European Trade Union Committee for Education

Recruitment and retention of teachers especially in times of economic crisis has proven to be a remarkable challenge for education systems across Europe. Low salaries and poor working conditions, and the lack of recognition of teachers’ value in and for society are not encouraging young and qualified teachers to take on the profession. In parallel, a new trend is emerging which teacher unions, especially in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) are denouncing. Deteriorating teachers’ salaries and working conditions as an effect of reduced investment in education might encourage teachers to leave the profession or to deliver private classes, at the expenses of quality public education for all.

In the framework of the CEE Round Table in Bucharest on 19-21 October 2015, Ms Elen Manaseryan, Senior specialist from CRSTESA, the Branch Republican Union of Trade Union Organization of Workers of Education and Science of Armenia, ETUCE member organisation, denounced this trend as negative for the access and delivery of quality public education in Armenia. ‘CRTESA’, she said, ‘is working hard for improving the social and economic situation of teachers and for improving their salary level up to the average salary of Armenian employees, through collective bargaining.’ At the same time, CRSTESA is encouraging teachers to carry on with their dedicated work and not to favour the delivery of private lessons at the expenses of regular public education.

Nevertheless, to make their living, an increasing number of teachers are pushed to step on this dangerous path. Martin Rømer, ETUCE European Director, commented that ‘education is and must remain a public service conceived to give to all citizens the opportunity to receive quality training in order to get a chance to improve their life and to get employed. The widespread of private trainings at the expense of public quality education hinders equity of access and fosters inequality, including that based on socio-economic status. It increases the gap between those who have and those who have not. Eventually’ he concluded, ‘governments must realise that neo-liberal policies are detrimental to quality education, and they should take all the necessary measures to shift away from such policies. They should take all the necessary measures to fund education including by setting fair and equitable tax systems, combating tax avoidance and evasion’.