Teachers’ certification program can be cancelled or reviewed to make important amendments. The Ministry of Education and Science is working on a new scheme that will replace existing system. According to the Minister, Tamar Sanikidze a new scheme will involve both certified and uncertified techers and certification will not be only source for techers’ appraisal.
“If we followed existing scheme , we would face an extreme shortfall of teachers for 2015 which would lead to closing general education institutions. Therefore, we developed a concept that will replace previous certification process. Appraisal system that will be implemented, will have multiple dimensions. Discussions around a new scheme will be started in upcoming days. We consider that teachers’ career growth shall correspond to existing needs.
Certifiction will not be a sole measure for teachers' appraisal. We are planning to add practical part and have more complex and reliable appraisal system. Shortly, research will be carried out by World Bank that will reveal the most problematic directions. We get the results of other researches as well, however, research of National Examination Center will give more conclusive results. Scheme that will be offered will be obligatory for everyone and it will put every teacher in equal conditions", – Ms Sanikidze states.
ESFTUG president says that reviewing Teachers’ Certification Program is on Agenda, however no specific details are known yet.
“The Minister’s decision regarding certification process is acceptable as it takes teachers interests into consideration.
We have also talked about abolishing the certification process, but no exact answers can be given yet, however we plan to improve existing program and replace it with different way for enhancing teachers’ qualification.
“Teachers demand certification to be a voluntary process, and teachers’ should be motivated to involve in the process, however, credit accumulation should not only be linked to certification.
We always criticized certification that aimed at punishing teachers. Also, the tests were prepared by foreign experts and it did not comply with Georgian reality.
There were teachers who were good at practice but could not accumulate necessary points at the exam. It signifies that certification process does not provide reliable and valid assessment and requires fundamental changes" – saya Maia Kobakhdize.
Member of the Parliament and Education professional – Nino Goguadze thinks that qualification enhancement is possible through regular trainings.
"There were explicit flaws in this project. Different countries have different ways for teachers' qualification enhancement, subject trainings, teaching new methods etc."
"Certification represented tests that made teaching a regulated profession. But reality showed no positive result as majority of teachers could not pass the exam."
If a new scheme allows teachers to accumulate credit through various trainings, such kind of system will be oriented on qualification enhancement and not on teachers' punishment – said Ms Goguadze.