Georgia and Japan to Cooperate Closely in the Field of Education
Mikheil Chkhenkeli, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia, who is on an official visit to Japan, met with the leadership of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), where the parties discussed issues of cooperation in the field of education.
Mikheil Chkhenkeli thanked the Japanese side for the hospitality and presented the ongoing reforms in the education system of Georgia. He emphasized that education is a priority of the Government of Georgia, and 6 percent of the gross domestic product will be allocated specifically to the education system.
During the bilateral meeting, Mikheil Chkhenkeli noted that the main challenge and priority of the Government of Georgia is vocational education. At the same time, in the direction of general education, an enormous role is assigned to the profession of the teacher, raising its prestige, and their professional development, which is also a priority of the education reform.
At the meeting, Mikheil Chkhenkeli emphasized that the involvement of Japanese experts is very important for the Georgian side in the process of improving the education system. To this end, in order to deepen cooperation for the purpose of learning the Georgian language, Mikheil Chkhenkeli proposed to the Japanese side the establishment of Georgian centers in Japan. As for teaching the Japanese language, the initiative regarding the arrival of volunteer teachers in Georgia was discussed.
With the representatives of the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the Minister also spoke about the importance of Kutaisi International University, which will start functioning next year. In this regard, Mikheil Chkhenkeli proposed to the host side the involvement of professors from leading Japanese universities in the academic and scientific activities of Kutaisi International University.
At the end of the meeting, the leadership of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which is interested in cooperating with Georgia in the field of education, expressed readiness for active cooperation in the directions of both student and professor exchange programs.
