Age and qualities: how an attempt to solve one problem in universities creates others

10.04.2021  

A new program by the Ministry of Science and Education (MSE) for the forced retirement of teachers has caused unrest in state universities, brought back to the agenda the long-unresolved problem of academic staff certification, and raised concerns about a shortage of teachers, as well as suspicions of age discrimination. According to the ministry's proposal, published for public discussion, the 33 state universities will receive BGN 4 million to reduce and pay severance to 1,000 retired teachers over the age of 65. The program aims to optimize the structure of state higher education institutions and the academic staff, a large portion of which is of pre-retirement age. The public discussion will continue until April 19, and the program is expected to be approved by the Council of Ministers by the end of the month, because the prescribed period for its implementation is from May 1 to December 31, 2021. Another Step Towards Rejuvenation Under the Higher Education Act, universities retire their teachers over 65 years old with the possibility to extend their employment contracts until 68 years old. Since the end of last year, rectors of higher education institutions have been required to ensure that teachers on the payroll over 65 years old do not exceed 5% of the academic staff. This was done under an agreement between the MSE and the heads of the Council of Rectors of Higher Education Institutions and trade unions, which also led to an increase in teachers' salaries. The Minister of Education, Krasimir Valkov, pointed out in the justification of his proposal for the new program that in some universities, curricula are maintained solely to allow a certain teacher to reach retirement. "Loss-making specialties and loss-making master's programs are maintained so that someone can reach retirement. This is a system that serves the status quo, not development," he said more than a year ago. Between Age and Qualities The academic community is divided in its opinion on whether the proposal will improve or worsen the quality of education and believes that the solution lies elsewhere. At present, rectors are forced to optimize the composition of teachers by introducing new positions, extending contracts for guest lecturers, etc., says Prof. Idiliya Bachkova from the University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy (UCTM) in Sofia. "We are all in favor of assistants receiving high salaries, but not at this price, because it is neither competitive nor adequate to the knowledge of either party," she told "Dnevnik", referring to the 2020 agreement under which she was appointed as a guest lecturer with a salary of BGN 800, while tenured professors earn BGN 1,600. In an interview with "Dnevnik", Assoc. Prof. Amelia Licheva, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Slavic Philologies at Sofia University (SU), confirmed that contracts of habilitated teachers who have reached 65 years of age are extended, and then some of them remain on a fee basis and teach mainly in master's programs. She gave the example of Prof. Simeon Hadzhikosev, who taught on a fee basis until about his 75th birthday, and Prof. Boyan Biolchev, who still leads master's courses. According to Prof. Marko Todorov, former rector of Ruse University and former Minister of Education, rejuvenation of the staff in higher education institutions is necessary, but cutting people based on formal criteria is not a good solution. "It is clear that when a person reaches a certain age, it is appropriate to make room, but it is appropriate that people with qualities be preserved and given the opportunity to work. I have never considered the application of formal criteria to be appropriate in this case," he commented in an interview with "Dnevnik". In his opinion, the problem lies in the systems for certifying teachers - the assessments are not real, and judging who is qualified and who is not is almost impossible. "And that is probably why the MSE decided to apply this formal principle and say 'Those who have reached a certain age, out'. It is not the right approach until the MSE develops criteria by which the teaching staff can be realistically assessed," Todorov emphasized. And according to the rector of SU, Prof. Anastas Gerdzhiakov, the problem is general and much deeper - in the certification of teachers. "I also believe that age should not be decisive, but this is a problem of the Higher Education Act, which requires retirement at 65 with the possibility of extension until 68. In my opinion, it would be much more correct to have no age for retirement at all and to have teachers even at 80 years old, if they are capable. But there should also be such certification requirements that if the teacher is not good, they should be dismissed even at 30 years old, if they are not up to it," he commented. Are Young Teachers Prepared? Prof. Bachkova pointed out that UCTM is currently suffering from a lack of qualified teachers with long accumulated experience, and teachers