UNICEF Statement on the Adoption of the Law on Early and Preschool Education

UNICEF has welcomed the adoption of the Law on Early and Preschool Education that was developed with the support of UNICEF. The Law went through a long process of drafting, finalization and public discussion.

UNICEF commends the efforts of the Parliament of Georgia and especially the Human Rights and Civil Integration Committee for leading the process of adoption of the Law which will establish a stronger legal basis and provide national standards for inclusive early and preschool education for all children in Georgia.

The Law foresees the introduction of a pre-primary year for all five-year-old children to improve school readiness, mechanisms for the prevention of violence against children, increased responsibilities at the central level for developing and monitoring national standards and supporting municipalities to improve governance, quality and access to inclusive pre-school education.

The implementation process will be crucial for realizing the main principles of the law in practice. UNICEF is currently advising the respective ministries on the preparation of subsequent regulations and standards, which will hopefully be adopted soon in order to enable ministries, municipalities and preschool providers to achieve compliance with the new law. In particular, it will be essential to establish a national system for pre- and in-service training of preschool educators and regular monitoring of the implementation of the national standards by respective central government agencies.

UNICEF will continue to support the development of an effective early and preschool education system in Georgia.

Stay tuned for an EXCLUSIVE interview with Sascha Graumann, UNICEF Representative in Georgia, in next week’s Georgia Today!