Teachers. labor rights or behavioral rules?

Recently, the Ministry of Education and Science has elaborated and submitted a public discussion to the “Teacher’s Code of Conduct” project, which has been harshly criticized in the press and in social networks as a “disrespectful attitude” towards teachers. While one of the goals of the Code of Conduct is “to contribute to the professional rating of teachers, to the high quality of work and professional honors,” almost all comments on this document indicate that the opposite contravenes the teacher’s honor and status. By the way, the main recipients of this document are women, as they account for 78% of those employed in the education sector.

Users of social networks reminded the Ministry in their comments on the code of conduct that, in the first place, there are serious problems in the area of education, not the teacher’s upbringing.

“Give the educator a decent working environment and the social guarantees needed to live, then just try to estimate the professional rating, the quality of work and the level of professional honor,” journalist Kristine Melkonyan wrote on her Facebook page, noting that while talking about someone’s responsibilities, remembering about rights is encouraged.

The study found that teachers are not always familiar with the types, timing and requirements of their employment contract, which they may present to an employer, such as issuing a work contract.

The survey found that the biggest challenge facing teachers is the distribution of classes, which often gives rise to an unhealthy atmosphere in schools.

The results of the study also reveal that most of the teachers did not apply to the trade union, although most of them are members of the Education and Science Trade Union because membership is mandatory for the school teacher, and the other part is not a member of the Trade Union and is unaware of the existence of a trade union and functions.

Garnik Vagharshakyan, representative of the Trade Unions Confederation of Armenia and chairman of the Union of Armenian Employers, highlighted the issue of teachers’ rights protection, saying that such questions should have been discussed beforehand by the the Republican affiliate Union of the Armenian Education and Science Workers  – member 0f the Confederation of Trade Unions of Armenia.

At the end of the meeting Avetik Ishkhanyan expressed hope that the report will be discussed in the Ministry of Education and Science and in the corresponding committee of the National Assembly and taking into account the importance of the issues, they will be given appropriate solutions. It is not known, this study was discussed in the Ministry of Education or not, but the Ministry’s behavior demonstrates that it has no effect.