PM: Education Reform Will Eliminate Many Problems

Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze has said he believes that the education reform initiated by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science of Georgia, will eliminate many problems in the country.

During a Facebook Live, Bakhtadze said that he will speak about the works carried out in this regard so far, along with Education Minister Mikheil Batiashvili, next week.

“The success of this reform is reflected in the fact that reform should ensure the dominance of the education sector in our economy because we need to have such a system where economy is based on education,” he said.

Bakhtadze stated that in the 1990s, economy and education were weakened, resulting in numerous problems countrywide.

“As a result of this reform, we should ensure that the education sector has at least a 10-12% share in the GDP, which is the minimum amount that will ensure the creation and development of human capital for any nation, including Georgia,” he added.

The PM also spoke about the schools, naming them the fundament of the state.

“We need schools to give education to our future generation. Of course, exams are one of the important mechanisms for the education system to be successful, but if we take the practices of the most successful countries, we will see that exams are not a universal idea: the universal idea is to gain knowledge and create human capital," he said.

It was announced by the Education Ministry that School Graduation Exams will be abolished from 2020. Also, major changes will be enacted in the education system from 2020. Prior to that, in 2019, 11th graders will be exempted from graduation exams, but these exams will be retained for 12th grade students.

It was stated that National Examinations will be conducted in three compulsory subjects instead of four from 2020. Georgian language and literature and foreign language exams will remain mandatory for all entrants.

Entrants will still be able to choose both technical and humanitarian programs but the third compulsory subject will be determined according to the programs of the higher educational institutions.

In addition, passing a general skills exam will no longer be compulsory. Universities have the right to add a selective examination relevant to their own program, including a general skills exam.

By Thea Morrison