Ekaterine Dgebuadze Discusses Preparations for the New Academic Year with UNICEF Representative

Ekaterine Dgebuadze, Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia, discussed the preparations for the 2020-21 academic year with Ghassan Khalil, UNICEF Representative in Georgia.

Ekaterine Dgebuadze noted that the Ministry is actively preparing for the beginning of the new academic year. The planning process to prevent the spread of the coronavirus is being carried out in cooperation with the Ministry of Refugees, Labor, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia and the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health (NCDC). According to the Deputy Minister, the general education infrastructure is being intensively regulated in order to protect all the norms of hygiene and safety in general.

During the meeting, the parties discussed the need for alternative ways of involving UNICEF in the renewed learning process. Ghassan Khalil expressed readiness to support the Georgian education system.

Additionally, the meeting also focused on providing education for out-of-school children. The Deputy Minister noted that the Ministry is planning important projects in this regard, in coordination with other ministries. An alternative curriculum is also being developed that will offer such students an appropriate learning environment.

The participants of the meeting also discussed the joint project of the Ministry and the Embassy of Estonia, which envisages the revision of the secondary education, and the national curriculum in accordance with international experience. The parties discussed the scheme for the implementation of the next phase of the project under the terms of Covid-19.

At the end of the meeting, Ekaterine Dgebuadze thanked Ghassan Khalil for the fruitful cooperation and implementation of several important projects. The parties have scheduled future meetings to discuss in detail the preparations for the new academic year.