Mikheil Chkhenkeli: "Our main goal is to avoid distance learning"

Mikheil Chkhenkeli, the candidate running for the Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia, addressed the joint committees of Parliament and stated that the return of students to classrooms is a great achievement.

Mikheil Chkhenkeli: “I stand by my view,  not only as a minister, but also as a university professor, that the natural environment for the learning process is at the classroom and in auditoriums. No matter how good the distance learning is, it can’t not substitute the natural process, the energy that circulates universities and schools. I would like to congratulate the public once again, that collectively we were able to allow out students to return to where they belong – the classrooms. Now even more challenging task awaits, to maintain this dynamic and epidemiological situation in the country.

Having said this, I would like to ask all citizens to strictly follow the recommendations provided by the healthcare experts, so that our students can continue their studies in classrooms and auditoriums. The next stage will be the gradual opening of kindergartens, followed by vocational and higher education institutions.

We observe the process and the impact of returning to classrooms on the epidemiological level. I would like to inform you, that the process is satisfactory so far. We manage every school individually, on a point-by-point basis. If this dynamic is maintained, we all hope to end the semester in classrooms. Our main goal remains sound to avoid remote learning at all costs”.

In parallel with the resumption of the educational process, the control of schools by the Ministry continues uninterrupted. It was because of intensive monitoring and mandatory testing that confirmed the record low (1.05% ) cases of Covid-19 amongst school personnel across the country in the last week. As for the students, out of 600,000 students in public and private schools, the infection was detected in only 0.03%.

From February 15 to date, following a request from parents, a total of 34 schools across the country have switched to full-distance mode and 116 classes online.

Within the framework of the extended testing program, 85,141 teachers have been registered at this stage, who will pass the mandatory testing in gradual stages.

School monitoring, as well as mandatory testing of teachers and school administrative staff, will continue systematically in the future. For this purpose, Mikheil Chkhenkeli, Acting Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia, Ekaterine Dgebuadze, First Deputy Minister and Gela Geladze, Head of the Resource Officer Service visited about 40 schools during the week, of which only 3 schools were given sanitary-hygienic recommendations. It is important that schools are inspected by resource centers on  daily basis.

Moreover, it should be noted that in case the virus is detected, point restrictions will still apply in schools, as provided by the protocol developed by the Ministry of Health.

The uninterrupted flow of quality education and the protection of students’ health is the main priority of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of Georgia.