Does Certification Program Affect Teacher Performance? Evidence from Sungai Penuh City, Indonesia

Teacher certification is one way to ensure that teachers have the knowledge, skills, and professional competencies necessary to provide quality teaching and achieve optimal learning outcomes. This study aims to describe the performance of certified and non-certified teachers and to compare the performance of teachers in both groups. The study used a survey design. Over a period of two months, 115 teachers from two schools in Sungai Penuh City, Jambi Province, participated in the survey. The data analysis techniques used were descriptive and Mann Whitney U Test. The findings of the study revealed that the performance of both certified and non-certified teachers was in the moderate category, but the average score of the certified group was higher than that of the non-certified group. Furthermore, statistical testing indicated that there was a difference in the performance of certified and non-certified teachers in both schools. The results of this study have important implications for improving teacher performance. Education policymakers at the central and regional levels need to develop strategic efforts to create quality teachers. Material rewards and opportunities for career development should be provided, and certification programs should be accompanied by teacher competence tests with accompanying sanctions and rewards.