The process of textbook approval has begun
The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia has started the process of textbook approval for all subjects of IX grade and for some subjects of elementary and basic levels (I-VIII grades). The First Deputy Minister, Ekaterine Dgebuadze spoke about the process in detail, at a briefing held at the Ministry.
The certification process on the platform based on the LEPL Education Management Information System - https://grifireba.emis.ge - is fully electronic, which allows Georgian specialists living abroad to be involved in the textbook evaluation process.
The First Deputy Minister noted that in order to ensure the involvement of all stakeholders in the textbook approval process, including parents, a copy of all textbooks (anonymous copies) will be publicly posted on the electronic portal by March 18. Anyone interested in this portal will have the opportunity to get acquainted with its content and make relevant comments.
The comments left by the interested parties on the portal will be reviewed by the subject groups of the textbook evaluators, who, taking into account the specifics of the subject, together with the experts of the National Curriculum, will bring together teachers with many years of practice, field scientists, psychologists, philologists and other professions.
Phase I of the review will be completed in May and Phase II will start in early June. The decision to approve the textbook will be made by June 18, 2021. If more than three certified textbooks in the subject pass the review stage, the school will make a choice from the top three in the ranking.
In 2021, 54 applications were submitted for textbook/series certification, of which 53 passed the first stage and passed the review stage. At the same time, for the first time in the history of textbook approval, textbooks of Abkhazian language and literature for grades I-IV are presented.
The Ministry actively cooperates with various governmental and non-governmental organizations, including the Public Defender's Office and the Georgian Young Lawyers' Association, in selecting and training textbook reviewers. Such openness of the system was positively assessed by the Georgian Young Lawyers' Association and the Foundation for the Promotion of Legal Education in the report - "Equality Policy in the General Education System". In addition, in 2020, in collaboration with the United Nations Children's Fund, an international independent expert evaluated the textbook process and issued recommendations.
