The ceremony of awarding German language diplomas - DSD was held at Tbilisi Public School No. 21, which was attended by the Minister of Education and Science, Mikheil Chkhenkeli and the German Ambassador to Georgia Hubert Knirsch. This year, 39 DSD-diplomas were issued, which means that 90% of the students passed the exam successfully.

Mikheil Chkhenkeli addressed the students, congratulated them on their success and handed over commemorative gifts to the Ministry.

Mikheil Chkhenkeli: “I want to congratulate you with all my heart on your success. I am glad that the strong tradition of learning German, with which this school has always been distinguished, continues so actively today. A high level of knowledge of the German language gives you great opportunities. I hope you will use these opportunities for the good of our country. I am glad that you are so talented and successful!

I thank the Ambassador and the Embassy of Germany for their efforts. Despite the pandemic, we were able to organize the examination process together and today it is completed!”

For his part, the German Ambassador, Hubert Knirsch congratulated the students on receiving their German language diplomas and wished them success in the future. He thanked Mikheil Chkhenkeli for the fruitful cooperation. According to the ambassador, without the support of the ministry, it would have been impossible to conduct exams in a pandemic.

It should be noted that the 21^st public school is the first in Georgia to issue a German language diploma and it has the largest number of students who have successfully passed the DSD program. School alumni continue their studies at German higher education institutions, including on a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). Since 1999, 740 students have received a second-degree DSD diploma.

The Schools Partners for the Future (PASCH) initiative was launched in 2008 at the initiative of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and brings together 1,800 schools worldwide with special ties to Germany. The aim of the initiative is to spread the German language and connect young people. There are 15 PASCH schools in Georgia, where German is taught intensively. In twelve of them, after ten academic years, it is possible to obtain a second level diploma (DSD II) certifying German language proficiency, which is a prerequisite for studying in German universities.