Distance Education to Reach Out to Georgia’s Regions

The non-governmental organization ‘Village of the Future,’ in collaboration with the Georgian Association of Regional Broadcasting (GARB) and the Regional Media Market, signed a memorandum on February 8, 2016 according to which around 20 regional television channels of Georgia will broadcast video lessons in Georgian language and literature. The creators of the project claim that it will help entrants to prepare for final and entrance exams. In addition, it will be useful for ethnic minorities who are weak in the Georgian language.

A study conducted by the ‘Village of the Future’ shows that the level and access to education is quite low in the regions of Georgia, with the majority experiencing financial problems and with children who suffer from the inability to obtain an adequate level of education to continue their studies. The project has already captured the interest of many.

The video tutorials by the ‘Village of the Future’ include 28 lessons of 30 minutes on Georgian language and literature, which will run twice a week. The teacher explains the rules of grammar, syntax, sentence structure and correct editing in the Georgian language. The literary block includes the entire school curriculum, starting from ancient Georgian literature to contemporary writers.

“In fact, not everyone, especially in the regions, has an opportunity to go to private tutors and prepare for exams,” said Tamar Khurtsia, Head of the Public Relations Department of the ‘Village of the Future.’ “In addition, not everyone has a computer or internet access, which is also a source of information. Therefore, our decision to broadcast lessons on TV seemed to us the ideal option, plus the tutorials will be repeated and viewers will be able to see them at a time convenient to them.”

Khurtsia added that after the broadcast on TV, all the lessons will be made available online, so that everyone who wishes to improve their knowledge of the Georgian language can use the tutorials.

Georgia is a multinational country and the number of ethnic minorities, especially in the regions, is high. There are regions in Georgia where ethnic minorities make up the majority of the population and many can hardly speak the state language, undoubtedly resulting in numerous problems in everyday life.

“Despite the fact that in future we want to make a separate course in the Georgian language for ethnic minorities, these video tutorials also will help them to understand the intricacies of the language and to get acquainted with the literature. As such, this project is not only for University entrants,” Khurtsia explained.

Director of Regional Media Market, Levan Aleksishvili, assured that the project has many advantages; the main one being that distance education is becoming increasingly important today. “This really is an innovative project. Distance education is our present and future – it is an access to education for everyone,” he said. “With the help of these tutorials, entrants and the population, even those in small villages, will be able to get basic and necessary knowledge,” he added.

Eka Karsaulidze