face closure due to shrinking student numbers.
Recent years have been turbulent, marked by the introduction and subsequent withdrawal of six-year-olds in primary schools, the abolition of middle schools, and the challenges of the pandemic and the influx of Ukrainian students. Now, the system must prepare for a contraction caused by lower birth rates.
Regulatory Safeguards for Educational Staff
To mitigate the impact of school closures, the law now emphasizes local consultations and transparency. New regulations allow for the creation of school branches and the repurposing of educational facilities to serve local communities, though these measures will not prevent all closures.
Under Article 20 of the Teacher’s Charter, when a school is fully or partially liquidated, the director must terminate employment or, at the teacher’s request, place them on inactive status. These situations trigger specific legal protections for the affected staff.
Severance Pay Entitlements
Teachers employed through appointment are entitled to severance pay equal to six months of their base salary. Those under standard employment contracts receive benefits governed by regulations concerning the termination of employment for reasons not related to the employee.
The right to this severance pay is not contingent on the teacher’s next career move. Whether they remain unemployed, find a new job, or choose to retire, the payment is legally owed. Consequently, a retiring teacher can receive both their retirement severance and the severance pay resulting from the school’s closure.