For the first time, blind students will have textbooks in audio format
At the initiative of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia, blind and visually impaired IV-VII grade students will have the opportunity to study using audio format textbooks, which will enable them to receive a full-fledged education amidst the pandemic. The Ministry's aim is to ensure their maximum independence and social integration.
With the support of the Ministry, all approved (griffened) textbooks for grades IV-VII will be integrated into an audio format. As a result, the recorded books will benefit not only students, but also any interested individuals, as the textbooks will be posted on the Ministry's official website.
At the initiative of the Ministry and with the full support of the Government of Georgia, the procurement for converting approved textbooks into an audio format will be carried out by the LEPL - Educational and Scientific Infrastructure Development Agency, an entity within the Ministry's scope of governance. Consequently, in the near future, blind and visually impaired students will be provided with essential educational resources.
Equal access to quality education for all is one of the Ministry's priorities. In this regard, a crucial task of the Ministry is to provide students with educational resources in order to integrate the child into social life as fully as possible and to achieve the development of their personality, including their cultural and spiritual development.
To this very end, the Ministry has already provided blind and visually impaired students with newly approved school textbooks assembled in Braille and printed with tactile graphics. With these resources, students have the opportunity to receive information both in text form and through tactile touch of the visual materials provided in the textbooks. Very soon, students will also have the audio versions of the approved textbooks, which will facilitate their effective engagement in the educational process under pandemic conditions. In the future, the conversion of textbooks into audio format will be continued on a phased basis.
