Fact Checking: Why teachers don't want to participate in state exams
Teachers in several regions of Russia refuse to take part in the organization and conduct of the state final certification (GIA), teachers' unions told Izvestia and confirmed the authorities of one of the regions. The reason is the low pay, which can even amount to 120-150 rubles for a full—time job. Rosobrnadzor recalled that the amount and procedure for paying such compensation are set by the regional authorities, and the federal center cannot influence this. As a result, teachers complain that they are included in the lists of GIA employees without asking, although this is a voluntary matter. About where in the Russian Federation the lowest amount of compensation for teachers for such additional work is in the Izvestia article.
How much can you earn on GIA
"At least they would pay the GIA normally for this, and not 265 rubles, it's ridiculous," a teacher named Kristina shares her opinion on social networks.
"Haha. We're actually 120," says Julia, a school employee.
"Well, then we're still rich," Kristina sums up.
Now such discussions on social networks can be found regularly, because on April 22, 2025, the early stage of the state final assessment (GIA) for ninth graders, the OGE (basic state examination), starts across the country. The early period for the unified State Exam (USE) for eleventh graders began a month ago — on March 21. The main period of the OGE starts on May 21, and the Unified State Exam starts on May 23.
As the regional Center for Informatization of Education of the Republic of Tyva informed Izvestia, due to low pay for participation in the preparation and conduct of the GIA, "there is an annual shortage of teaching staff willing to work during the exams."
As follows from the annual monitoring of the Teacher trade union, which analyzed official payment orders on the websites of executive authorities in all Russian regions, the lowest compensation for exam organizers is in Tuva, which is 20 rubles per hour, that is, 120 rubles per day for six hours of the exam.
Approximately the same amount of compensation is 125 rubles in the Altai Territory, but only for those teachers who work in the classroom during the exam. Those who "ensure the organization of the entrance of exam participants to the exam site (PPE), check the documents, the presence of a student in the distribution lists for this PPE, help teenagers find the right audience, accompany students at the exit," will receive 65 rubles per day. This year, the tariff in the region was increased — before that, the amount of compensation was 99 and 50 rubles, respectively.
In Mari El, they will pay 150 rubles for work in the classroom and 100 outside it, in Tatarstan — about 154 rubles each, in Adygea — 160 and 120, respectively.
From 200 to 300 rubles per day of work can be obtained in the republics of Dagestan, Altai, Kalmykia, as well as in the Saratov, Chelyabinsk, Kostroma, Tula, Bryansk, Amur, Lipetsk and Ryazan regions. There is a similar amount of compensation in the Chukotka Autonomous Region.
In accordance with current legislation, each subject sets the amount of additional payments for the participation of teaching staff in the Unified State Exam and the OGE separately, depending on their capabilities, Mikhail Avdeenko, deputy chairman of the All-Russian Trade Union of Education (OPRO), reminded Izvestia. According to him, no single payments have yet been established at the federal level.
— Participation in the GIA is voluntary for teaching staff, — he noted. — Therefore, if they agree to it, they understand what compensation payments they agree to. It is clear that it is difficult to refuse when the head asks the teaching staff to participate in this event.
Teachers in the Astrakhan Region (1,041 rubles), Kaluga Region (1,080 rubles), Krasnoyarsk Territory (1,100 rubles), Volgograd Region (1,166 rubles), Yakutia (1,314 rubles) will receive from a thousand rubles per day of classroom work. In Moscow, teachers are paid 1,400 rubles each, in the Moscow Region — 1,325 rubles, in St. Petersburg — 1,763, in the Leningrad Region — 1,530.
Izvestia has sent requests to all regions with a minimum payment for GIA. Only the authorities of Tuva responded. They reported that a draft decree of the Government of the republic has been developed, which explains the need to increase compensation payments by 163%, taking into account the increase in the minimum wage.
"At the moment, the draft resolution is under approval by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Tyva," the regional Center for Informatization of Education reported.