who are needed because they have enough hours are being retired. In her opinion, this way specialties and disciplines will be left exposed, and rectors will be forced to habilitate people who are not sufficiently prepared. "I have been a teacher for nearly 40 years, and my salary is lower than that of assistants. It is not bad that assistants' salaries are high, because we are lagging behind in attracting qualified teachers. No one stays - we help them complete their PhD, and then they disappear. In my field - 'Information Technologies', it is absurd to retain a young specialist. I was also a department head and barely managed to stabilize the staff," said Bachkova. Prof. Galina Nikolcheva from TU-Sofia defined the project as a confrontation between generations, although in practice it will not seriously affect the institution. "In our university, to get an extension of the employment contract, there are very strict requirements - from what qualities the respective professor should have to publications, citations - to get one point, which is voted on by the department, faculty, and Council of Rectors. The people who remain after retirement are qualified and few, about 5%," she commented in an interview with "Dnevnik". In her opinion, it would be more appropriate to merge, for example, technical universities - there are 6 or 7 in Sofia - they could become faculties of one large TU, as it is in the world, or to merge individual faculties. This would also reduce the administration, she believes. There is also a shortage in teaching staff at present, stated in an interview with "Dnevnik" the dean of the Faculty of Mechanical-Technological Engineering at TU in Sofia, Prof. Todor Todorov. "Until recently, it was impossible for a young assistant, who also has a family, to start work with a salary of BGN 600. Now they increased the salaries, and despite this, there are older teachers who have no chance of finding their successors. For example, a programmer can start work with a minimum salary of BGN 3,000, but here they are offered BGN 1,300 as an assistant," he pointed out. He also noted the huge workload, because first you have to write a dissertation quickly, write articles, publish, take on a large part of the teaching in the departments - all this, in his opinion, makes the profession unattractive, and increasing salaries is extremely insufficient. Age Restrictions Are Discrimination. According to lawyer Silviya Petkova, the decision of the Council of Ministers, although it does not represent a normative act, has mandatory force because it comes from the state. "This means that teachers who are laid off or 'removed' could file a complaint with the Commission for Protection Against Discrimination, which is more likely to establish such discrimination than to reject the complaints. If it rejects them, I believe that protection can be sought before the European Court of Human Rights, because this measure is neither necessary nor proportional," she commented in an interview with "Dnevnik". According to the lawyer, the justification in the minister's report is cynical because it implies that teachers over 65 years old do not have sufficient capacity to ensure the quality of education, nor to bring "higher education institutions into a real competitive environment at national and international levels". In her opinion, stimulating the professional motivation of the younger academic staff is not done by removing the older one. "Here we are not even talking about legal logic, we are talking about ordinary life logic, that we assign more work for the same money to someone and expect to motivate them. If the older teacher works better than the younger one and there is a need to reduce the academic staff, then the younger one should be laid off - these are the legal criteria," Petkova pointed out. What Do Students Think? SU student Stilyana Andreeva does not believe that older teachers should be dismissed based on age, as this does not affect their ability to be good teachers. "Yes, young people seek interactive and innovative methods, but they rush through lectures and do not emphasize work in class, but rather independent preparation. While with older ones, we discuss topics that are outside the limits of the university and affect real life. Sometimes they have more difficulty coping with technologies, but they manage to adapt with a little help from our side," she told "Dnevnik". "I do not believe that the teacher-student relationship is lost if the teacher is older, on the contrary - this strengthens the student's thinking process," said fifth-year SU student Slavi Krastev in an interview with "Dnevnik". His colleague Yoanna Miteva holds the opposite opinion: "I believe it is appropriate to make way for young people who want to develop in this field, as well as in any other. Older teachers certainly have a lot of experience, I have very warm feelings towards them, but there comes a moment when places must be opened for the younger ones and given a chance."

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Dnevnik.bg, 10.04.2021