Teachers protest, the ministry responds

On June28, about 50 secondary school teachers who have not been re-certified gathered in front of the Ministry of Science and Education to express their dissatisfaction. They complained about the conditions of the certification exam. According to the protesters, there were technical problems in computers during the exam, and the time allotted for answering questions was very short. At the same time, according to the teachers, despite the fact that they answered many questions, their scores were underestimated.

"There was interference with computers and our points were written off. I'm sure I answered 47 questions correctly. But after the exam, it turned out that I scored few points. I am a diabetic. I went out to take my medicine, but they wouldn't let me back in, saying that I had pressed the "completed" button. I want to take the exam again," said Aygun Shukurova one of the protesters, a teacher from Jalilabad region. She said that the family has no other earnings besides her salary, since her husband is unemployed, while their three children are students.

Teachers consider it illegal to terminate employment contracts with them based on certification. They require job security. Responding to Turan's request, the Department of Public Relations and Communication of the Ministry of Science and Education said that commissions had been set up to explore the possibilities of providing alternative work to teachers who had not passed re-certification. "The commissions will be valid until July 30. Currently, they are receiving citizens.  To date, 2,000 citizens have been admitted," the ministry noted. At the same time, the appeals of representatives of socially sensitive groups of the population are taken under special control and appropriate measures are taken.

 At the same time, with teachers who did not meet even the minimum requirements during re-certification, or did not participate in the process, or violated the rules of the exam, employment contracts are terminated.

"Teachers with whom employment contracts are terminated are provided with the security provided for by labor legislation," the ministry noted.