Teaching Assistants and Special Educators Also Eligible for Compensation Scheme: Deputy Minister of Education

Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Zhanna Andreasyan reminds teaching assistants and special educators working in schools that, as of January 1, 2022, they are also eligible for the compensation scheme for transportation services and can receive reimbursement for expenses.

This October, improvements were made to the compensation scheme regarding the choice of reimbursement in the absence of public transportation, as well as regulations were included for reimbursing necessary expenses for organizing educational processes temporarily in schools located in other settlements due to the dismantling of school buildings in cases of major renovations or new constructions.

According to point 2 of the scheme, compensation is granted for institutions located in the provinces of the Republic of Armenia to:

1. Teachers (including those teaching the subject of basic military training and safe life skills) and, from January 1, 2022, also teaching assistants and special educators who work at institutions located more than 5 km away from their actual place of residence at a position of 0.5 or more.
2. School-aged children who, due to the absence of an institution at their actual place of residence (community or locality) or the absence of a relevant educational program at the existing institution, receive education at another institution located in a different settlement.

Institutions that have vehicles on their balance sheet for the purposes of transporting students and/or educators and receive reimbursement for fuel and/or drivers' salaries and/or other transportation expenses from the State Budget of the Republic of Armenia are not beneficiaries under point 1 of this scheme.

The limitations of teachers’ positions of 0.5 or more in point 2.1 do not apply to teachers at institutions located in settlements included in the list of border communities receiving social support approved by the Government of Armenia's Decision No. 1444-N of December 18, 2014, nor to teachers who are the only ones teaching a particular subject at their institution.

The maximum amount of compensation is considered:

1. For routes exclusively serviced by minibuses, the rate set for minibus routes,
2. For both minibus and bus routes, the rate set for bus routes,
3. If neither minibus nor bus routes exist, 25 AMD per km, but not less than 200 AMD (calculated for both directions) for each present day,
4. If neither minibus nor bus routes exist and if the number of teachers and school-aged children covered by point 2 of this scheme traveling from that locality to the particular school is 4 or fewer, 1000 AMD (calculated for both directions) for each present day, equally distributed among those teachers and school-aged children.

In the case of a difference between the tariffs calculated according to subpoints 3 and 4 of point 4, the preferred option for teachers and students will be applied.

The maximum monthly compensation for each teacher and school-aged child may not exceed 20,200 AMD, while the number of travel days is:

1. For students in 1st and 2nd grades, 160 days per year,
2. If organized in a five-day week, 170 days per year,
3. If organized in a six-day week, 204 days per year.

The educational institution must submit information about the individuals receiving compensation under this scheme to the relevant management authority by January 20 of each year, according to Form 1, and by September 20 for updated information concerning individuals receiving compensation during that year according to the same format.

For more details, click here.