Teachers Failing Voluntary Certification for the Second Time to be Dismissed

Teachers who score between 0-59% in the voluntary certification will undergo retraining. This information was announced today by Araxia Svajyan, the Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport of the Republic of Armenia, during a press conference.

“This year we had teachers who participated in the voluntary certification process, but did not achieve satisfactory results. According to current legal regulations, they must participate in the mandatory certification process after one year. As an authorized body, we understand that we need to support these teachers so that they are better prepared for certification this year,” she stated.

She reminded that five higher education institutions in Armenia have presented retraining modules and programs for the preparatory processes of voluntary certification, which have already been approved by the minister's decree.

“All those teachers who participated in voluntary certification last year and did not achieve satisfactory results can choose any of these five universities, register for a retraining course, and participate in the next phase of the voluntary certification process,” she said.

In response to the question of what will happen if teachers fail the voluntary certification again, the deputy minister replied that they will likely lose their jobs. “It is assumed that these teachers should not continue their activities because a teacher who fails to surpass the minimum threshold of knowledge in their subject, especially after undergoing retraining, calls into question their professional knowledge. It raises the question of what knowledge they are transferring to the students in their classrooms,” the deputy minister noted.

It should be added that applications for participation in the retraining process will be accepted from May 17 to May 26.