Before the start of the new academic year, Eka Dgebuadze explained safety recommendations
Prior to the start of the new academic year, Ekaterine Dgebuadze, Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia, following the meeting of the Coordination Council held at the Government Administration, spoke about the ongoing uninterrupted safety works in schools, involving resource centers and the Ministry as a whole, in addition to school administrations.
According to Ekaterine Dgebuadze, prior to the start of the academic year, the Ministry had already announced that mandatory recommendations approved by the Minister of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia had been developed, and public and private schools have already begun working on their implementation.
"Within the framework of the existing recommendations and based on the epidemiological situation, the equipping of schools with all mandatory necessities has been determined, the procurement of which was ensured by the state itself, and schools are currently being supplied with these necessary items. By September 10, all schools will be provided with face masks, disinfection barriers, appropriate liquids, as well as thermal screening devices.
Most importantly, before September 15, the Labour Inspection Service of the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia will inspect both all public and private schools, and the educational process in a specific school will commence only after the conclusion of their recommendations. Prior to that, the academic year will not begin," stated the Deputy Minister, emphasizing that all relevant branches of the agency are involved in the process of implementing the mandatory recommendations.
According to Ekaterine Dgebuadze, not only school administrations, teachers, and students, but also parents and the public will be informed about the compliance with regulations. Video materials will be created to help all participants in the educational process follow the established recommendations.
"Due to the fact that every school has its individual needs and different infrastructural conditions, including those based on the number of students, schools have been granted full freedom to organize the educational process based on their own needs.
They can develop a flexible schedule for duration. They are also given the choice to organize the class timetable, including for classes, in such a way that all students attend school. In the event that a school faces certain infrastructural challenges, they are given the opportunity to develop a flexible lesson duration schedule during the educational process. They are also given the choice to use Saturday for organization.
The school will have the right to determine its own start of the day. It can start classes at 9 o'clock and determine the reception of students every 15 minutes according to classes and educational stages," explained Ekaterine Dgebuadze.
The Deputy Minister also emphasized that the Ministry is preparing in a number of other areas as well. Specifically, all students from the 1st to the 12th grade will find textbooks in their classrooms, and first-graders will receive computers.