Can teachers refuse
Olga Miryasova, the organizational secretary of the Teacher trade union, confirmed that many teachers are ready to give up such low-paying jobs, but are forced to join the PPE for fear of administrative pressure.
— There are even regions where teachers go on vacation for the 90 days they are supposed to, but they are forced to go out for exams, despite the fact that the termination of the vacation is possible only with the consent of the employee, — she said. — GIA is something like a civic duty, as in the case of a jury trial. Even the law "On Education" is not about payment, but about compensation.
According to her, on the eve of exams, the union regularly receives questions from teachers about how to refuse to work at the GIA.
"I was just notified after the fact that I am a participant in this event," a teacher from St. Petersburg wrote to the organization. — I personally have not signed any additional agreements or any other pieces of paper. And I've already worked out such a day on the April 4 foreign language test. I still don't know how this time from 7:40 to 3:30 p.m. will be paid for. As an organizer outside the classroom, I wasted my day."
A teacher from Chuvashia said that their school "just posted a list, forced them to fill out the documents and without objections."
"At first, they took a statement from everyone. Now they don't even ask, they put it in front of the fact. Moreover, I understand the deputy director — the district authorities are squeezing her out. As the municipal coordinator said, "Only the operating table or death does not allow the teacher to participate in the Unified State Exam." Imagine, we ourselves have no right to take exams, but we must and must sit as an overseer for three or four hours," another teacher shared.
"Our order was printed, they said that I have no right not to sign. But I have never seen any additional agreement. But I don't want to!" another teacher wrote to the union.
Many write that they are being "forced", "added to the lists without warning", "the vacation date was changed without approval", "they don't even ask", "everything is by default".
"Let them pay normally, and then the teachers will go on their own," the teachers summarize.
The Teacher trade union recalled that Article 60 of the Labor Code prohibits the requirement to perform work that is not stipulated by an employment contract.
"As stated in the letter of the Ministry of Education and Science dated October 15, 2015, the employer does not have the right to assign duties to a teacher without his consent that are not provided for by the qualification characteristics of his position,— the organization told Izvestia. — Neither the unified qualification directory of positions of managers, specialists and employees, nor the professional standard "Teacher" for teachers does not establish responsibilities for preparing and participating in the state final certification."
Rosobrnadzor previously indicated that written consent is required to perform additional duties for the preparation and conduct of the GIA.
Rosobrnadzor, in response to a question about the difference in payment for work at the GIA, reminded Izvestia that the amount and procedure for paying such compensation are established by the subject of the Russian Federation at the expense of budget allocations.
"Rosobrnadzor is not authorized to establish the amount and procedure for paying compensation to teaching staff participating in the GIA, as well as to monitor the implementation of regulatory legal acts that determine the amount and procedure for payment," the agency said.
According to Mikhail Avdeenko, the All-Russian Trade Union of Education "keeps this issue under review," but there are no fundamental decisions towards a real increase in compensation yet.
"There is a problem, we know it," the expert pointed out. — Together with our social partners, including the Ministry of Education and Rosobrnadzor, which is organizing this event, we will think about ways to solve this really problematic issue.
Larisa Solodilova, the chairman of the survey, recalled that in 2019, the trade union initiated the development, together with the Ministry of Education and Rosobrnadzor, of methodological recommendations on the observance of social guarantees for teaching staff involved in the GIA. They were sent to the regions in 2020.
She also noted that the industry agreement between the trade union and the Ministry of Education for 2024-2026 sets out positions on the need to improve the procedure, unify and increase the amount of compensation for teachers for participating in the GIA.
— Now the trade union experts are forming an appeal to Rosobrnadzor and the Ministry of Education in order to increase the level of guarantees and compensations for teaching staff of educational organizations, — she said.
Irina Abankina, a professor at the Higher School of Economics Institute of Education, stated that teachers are not needed to organize and conduct exams: it is absolutely not necessary to have experience, experience, or teaching in order to be an organizer and observer at these exams. That's why teachers don't want to engage in this activity, she believes.
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