Georgian lawmakers have approved the draft on the abolition of school-leaving exams with 80 MPs for and 5 against.

The draft was put for voting at an extraordinary session of the Parliament on April 8.

The final and third reading of the bill was held on April 5 but only 54 lawmakers supported it so the draft failed. But the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) said it was a technical problem and the bill was put to vote again two days later.

The draft reads that the School Graduate Exams will be abolished from 2020.

This year, 11th graders will be exempted from graduate exams, but will be retained for 12th-grade students.

The draft was heavily criticized by the Georgian Teachers’ Trade Union.

The President of the Teachers’ Union, Manana Kobakhidze, stated earlier that the abolition of the school graduation exams will “diminish the role of the school, will reduce the motivation of students and lead to negative processes in schools.”

By Thea Morrison

Related stories:

Teachers' Trade Union Against Abolishing School-Leaving Exams

School Graduation Exams to Be Abolished in Georgia from 2020