The school director’s desire to listen to our voice seems unattainable. Meanwhile, the students eagerly await our return to school. I haven’t even considered looking for a new school for the upcoming year. All I want is to be back in the classroom, as I am passionate about my profession.

Today, on January 9th, in the midst of a teacher protest at the CGMS office, a teacher from Kater’s school in Kotayk Marz found herself handcuffed. It’s important to note that these teachers, who possess secondary pedagogical education and the necessary qualifications for compulsory attestation, have been on strike since December 2023. They are demanding a salary increase from the CGMS, as well as the opportunity for their best educators, who have achieved the highest level of education, to undergo retraining and participate in additional attestation.

One teacher exclaimed, “I will go to great lengths, even if it means coming to school, to demonstrate our competence and responsibility for our knowledge. If they come and see that we are not competent, they can leave, but I will not hesitate to shut down the school myself. I participated in the fine arts attestation and although I did not pass the retraining, it became evident that participating in this process was nearly impossible.”

A technology teacher from Vayots Dzor Marz, Yeranuhi Alaverdyan, also shared her perspective. She explained, “Although I do not possess the highest level of education, I have achieved high scores in the tests. Since 2014, we have had the opportunity to obtain the highest education, but due to a decrease in the number of students and limited hours, we couldn’t pursue it. We had hoped that within a few years, we would have the chance.”

She continued, “We were given the opportunity for additional attestation, but we were not given the same tests as the top graduates. It feels as though we have been equated with teachers who have only one month of experience. We have completed high school and yet we are left perplexed, questioning why 2-3% is preventing us from obtaining what we deserve. We simply ask for the chance to undergo a new attestation.”

During a briefing, Nikol Pashinyan announced the consideration of higher salaries for teachers, citing the prioritization of their well-being. However, one teacher had a different response. “Yes, it’s true that he thought about us, but why were the tests conducted at the same level, leading to mistakes affecting all of us?” she questioned.

These are the latest news from Armenia, reported by NEWS.am.