Teachers Settled in Tserovani Want to Be Employed

“Teachers cannot be thrown away in the dust-bin”

Tako Khutsishvili

Asmat Jojishvili is an IDP living in the village of Tserovani close to Tbilisi. During the August war her family had to displace for the second time; initially they fled from Tskhinvali in 1990s and now they had to leave the village of Kekhvi too. She has been teaching Georgian literature, History and Geography in the Kekhvi Public School for 30 years. Now she is an IDP and unemployed. School was everything for Asmat Jojishvili but now she sits at home. She hoped to be employed at the public school that was constructed in Tserovani but test-exams destroyed her dreams. She could not pass tests. However, she does not believe the test-exams were fair because she is convinced in her professionalism.

Asmat Jojishvili said she was informed about the exam one day before the exam. “I have worked for 30 days as teacher; I was considered to be the best teacher and never doubted that I would be employed. I applied to Mtskheta district education resource-center for the vacancy and then visited the office several times to find out the situation. I was told the exam will be held but they could not tell me what the exam was supposed to be about. Finally, I was not informed about the date when the exam was fixed. The barriers were created artificially and consequently, many people could not take exams. We used to give lessons under gun-fire during 20 years. And teachers, who had endured similar disaster, did not know what the exam was about; let them give one week to us to prepare for the exam. I have spent all my life in the school and shall I finish everything with one test-exam?” asked Asmat Jojishvili.

Most teachers settled in Tserovani face similar problems. They do not recognize the results of the exams because they think it was unfair. Givi Sikturashvili was director of the public school in Nuli. He thinks there are no conditions to employ teachers in new settlement. The IDPs doubt about the test results because they were told to write their names on the test-papers.

The Ministry of Education does not recognize the complaints of the IDPs. They claim the exams were impartial and information about the exam was available for everybody. “The exams were held in three stages. On the first stage, the applicants were selected based on the applications submitted to the Mtskheta Education Resource Center. We choose applicants based on three criteria: the first criteria were corresponding high education; a second criterion was at least one-year experience of teaching; and the third requirement – every applicant had to be a settler in Tserovani. Those who satisfied these criteria took exams organized by the National Exam Center. The exams took place in 51 public schools on June 27. The applicants took exams in their subjects and education methodic. The final stage of the exam was interview. We invited all those teachers to the interview who received high points in the tests. Finally, we chose 46 teachers out of total 137. 35 of the selected teachers were from Akhalgori district and 14 from Didi Liakhvi valley. Everybody had equal conditions. Before the exam none of them was trained,” said Eka Darbaidze, representative of the Regional Coordination Department. 

National Exams Center stated that IDPs shall not doubt about the results of the exams because the identification did not happen according to their names but according to their codes. Applicants with complaints can see their tests.

The exam commission consisted of 5 members. Director of Tserovani Public School N 3 Ramin Chitashvili was the chairperson of the commission; Sopo Gorgodze and Eka Mamatsashvili represented the Professional Development Center; Nana Dalakishvili and Dodo Salakaia represented the National Center for Education Planning and Assessment; and Eka Darbaidze represented Regional Coordination Department.

The IDPs from Didi and Patara Liakhvi Valleys, Prone Valley and Akhalgori district were settled in Tserovani. Public school will be opened in the settlement in September with the financial support of the TBC Foundation. Discontent teachers petitioned to the Minister of Education of Georgia and requested to find new places to employ them or to build a new school in the settlement. The Ministry of Education put Soso Tsotniashvili, Minister of Education of the South Ossetian administration, in charge of the issue; however, Tsotniashvili says he has not received any letter from the Minister.

Unless the request of the IDPs is satisfied, they will start demonstration from Tserovani settlement to the Ministry of Education.