The Acting Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia Mikheil Chkhenkeli discussed the details of the implementation of the joint project "Innovation, Inclusive Education and Quality (I2Q)" during a meeting with the World Bank Regional Director for the South Caucasus, Sebastian Molineus.

Mikheil Chkhenkeli thanked Sebastian Molineus for the fruitful cooperation over the years and several important projects that were implemented in the Georgian education system with the support of the World Bank, noting that the bilateral cooperation will continue even more actively.

For his part, Sebastian Molineus once again praised the educational projects developed by the Ministry in the shortest possible time in the distance learning process, which enabled pupils and students to be involved in online learning.

"Innovation, Inclusive Education and Quality" – a joint project of the Ministry and the World Bank worth $102.7 million was the main topic of discussion during the meeting. Mikheil Chkhenkeli noted, that despite the pandemic, the project has not stopped, but on the contrary, the need for technology in schools has became even more apparent. The Ministry has been actively working in this regard, but the swift introduction of distance learning has further highlighted its needs.

Mikheil Chkhenkeli also discussed the restoration of the educational process in Georgia. The Minister noted that the Ministry has equipped all schools with the necessary resources and inventory to prevent the virus across the country. The bathrooms are fully renovated, and the sanitary-hygienic norms are strictly observed. Systematic monitoring is carried out by the Ministry on how the recommendations in the field of healthcare is being implemented.

The meeting also focused on the promotion of teacher training, the importance of international support in the field of vocational education and the implementation of the new model of financing higher education, which will be discussed in the near future.

At the end of the meeting, the parties expressed hope that the meetings would continue intensively and that the cooperation between the Ministry and the World Bank would be further enhanced.

The online workshop was attended by First Deputy Minister, Ekaterine Dgebuadze, World Bank Education, Health and Social Sector Program Manager for the South Caucasus, Levent Jenner, Senior Economist, I2Q Project Manager, Soren Neleman and Senior Education Specialist, I2Q Project Manager Nino Kutateladze.