On 6-7 March 2025, the education team of the Polaris Programme held a webinar dedicated to the certification of teaching staff. The event sparked significant interest, with 1,260 people registering and over 900 teachers and education administrators actively participating in the discussion.
Serhii Diatlenko, Senior Expert at the Polaris Programme, emphasised the importance of adhering to the current Certification Regulations, which were examined in detail during the event. He also highlighted that the new edition of the Regulations differs significantly from previous versions, making it essential for school leaders to leave past practices behind to avoid errors.
Key Points and Insights from the Webinar:
• All necessary certification documents were submitted to the certification committees in the previous calendar year, following established schedules. Therefore, no additional materials (folders, portfolios), reports, or staged lessons are required under the current regulations.
• School principals issue formal orders to grant qualification categories and teaching titles based on certification records. These orders serve as official confirmation of certification results.
• The review of teachers’ practical experience is conducted only when necessary and is not a mandatory requirement for certification committee decisions.
• Certification should focus on assessing teachers’ professional competence in line with their job responsibilities.
Due to the high level of interest among educators, the webinar was extended to 7 March, allowing participants to delve deeper into disputed issues and key details of the 2025 certification process. The discussion covered practical aspects of certification, new requirements, challenges faced by teachers and certification committees, and expert advice on specific cases and questions from attendees.
The webinar explored several key aspects of the new certification process, including:
• The role of certification in teachers’ professional development and its significance for educational institutions.
• The certification procedure, requirements for qualification categories, and teaching titles.
• The responsibilities of certification committees and school administrators.
• Current challenges in certification, such as the need for a standardised approach and avoiding duplicate certification when changing jobs.
• The retention of categories and titles when teachers transition to new roles.
Thanks to the active engagement of participants and well-structured facilitation, certification is evolving beyond a formal procedure into an effective tool for enhancing the quality of education in Ukraine.
