Salary increase after certification

In Armenia, the salary of teachers who voluntarily pass certification will be increased to 200,000 drams ($440) instead of the previous 108,000-125,000 drams ($230-275), i.e. it will double almost. This decision was taken by the government at the end of April. Only two weeks later, the Ministry of Education announced that from May 478 teachers would receive a pay rise, the highest so far being 533,000 drams ($1,170). And that’s not counting the category assigned to teachers. With the bonus for the categories, the salaries of teachers who have passed the certification will be even higher.

Before the government’s decision to proceed with voluntary certification and the introduction of a system of allowances, teachers were on the list of poorly paid specialists.

“A reform of fundamental importance”

Voluntary teacher certification took place in Armenia for the first time in 2021. Teachers in grades 7-12 could only participate in the first stage of certification in seven subjects. This year, certification is scheduled for September. Teachers in grades 5 to 12 will be able to participate – in all subjects.

The salaries of teachers who passed the certification in 2021 have already increased by 30 to 50%, depending on the marks received during the test of their knowledge. According to the justification of the government’s new draft, these “surcharges do not result in a significant increase in wages”. And now, after changing the teacher’s rate, the salary, which will increase by at least 30%, will amount to 260,000 drams ($570).

From May 2022, the rate change will also apply to teachers who passed certification last year.

Armenia’s prime minister calls voluntary certification a “reform of fundamental importance.” Nikol Pashinyan says that the teacher now has the opportunity to “decide for himself what salary to receive.” As a result of this reform, in his opinion, not only teachers’ salaries will increase, but the profession itself will become more attractive.

The authors of the project expect that the voluntary certification

• encourage the professional development of teachers,
• will lead to an increase in the quality and effectiveness of training through additional payment for their work,
• increase the number of male teachers in public schools.

Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Vahram Dumanyan points out that in order to improve the level of education, along with certification, specialized training sessions are also held.

The Prime Minister links gaps in various areas with systemic problems in education, declaring their solution a government priority.

“Anyone who does not pass the certification will lose their job”

Pashinyan pointed out that teachers who participated in certification last year have the option of re-submitting cases and this time receiving a higher score and, therefore, a higher salary:

“We will give all teachers the opportunity to participate in the assessment several times. But from time X, teachers who have not passed certification will simply not work in the school. I want everyone to understand this information very clearly.”

The increase in teachers’ salaries is influenced both by the points they score during certification and by the amount of compensation for the categories assigned to them.

The Ministry of Education has already published new salaries for 478 teachers – so far without calculating the allowance for the category.

“We have more than two dozen teachers who will receive 400,000 drams ($880) or more from May, depending on the number of teaching hours. We have teachers whose salaries will reach 450,000 ($990). The highest salary at the moment, out of category, is around 533,000 drams ($1,170),” said Zhanna Andreasyan, deputy education minister.

She assured that complete information on teachers’ salaries will be provided in the near future, taking into account the categories.