Teachers Who Did Not Pass Certification Write Open Letter to Pashinyan

Teachers who did not pass certification have addressed an open letter to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, requesting a review of the decision made against them and their reinstatement.

The letter states, “Dear Mr. Prime Minister, We are addressing you on behalf of teachers with secondary vocational education and many years of pedagogical experience who are on the brink of dismissal or have already been dismissed from their positions. We could not meet the requirements presented to us while also working because the teacher's meager salary did not allow us to pay the tuition fees, which have always been unattainable and unrealistic for many of us. We are pleased that our state is finally ready to support us in this matter and show a state approach to current teachers.

However, our ranks include many senior teachers who were hired before the adoption of this law, when having higher education was not a mandatory requirement. Throughout their many years of pedagogical service, they have continued to engage in self-education, which, together with their extensive pedagogical experience and skills, arguably equals the level and value of several university diplomas. Therefore, we request that these senior and experienced teachers, who have only a few years left until retirement age, be allowed to continue their work in their positions, with their beloved students, and go to the well-deserved rest.

At the same time, we ask that those teachers hired after the adoption of the law be given the opportunity to acquire higher education, which I am sure many of us will take advantage of. However, all of this will remain on paper if the positions we hold are not preserved, which will become both our motivation and means on that path. This will also provide an opportunity to preserve jobs.

Let me also note that after the recent proposal from the Minister of Education to be placed in other available positions in schools, we inquired and found that there are almost no vacant positions (librarian, operator, laboratory assistant) in any school for which higher education is not required. It is no secret that if a competition is announced for the positions we occupy and a contract is signed with a new specialist for an indefinite period, our further reinstatement will become impossible. In that case, the state funding allocated for obtaining higher education will become purposeless. We are ready to take advantage of this opportunity, but we request that job continuity be ensured during this process.

In this case, the teacher's connection with their beloved students will not be interrupted, as those students need that teacher. We also want to highlight the main factor that has led us to this situation: the tests presented to us contained numerous flaws and errors, deviated from the requirements of the guidelines provided, and did not reflect the requirements for the respective educational level.

We want to inform you that all teachers independently prepared for the certification based on the guidelines previously presented on the GTK website, without having undergone any training in this regard. At the same time, the time allocated for the exam was severely limited and unrealistic. All these factors contributed to our failure, after which we have mass-appealed against the test results. The results of the appeals have also not satisfied us, as many issues submitted for correction remain unaddressed.

Based on all this, we insist that these tests should not be the basis for assessing a teacher’s professional knowledge, let alone serve as a basis for dismissal. As evidence, attached is also a form of the tests for the chess subject, indicating the problematic nature of the tests, where multiple visible figures in one box have been corrected.

We are hopeful that you will examine these thoroughly and gain a clear understanding of their quality. This reflection was also present in the tests for other subjects, which have caused great outrage among teachers. We hope you will take into account the age characteristics, needs, merits, and contributions of all teachers, and, more importantly, the needs of their students when making the final decision. Dear Mr. Pashinyan, we have presented the just demands and concerns of all our colleagues, and we expect your fair decision.”