მიხეილ ბატიაშვილი: „რეფორმის შედეგად მინიმუმამდე იქნება დაყვანილი ქალაქსა და სოფლის მოსწავლეებს შორის აკადემიურ მიღწევებში განსხვავებები. ყველა სკოლას ეყოლება მოტივირებული, კვალიფიციური, მაღალი სოციალური სტატუსის, დაფასებული მასწავლებელი“
Mikheil Batiashvili, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia, who met with newly entered teachers in the system, spoke about raising the prestige of teachers within the framework of the reform, popularizing the teaching profession, and the initial results of the steps taken towards appreciating teachers.
According to the Minister, in parallel with the increase in teachers' salaries, schools should encourage teachers to spend more teaching and non-teaching hours with students within the school and in the school environment, in order to facilitate the opportunity for all students to receive high-quality education.
“Within the framework of the reform, steps are being taken as a result of which the differences in academic achievements between urban and rural students will be minimized. Every school will have a motivated, qualified, highly socially statused, and appreciated teacher.
At the beginning of the 2019-20 academic year, the salary increase was implemented precisely for this purpose, and as a result, the average salary of a full-time senior teacher became 1,011 GEL, of a lead teacher 1,417 GEL, and of a mentor teacher 1,745 GEL. Salaries were also increased for teachers who do not teach full-time, and this increase amounted to an average of 100 GEL. A change was introduced in the rule for calculating teachers' hours, and those teachers who conduct more than 18 hours will additionally receive an hourly supplement in the amount of approximately 30 GEL. More than 6,400 teachers across Georgia received a state award in the amount of two years' salary offered by the state. Any practicing teacher of retirement age has the right to use this privilege until the end of 2019” - stated the Minister, who emphasized that compared to the previous academic year, the number of teachers on a full or more than full workload has increased by at least 16%. The average teaching workload of a pedagogue was 15 hours in 2018-19, and 17 hours in the 2019-20 academic year.
