Davit Tsikarishvili: “Testing of Teachers Breaches Labor Rights”

The teachers were tested short time ago. Besides the tests in their subjects, the teachers were examined in professional skills. Participation in the tests was voluntary but if the teachers gained enough points, they were promised to have raise in their salaries. Part of teachers protests the results and thinks that points were not granted fairly. The humanrights.ge interviewed the head of legal department of the Independent Trade Union of Teachers “Ertoba” Davit Tsikarishvili.

-The people from the ministry of education started to speak about the raise in salaries in accordance to testing and qualification level of teachers long before. The media was also actively involved in this process and many representatives of political and educational circles made speeches on TV; but we were the only organization which informed the society about the ongoing situation from printed media. We called upon everybody to boycott the testing of teachers. There was no guarantee for fair exams. The connection between salaries and testing was not estimated either. In this direction, the legislation is not regulated completely. I cannot understand why they should spend additional money and organize exams if the government has funds to raise salaries of teachers. Is there only way to increase salaries and is it only exams?! If it is so, there is different problem. We had information that they did not want to find out the qualification level of teachers in order to estimate corresponding amounts of salaries for them, but they wanted to grant the points in order to comply them with the test results. Our expectations came true.

As for the exam model, the credits, distributed among teachers by the government, were not complete either. In order to take the full course the teachers had to add some money to the state credit.

There are issues in the examination tests which are not necessary for teachers to know. They had too little time during the exam; teachers could not answer all the questions. Reportedly, there was secret instruction to for the evaluation of tests. Consequently, the teachers received extremely low points.

-Did the teachers file complaints?

-The mechanism of filing complaints is the following: they had to file complaints to the person who checked the tests and put points. Consequently, it had no sense. As for appealing to the court, the courts do not have experts who can estimate whether the points were granted fairly or not. The court will finally hire the pro-governmental expert. So, we should not hope to eradicate the problem. We think the process blatantly violated the labor rights of teachers.

-Was not the testing voluntary process? The law did not oblige the teachers to take the exam?

-When you are told that you will have raise in your salary or will be fired according to your participation in the exam – it cannot be freedom of choice. They have done it in order to give one more argument to the ministry to state they cannot leave those people in schools because of low results in tests. There is nothing voluntary here. The government has one more tool to regulate relationship with teachers. If they wish, they can use it for the further personnel reduction or to threaten teachers.

-Is not the teacher fired if s/he does not take the exam?

-Those who did not take the exam will not be fired of course. Neither those teachers will be fired who received low results but when the personnel reduction starts, the low points of the exams will play serious role in decision-making process. One more point is the current very low salary of the teacher. Teachers had no more way out and took the exam.

-What kind of testing does your trade union appreciate?

-If the state wants to increase the salary of teachers, according to their professional level, every teacher should not take exams together. Before exams, the teachers shall be trained; special course should be created where teachers will attend trainings systematically, every day. It should also be voluntary for teachers.

The professionalism of the teacher shall be tested by their lessons and not by diploma and qualification trainings or exam results.