Teacher Training Institute lays off 68 employees
The Teacher Training Institute (TTI) has 70 employees but everyone except the director and deputy director have been dismissed, according to the institute’s curriculum methodologist B.Tsogbadrakh.
B.Tsogbadrakh said, “TTI is an organization affiliated to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Sports that receives financing to employ 70 people from the Ministry of Finance. Around this time of the year, starting early-August until schools begin, methodologists are very busy and have many workshops to organize. Guidance on what to teach in the new academic year are all taught to teachers around this period.”
“D.Surenchimeg was appointed as acting director in May, but when we were working outside giving training, exactly on August 7, he called us into her office one by one and gave us notices of dismissal. This means that we’ll become unemployed starting September 7. She even called in employees on maternity leave to hand them their dismissal notice.”
The laid off employees were told that the institute was restructuring and that dismissed employees can participate in their selection and get assigned to a new job, the methodologist said. The new structure will not allow B.Tsogbadrakh to work in his former post because new job requirements for methodologists include a degree in information and technology, which B.Tsogbadrakh doesn’t have.
“Although I graduated as a physics teacher, I’m one of the teachers who have been working for over 20 years to introduce online and remote curriculums to the Mongolian education system,” B.Tsogbadrakh said.
He added that when he asked acting director D.Surenchimeg if he was losing his job as he received the dismissal notice, D.Surenchimeg apparently confirmed with a “yes”.
“I’ve put up a post for a job as a physics teacher. A few schools have made an offer. But the reason I’m disclosing this matter to the public is that I want our young methodologists to keep their job.”
When asked to clarify this matter, D.Surenchimeg stated, “In June 2018, the Education Development Support Law was enacted. Within its scope, TTI was put in charge of development of teachers teaching at universities and vocational training centers. The minister gave orders telling us to restructure our staffing of 70 people. Accordingly, we handed out notices of dismissal. This does not mean that all staff are being fired – not at all. With the notice, I gave them a list of new job vacancies and advised them to participate in the selection. I even told them to come meet me after drafting their vision for their prospect job and their own development plans. I said that I would announce an open selection after they’ve been assigned to suitable openings.”
Regarding new job requirements for methodologists, D.Surenchimeg cited a new decision passed by TTI’s board of directors on August 6, 2018. The decision specified that methodologists should have at least a master’s degree as they train teachers who have a bachelor’s degree.
“We have many methodologists who don’t have a master’s degree. I told our employees that it’s possible to get rehired if they are enrolled in a master’s course or plan to enroll this fall. This does not violate any law or an incidence of unjust dismissal,” the acting director stated.