Educators Discuss Terms for Non-Certified Teachers
Minister of Education Jaak Aaviksoo met with directors of grade schools on January 17 to get feedback on the proposed changes to the hiring rules for non-certified teachers.
The ministry's proposal aims to make it easier for academic degree holders who lack specialized teacher training to work as grade school teachers.
Under the current regulation, such persons can only be hired as teachers temporarily under a one-year contract. The suggested changes, however, would make the term easily extendable.
Margus Pedaste, director of the teacher training department at the University of Tartu said that the change of rules could alter the current situation where an overwhelming majority of teachers are female, by attracting more male instructors.
According to Toomas Kink, director of the Tartu Raatuse Gümnaasium, the change would relieve the schools from announcing annual job competitions for the posts already occupied by non-certified teachers.
Ingrid Teesalu