Announcement of the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia

As a consequence of recent events, the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia is apologetic over the non-constructive actions of the director of the National Center of Manuscripts and hopes that the relationship between the Center and the Ministry will soon get back on track.

It is unequivocal that there are serious faults being identified in the functioning of the National Center of Manuscripts. Taking into account the fact that for the last two years the  Center’s budget has increased and, additionally, that the Center has a regular income in grants (the source of income is the Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation of the Ministry of Education and Science), the aforementioned revenues are not rationally reflected in the wages of the employees. The approach that the administration of the Center has devised towards pay policy is considered by the Ministry to be subject for immediate change.  

It should be remarked that for the last two years the Ministry has started solving all of the problems the center had had for many years. The project that the center had not been able to carry out for many years, due to the lack of money, was financed. The Ministry financed the international conference “Tao-Klarjeti” as well as the scientific expedition to Mount Sinai with the intention of studying the Georgian manuscripts preserved at St. Ekaterine Monastery. In 2014 the center was financed to buy and install a preservation air-conditioner in order to create the conditions needed for the preservation of the manuscripts in the archive of the Center. The Minister supported many a program that for years had been neglected.

For many years the arrangement of the archives of the Center and facilitation of a new building were an insoluble problem. The state started solving the abovementioned issue last year and the process has continued up until present day.

In accordance with the technical task devised by the Center and the Ministry, the infrastructural model for the National Center of Manuscripts is being processed and after this process is over, the projection will start. Together with the director of the Center, the Ministry reviewed some of the alternatives for the territory designated as the location for the new center. In order to determine the location, work is done in accordance with the criteria that emphasize the value of the National Center of Manuscripts and the preservation of the manuscripts in accordance with international standards.

Taking all of this into account, the Ministry believes that the accusations made by the Center are without merit and they invoke a range of questions. In addition, the Ministry of Education is open and willing to work on any issue together with the staff of the Center.