"Do you have a pulse? Teach": The secret correspondence of teachers about the collapse of the system

The Ministry of Education attempts to embellish the reality, but correspondence from teachers in closed forums—where they speak without filters about what is happening in schools—reveals the true situation and how it harms students.

"Is it possible to obligate a teacher to cover a shift during time meant for personal or individual sessions?" asked one teacher, adding: "The vice-principal claims this is a teaching hour and is allowed." This reveals the helplessness of the system: teachers are forced to teach in classrooms even during hours designated for individual lessons. Consequently, struggling students pay the price by not receiving the help they need.

In some cases, teachers' administrative hours—meant for grading tests, pedagogical tasks, and meetings—are canceled to fill holes in the schedule. The responses from fellow teachers were swift: "It is forbidden, but apparently, no one is actually interested."

"Bending everything"

The teacher shortage is severe, particularly in the central region. Principals cannot find quality teachers (those who studied the subject they are teaching) and are forced to bring in teaching students, teacher's aides, and even untrained discharged soldiers.

One teacher noted: "In this era, the Ministry of Education is bending everything; they are even training kindergarten teachers in three months." Ultimately, the students suffer, as those teaching them have not been properly trained for the role.

Reluctance to be homeroom teachers

Another issue is the shortage of homeroom teachers, as subject teachers are unwilling to take on the responsibility. "I found out that in my school, four teachers have taken on two classes each because of the shortage," one teacher wrote. Others shared similar stories. "There is no worse exploitation than this," one teacher wrote with frustration.

One teacher explained why this is destructive for students who will not receive personal attention:

"There are not enough hours in the day to bring the whole class to significant and high achievements, so two classes?"

Teaching is one of the most exhausting professions. Teachers retire at 62, but many request early retirement because they feel unable to continue. However, due to the shortage, the Ministry of Education only approves early retirement based on strict quotas.

The correspondence shows that the Ministry of Education is dragging its feet on responses, and many teachers will arrive on September 1st feeling frustrated. "They said that whoever hasn't received [approval] won't receive it. This is the answer after 36 years of teaching at age 59—it is simply a shame," one teacher wrote.