Entrepreneurship to Begin at School

The Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia has started a pilot project to launch Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship lessons in more than 220 schools throughout Georgia at the beginning of this academic year. The Ministry recently officially presented the new schoolbook of this subject and organized a meeting with teachers.

The project on teaching children the Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship in graduating classes was initiated by the Georgian government and implemented by the Ministry of Education and Science with partnership of the Georgian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the 2015-2016 academic year.

The subject is not currently mandatory, but has aroused great interest among the pupils and teachers. According to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, initially, it was planned to introduce these lessons in only 100 schools throughout Georgia, but in the end the number of schools was increased to more than double that and there is the chance that it will soon become a mandatory subject in all the country’s schools.

“Students and graduates of profile colleges show very good results. Therefore, we believe that entrepreneurship education should start at an earlier age. This should greatly help the development of small and medium sized businesses in Georgia,” said Tamar Sanikidze, Minister of Education and Science of Georgia.

The subject Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship develops pupils’ skills of planning and organizing, self-fulfillment and self-development, and teaches them how to turn ideas into concrete activities which in the future will be able to generate income and provide an opportunity for self-realization.

Minister Sanikidze, at a meeting with teachers of the Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship, also discussed the learning process at school, challenges that teachers and pupils face and highlighted that the Ministry and business sector is open to collaboration and improving the education process.

Eka Karsaulidze