Teachers and Administrators Evaluations Regarding the Law on Teaching Profession

Abstract

The quality of teachers, who have important contributions in the life of every individual who makes up the society, will directly affect the quality of the society we live in. For this reason, the Ministry of National Education made a new regulation regarding the professional rights of teachers and enacted the Teaching Profession Law. The aim of this study is to determine the evaluations of teachers and administrators regarding the newly enacted Teaching Profession Law which is expected to be in force after 15 February 2023. As qualitative research, the study was designed according to the phenomenology pattern. The study was carried out with a total of 89 participants, including 14 school administrators and 75 teachers working in different provinces. According to the findings obtained from the study, most of the participants did not support the transformation of teaching into a career profession and made negative comments. However, almost all of the participants (94%) made positive evaluations regarding the new additional indicator regulation. It has been observed that with the new regulation teachers have expectations that they will primarily gain financial rights, increase their motivation, and develop in terms of knowledge and skills. However, more than half of the participants (58.2%) stated that the regulations made would not lead to qualitative changes. Almost all of the teachers (97.4%) positively evaluated that the distinction between contracted and permanent teachers must be abolished.