Teacher salary increases: Educational reforms continue in Armenia

JAMnews

Yerevan

Teacher salary in Armenia

“More than 220 teachers in Armenia receive salaries of 400,000 drams [$1,040] or more,” stated Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports Zhanna Andreasyan in parliament. This marks a substantial increase, considering that until recently, school teachers were among the lowest-paid groups in the country, with the average salary in Armenia in 2023 being 269,994 drams ($703).

During the discussion of the annual state budget execution report for 2023 in the National Assembly, the minister explained to deputies who receives these high salaries and on what basis. Specifically, these are teachers who have undergone voluntary certification and those who have been assigned corresponding categories.

According to Zhanna Andreasyan, these measures aim not only to increase salaries but also to attract qualified specialists to schools. She promised to soon present data confirming the effectiveness of this policy and assured that the number of applicants for teaching positions has significantly increased.

A new mechanism for assigning teacher categories launched

Teachers in general education schools can qualify for a salary increase if they voluntarily undergo certification and/or receive a category that certifies their high professionalism.

Andreasyan reported that a new mechanism for assigning categories was launched last year, and over 100 teachers have already undergone this procedure:

“For the first time, we awarded teachers the highest, fourth category, which allows for a 50 percent salary increase.”

To be assigned a category, teachers submit documents to the appropriate commission. If they meet the standards set by the government decision, teachers are assigned one of the four possible categories. A first-category teacher receives a 10% salary increase, a second-category teacher receives a 20% increase, a third-category teacher receives a 30% increase, and a fourth-category teacher receives a 50% increase.

Over 650 fired Armenian teachers can return to work

Since August 2023, teachers without a higher education degree have been deprived of the right to work in schools. To give them a chance to return to work, the government has decided to reimburse their expenses for university education

14 Percent of teachers undergo certification

As of 2023, 3,830 teachers in public schools have voluntarily undergone certification.

In 2021, 996 teachers participated in voluntary certification, and in 2022, 2,333 teachers took the test.

Recently, the number of teachers seeking certification has sharply increased. In 2023, 6,321 teachers applied for certification, and 4,326 participated in testing. However, only 2,976 met the required threshold and received a raise.

Teachers working full-time who passed certification are entitled to a salary of 200,000 drams ($520).

Those who scored 90-100% in the certification receive a 50% salary bonus. A score of 80-89% results in a 40% bonus, while a score of 70-79% provides a 30% bonus. If the score is 60-69%, no bonus is awarded. However, teachers can reapply and retake the certification.

Bonuses for rural school teachers

The Minister of Education announced that all teachers in rural schools with fewer than 100 students, where their workload is less than full-time, have also received bonuses.

“This allowed us to raise the salaries of about 3,000 teachers working in rural schools,” emphasized Zhanna Andreasyan.

Additionally, she mentioned that since September of last year, the government has increased the salaries of 8,420 teachers who teach natural sciences and information technology by 25 percent.