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Miminoshvili: ministry tried to keep the results of teachers’ exams secret

Netgazeti reports that the Head of the National Examination Centre, Maia Miminoshvili, said in her official Facebook post that the Ministry of Education and Science had been trying to keep the real picture of the results of teachers’ certification exams closed to the public since 2010. She said this is probably why some in the media learned the truth for the first time this year.

In her several-point opinion, Miminoshvili once again referred to this year’s certification exams saying that the reality that exists in the country for ages has various determinants. However, she said the teachers have fewer faults in their failure because it is the state’s responsibility to really assist them instead of trying to score “political points.”

Miminoshvili said from 2010 till today the results of the certification exams have been at least unpleasant. Giving the example of 2011 when 94% of teachers could not overcome the barrier in physics. She said this year had the most frequent number of training courses which is only the additional source for the teachers because as Miminoshvili said, the teachers cannot study anything except during the two-week trainings.

She said unfortunately the Ministry of Education limited the function to every important organization – the teachers’ professional development centre – making it just the training-centre for exam preparations. “I am glad that this organization has returned its real function and it will now be possible to really re-train the teachers; and create and implement the real programs for assistance,” Miminoshvili said in her post.

Stressing that the questions of the exam tests are relevant to the general curriculum, Miminoshvili said the teachers should know a bit more than their students thus overcome the barrier.

“Let us ask a question: should the teacher know the topic fully before they teach the child?

As the last point of her opinion piece Miminoshvili welcomed the initiative of creating the so-called portfolios. “I am glad that as soon as he had been appointed as the minister of education, Giorgi Margvelashvili immediately shared our opinions over the certification exams and we worked out a joint project which together with the other details, considers the assessment of the teachers’ lessons,” Miminoshvili said, expressing her gratitude towards the World Bank, which has issued a grant for “this important work.”

Miminoshvili said the active implementation of this project will start from this autumn to “compensate the lost years as soon as possible.”