Mikheil Chkhenkeli delivered a speech at the online conference organized by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe
The Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of
Georgia, Mikheil Chkhenkeli participated in the online Ministerial of Education
organized by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe as one of the
keynote speakers.
The first session of the conference was devoted to the
challenges facing the education system in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic
and the issues of delivering quality education. Mikheil Chkhenkeli shared his
experience of adapting the Georgian education system to the online format.
Mikheil Chkhenkeli: โIt is a great
honor to participate in the Ministerial of Education organized by the Committee
of Ministers of the Council of Europe. Allow me to express my sincere gratitude
for the invitation.
The Covid-19 pandemic has posed unprecedented challenges to the
entire world. The new reality has given us an even stronger incentive to focus
more on education, which is one of the fundamental human rights and a powerful
driving force for the sustainable development of any country. This is evidenced
by the decision of the Government of Georgia, which declares education and
science as the main priority and the annual increase of the budget.
The challenges that followed the proliferation of Covid-19
required the mobilization of all available resources to make quick, purposeful,
and bold decisions. I am proud to say that the Ministry has developed a new
mechanism for providing continuous and quality education throughout Georgia and
mitigated the negative impact of Covid-19 on the education system through
innovative solutions. In addition to online lessons and other distance
resources, the Ministry has launched a large-scale educational project "TV
School", which continues today. TV lessons are held in Georgian, as well
as in the languages of ethnic minorities residing in Georgia. In addition,
translations of all TV lessons are provided by a sign language interpreter. Our
goal is to uphold the universal principle - to leave no one behind and promote
universal access to quality education."
In his speech, the Minister noted that in response to the
epidemiological situation, in order for everyone to have access to education,
the Georgian education system uses a hybrid method of teaching. The Ministry of
Education, Science, Culture and Sport, in close cooperation with the Ministry
of Health and epidemiologists, effectively manages the process through a point
response. In addition, to ensure a safe learning environment, the Ministry also
offers parents the opportunity of distance learning.
According to Mikheil Chkhenkeli, the international community
highly appreciated Georgia's efforts in introducing distance learning. He
thanked Georgia's international partners, the Council of Europe, for their
invaluable assistance during the pandemic.
The Minister noted that the pandemic has clearly shown the
importance of education as a solid foundation for democracy. He said cooperation,
coordination between different governments, sharing best practices and
innovative policies play an important role in shaping a better future.
Council of
Europe Secretary General, Marija Pejฤinoviฤ Buriฤ and EU Commissioner for
Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Maria Gabriel also
addressed the conference; The Minister of Education and Religion of Greece,
Nicki Kerameus, and the Minister of Education of France, Jean-Michel Blanche,
spoke about the experience of their countries.
