Schools in the Vitebsk region need 156 foreign language teachers

February 15, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. Schools in the Vitebsk region need 156 foreign language teachers. This was announced today at a meeting of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee's education department by its head, Ivan Shchurok, according to a BELTA correspondent. Despite the fact that general education institutions in the region are fully staffed for the current academic year, there is a need for foreign language teachers. Currently, the average workload for a teacher is 30 hours per week, and many are working 1.5 positions. According to Ivan Shchurok, it is impossible to quickly fill the staff shortage with university graduates. Therefore, he proposed that Vitebsk State University named after P. Masherov organize training in the specialty "Foreign Language" with a reduced study period for individuals with higher pedagogical education. There is positive experience in retraining teachers in the region. A few years ago, schools experienced a shortage of mathematics and physics teachers. At that time, primary school teachers were sent for retraining to the Academy of Postgraduate Education and Vitebsk University. Currently, the shortage of these specialists has been replenished. Preschool educational institutions are also experiencing a shortage of specialists. Kindergartens need 136 educators. In addition, in general education schools, 8.7% of teachers are of retirement age, and 7.4% of retired educators work in preschool institutions. In the 2011-2012 academic year, 738 young teachers will come to schools in the region. -0-