Public Chamber RB intends to gain real improvement of social-economic state of teachers in 2010

Social-economic problems of teachers were under discussion at the enlarged meeting of the commission on science, education and youth policy of the Public Chamber RB today.

“The President of Russia signed the decree about declaration of 2010 the Teacher Year in Russia still in March 2009” – the chairman of the commission Firdaus Khisamitdinova said – “Preparation of the proposals at the state level already runs in the Republic but the Public Chamber wants to listen to the teachers themselves about their problems”.

“Social- economic problems of teachers have already turned into a chronicle disease long ago” – a member of the commission Anatoly Matisov added – “These problems are important and much talked about especially during big political campaigns but too little is done in order to raise the prestige of this profession and to improve the material welfare of our teachers up to the level, which would correspond to the tasks of education in the country”. As compared with medics and jurists Russian teachers still stand on the lowest step by labor payment. The wages of teachers are 2-2,5 times lower than wages of medics and 8-10 times lower than those of lawyers. It means that teachers in modern society remain the most socially unprotected category of population. 20 years ago the average age of teachers at school was 28. Now it is equal to 48. It means young people don’t want to work at schools.

The teacher of the Bashkir Republican computer lyceum in the town of Baimak Idel Gubaidullin reported that because of low wages there were no graduates of the pedagogical colleges, who would like to start working at school. He had to work at three educational institutions because of shortage of pedagogues. He approved the introduction of the Unified State Exam in the country but complained that every year the tests contained one and the same tasks. Besides, teachers face the shortage of a good literature.

The pro-rector of the Bashkir State Pedagogical University Raisa Khairullina divided the problems of teachers into three groups: training and job placement, social problems and economic problems and applied her observations.

Now it is admitted that nowadays the prestige of the profession of pedagogue is defined by wages, so while education sphere both at federal and Republican level is financed by so-called “residual” principle the main problems of teachers will remain unsolved. At present time the average teacher’s wage makes 4200 rubles and this is lower than the subsistence wage. The maximal wage can reach just 11-12 thousand rubles. Low wages lead to the rise of various social problems, undermine the profession’s prestige, lower the quality of education and lead to growth of corruption at schools.

The participants of the gathering do hope that the turning point in attitude of the state to the problems of teachers will occur during the Teacher Year and the state will perform its promises with respect to teachers at last.