Teachers protesting in Yerevan against Armenian education ministry

Teachers with secondary professional education, who were dismissed from their jobs in December 2023 and failed to pass the mandatory certification threshold, are holding a protest in front of the Armenian Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport on January 9.

Armenian media say that teachers demand that they, like teachers with higher education, be first sent to improvement courses and then given another chance to pass the certification, Caliber.Az reports.

The teachers sent a letter to the ministry with their demands as early as December 25, 2023, but have yet to receive any response.

"We were given the same tests as those with higher education. But our tests should have been different. Also, they are given a chance to take the test a second time if they score 50+ and we are not. We demand equality," teacher Yeranui Alaverdyan said during the rally.

Tamara Sarkisyan, Head of the General Education Department of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Armenia, approached the protesters and reminded them that teachers without higher education should have been dismissed in August 2023, but they were given the opportunity to participate in voluntary certification.

According to her, teachers with secondary vocational education were not given a second chance, as the decision to give them the opportunity to be certified was a transitional provision in the law, which they had to overcome the first time.

However, the protesters were not satisfied with this answer. They demand a meeting with the head of the Armenian Ministry of Education and Science, Zhanna Andreasyan.