CAIRO: The Educators' Union of Giza governorate denounced recent statements made by some Ministry of Education officials refusing to allow teachers and education administrators to re-take evaluation exams, which determine their qualification for pay raises. Since the People's Assembly approval the new law increasing the teachers' and education administrators' salaries in July 2007, the Ministry of Education has been giving a series of tests to evaluate the teachers and administrators. Only those who pass the exams get the promised raise. According to an official statement by the union, some of the teachers and administrative employees in the education sector who failed or were unable to attend the August 2008 exams were able to retake the exams in April 2009. "Why wouldn't the teachers and education administrators who took their first exams in April 2009 be given the same chance - by being allowing to retake the test in coming August? the statement continued. The Union called such a decision unfair. On the other hand, Minister of Education Youssry Al-Gamal told Al-Beit Betak talk show on state TV, last week that he has no intention of preventing any teacher or administrator from entering the test, as many times as he or she would desire.
