Math simply removed from schedule: Volgograd fifth-graders teacherless

Gymnasium No. 13 in Volgograd«s Traktorozavodsky District has no math teachers left for its fifth-grade classes. According to parents, the previous teacher resigned, but no one is replacing him — there is no one available. The information about the staffing crisis was confirmed by both a source within the editorial office and the gymnasium»s administration.

As readers of V1.RU reported, math classes abruptly disappeared for fifth-graders after the January holidays.

«There are three fifth-grade classes at the gymnasium, that»s about 60–65 children. For the second week, there has been no math in these classes; the subject has even disappeared from the online diary. There has been no permanent teacher since the start of the school year. They asked a woman who was retired to fill in. She warned she would leave. After the New Year, she quit. And now there«s silence. They said they are looking. Meanwhile, math is taught in other classes. But the 5th grade is where the fundamentals are taught. How will they write the All-Russian Verification Work (VPR) later?» the readers reported.

A V1.RU source within the education system said the gymnasium has been looking for a math teacher since the summer.

«There is no one to teach the fifth grades, but math is taught in all other classes. There was a teacher, now she»s gone. A new one hasn«t been found yet. The teachers who teach math in other classes already have a heavy workload. Every teacher has the right to take on or decline additional workload based on their capabilities,» the source says. «The problem lies elsewhere — graduates don»t come to work in schools. Salaries, working conditions, workload… Our teachers are obliged to do a lot, but essentially, they are engaged in charity. The problem is not specifically this gymnasium«s, but the state»s. Low salaries and high workload. There is no one to replace them. If they paid 100,000 rubles (approximately $1,100 USD at current rates), then, probably, young people would come to work. But for now, the base salary is 16,000 rubles (approximately $178 USD), so what is there to discuss? That«s lower than what janitors make. It all turns out to be charity. Those at the top know about the problem, but for some reason, it isn»t being solved…«

Gymnasium Director Olga Bondareva, in a conversation with a V1.RU correspondent, confirmed the information about the teacher«s resignation and that there are no math lessons in the 5th-grade classes.

«We are actively working on this. The vacancy is open. Other teachers cannot conduct classes in these grades because they have a high workload,» the director clarified.

V1.RU contacted the city administration for comment on the situation at the gymnasium. No response had been received at the time of publication.