The government has approved €21,647,887 in severance pay for staff let go at municipal kindergartens and schools, its press office said. The money comes from the 2026 national programme "Optimising the internal staff structure".

It covers jobs that ended by the end of August 2026 at municipal pre-school and school institutions. It will be paid from money in the education ministry's 2026 budget set aside for national education development programmes.

In a separate decision today, ministers approved another €518,609 in severance pay for civil servants at the education ministry and its regional education departments. Their posts ended under a government policy to make the civil service more efficient.

The ministry cut its headcount by changing its organisational rules. In the regional departments, jobs ended for civil servants who had earned the right to a pension based on years of service and age. They are paid under the Labour Code and the Civil Servants Act.

On 8 April, the caretaker government approved 24 national programmes for education development. They will support policies in the next school year. The press office said new activities are being added to pre-school and school policies. More than €115m is planned for kindergartens and schools.