Ekaterine Dgebuadze discussed a new planned project in the field of general education with the Ambassador of Estonia and the representative of the United Nations Children's Fund
Prior to the start of the new academic year, following the meeting of the Coordination Council held at the Government Administration, Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia Ekaterine Dgebuadze spoke about the ongoing security-related works in schools, in which resource centers and the Ministry as a whole are involved alongside school administrations.
According to Ekaterine Dgebuadze, ahead of the start of the academic year, the Ministry has already announced that mandatory recommendations approved by the Minister of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia have been developed, and public and private schools have already begun working on their implementation.
"Precisely within the framework of the existing recommendations and stemming from the epidemiological situation, it has been determined to equip all schools with mandatory necessities, the procurement of which was ensured by the state itself, and currently schools are 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, by September 15, the Labor Inspection Service operating under the Ministry of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health and Social Affairs of Georgia
will inspect both 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 links of the agency are involved in the process of implementing the mandatory recommendations.
According to Ekaterine Dgebuadze, not only the school administration, teachers, and students, but also parents and the public will be informed about the enforcement of regulations. Video clips will be created to help all participants in the educational process adhere to the established recommendations.
"Due to the fact that every school has its own individual needs and different infrastructural conditions, including those arising from 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 regarding duration. They are also given the choice to organize the lesson timetable, including by classes, so that all students can attend school physically. In the event that a school has certain infrastructural challenges, they are provided with the opportunity to develop a flexible lesson duration schedule during the educational process. They are also given the option to utilize Saturday for organization.
The school will have the right to determine its own start time of the day. It can begin classes at 9 o'clock and stagger the reception of students every 15 minutes according to classes and educational stages," Ekaterine Dgebuadze explained.
The Deputy Minister also emphasized that the Ministry is preparing in a number of other directions as well. Specifically, textbooks will be waiting for all students from the 1st to the 12th grade in their classrooms, while first-graders will receive computers.
