Construction of the European School complex begins in Tbilisi
Near Lisi Lake, European Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn, Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Gakharia, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Mikheil Batiashvili and Mayor of Tbilisi Kakha Kaladze laid a symbolic foundation capsule at the construction site of the European School complex.
Prior to this, European Commissioner Johannes Hahn, EU Ambassador to Georgia Carl Hartzell, and Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia Mikheil Batiashvili met with high school students from European Eastern Partnership member countries. The meeting was held at the “New School”, the pilot phase of which started in 2018 and represents the first precedent outside the European Union. Notably, 30 students will complete the program at the “New School” during the first phase of this large-scale cooperation project with the European Union. On the same premises, the guests inspected the dormitory.
The new European school meeting EU standards and accommodating 100 students, along with a dormitory, will be built on a 26,099 sq.m plot of land allocated by the Tbilisi City Hall.
The European School will have no analogue in the region and represents the first precedent outside the European Union. Notably, the establishment of this school is one of the key objectives for the European Union within the framework of the Eastern Partnership (“Eastern Partnership – 20 Deliverables for 2020”). The school will offer students from six partner countries (Azerbaijan, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, and Ukraine) high-quality European education based on a multicultural environment and fundamental values, which will enhance their employment opportunities.
The pilot, first phase of the European School began in 2018 on the basis of the “New School”. A dormitory was also built on the same premises. The construction was entirely funded by the European Commission. Since 2019, 75 students aged 16-17, selected through competitive conditions from partner countries, have been studying in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme. After the full-scale launch of the school, it is planned to integrate the content and concepts of the European education system into the Georgian National Curriculum, offer a double diploma to students, and have the Georgian education system recognize the specific senior secondary education curriculum of the European School (ES) in accordance with national legislation.
In addition to investing in the school complex infrastructure, the European Union will continue to allocate study grants, provide professional training for teachers, and support the improvement and development of the curriculum.
The school will become fully operational in September 2023 and will serve as a prime example of Georgia-EU cooperation.
