UNICEF Mongolia - Teachers College Columbia University

CHAPTER 4: THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 2007 SALARY REFORM AT SCHOOL LEVEL
signals to teachers that the formave evaluaon of students is part and parcel of the teaching profession
and, for this reason, does not need to be compensated addionally. For educaon managers, the
eliminaon of the notebook-checking supplement entails less control and less micro-management
of teachers. Their previous role involved meculously counng the number of notebooks checked by
teachers and measuring it in terms of the frequency of red ink used on student notebooks. If necessary,
the managers would determine deducons from the supplement and think of addional punive
measures. Clearly, any reform that targets the change in professional identy needs to be considered
fundamental, even if it is minor in financial terms, as was the case in the funconal supplement for
notebook checking. Understandably, the professionals—teachers and managers—at first resisted such a
fundamental change.
It is important to point out that the funconal supplement for class teachers has been preserved. Primary
school teachers earn slightly more than secondary school teachers because they are class teachers by
default. However, their chances of making addional income from extra teaching hours are also smaller.
The other two funconal supplements are less controversial. The supplement for head of secon is a
proxy for the rank of the teacher who is heading the secon. Teachers who tend to serve as heads of the
secon are typically teachers with professional qualificaons—that is, lead teachers, methodologists, or
advisors who already earn a rank supplement. Thus, despite the fundamental reform of 2007, experienced
teachers tend to be rewarded three mes more than young and inexperienced teachers. Older teachers
earn more because:
• their base salary is higher because their salary category, based exclusively on years of teaching,
is higher (total: 5 categories)
• they are more likely to receive a rank supplement for having been promoted to lead teacher,
methodologist, and in a few cases to advisors; and
• the chances of being entrusted with supervising a cabinet (resource center, class room,
laboratory, etc.) or heading a secon are higher than for younger teachers.
In fact, a fourth phenomenon needs to be menoned in this context. Even though there are far fewer
addional hours assigned to teachers than before the 2007 salary reform, the ones that have the best
chances of geng assigned addional hours are older or experienced teachers. In the interviews with
educaon managers, the managers pointed out two selecon criteria for assigning teachers to addional
hours: (a) subject match and (b) teaching experience. In the current salary system in which the nominal
value of the base salary and the supplements were substanally raised, there seems to be lile jusficaon
for having these kinds of retenon payments, which are more typical of systems that fear losing effecve
and experienced teachers to other professions or the private sector.
4.2.2. Deduction of Salary Supplements
One of the most intriguing findings of the PETS Mongolia Study that we managed to problemaze was the
deducon of salary supplements. There used to be a very elaborate, me-consuming and, for teachers,
humiliang control apparatus in place to review teachers’ work. The various salary supplements, each
one of them only amounng to a small fracon of the total pay, served as an entry point for managers
to sancon teachers. The PET study solicited informaon on deducons administered by principals,
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TEACHERS IN MONGOLIA: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON RECRUITMENT INTO TEACHING,
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND RETENTION OF TEACHERS
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