Irina Abuladze to School Principals - It is your responsibility to pay special attention to the students with special educational needs and the Ministry will be strictly controlling the process

Irine Abuladze - Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia together with Eka Dgebuadze, Head of Inclusive Development Division introduced the school principals and resource centers official the projects that are currently being implemented and planned for schools. The meeting also discussed the challenges that impede the effective integration of students with special educational needs into the curriculum.

Irina Abuladze emphasized that inclusive education is one of the top priorities for the Ministry. Accordingly, it is the responsibility of school principals and heads of resource centers to pay special attention to students with disabilities, which the Ministry will closely monitor.

The meeting focused on identifying services introduced in the system and mentioned the need to introduce additional services.

The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia has implemented many important projects in the field of inclusive education in 2019. Specifically, since special educators were given teacher status, their salaries have increased by 205 GEL, following by the increase by 20% for all public school inclusive education specialists as of October 1, 2019.

For the first time in the academic year of 2019-2020, the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia introduced changes to the registration of first graders for the 2019-2020 academic year, in the interest of children with special educational needs. In particular, the first stage of registration was given priority to the children of this category. Furthermore, InclusiveEdu, and inclusive education information system - was developed and implemented; a careful and individual monitoring of 500 public schools was conducted; in conjunction with introducing a special teacher professional development scheme. Moreover, the standards for school psychologist and individidual moral assistance have been update and reworked, together with developing a child intelligence assessment tests. It is important that the new school model integrates inclusive education.

By 2020, the Ministry plans to actively keep pursuing activities in the areas of incluse education, thus increasing the overall quality of education across Georgia. This consists of introduction books in Braille, implementation of audio books and the development of diversified services. Additionally, all teachers involved in inclusive education will be re-trained and given special certificates. The development of social policies that are tailored to the individual needs of students with special needs will also be considered in the coming year, as well new schemes for funding the tuition fees and granting scholarships.