The Minister of Education and Science of Georgia, Giorgi Amilakhvari, made relevant decisions regarding the improvement of the professional development scheme for teachers. 

Giorgi Amilakhvari: "Within the scope of the meeting with the teachers, several key issues related to raising the status were highlighted: 

• Cancellation or postponement of the portfolio;
• Simplifying the portfolio, reviewing the criteria;
• Review of documentation required for portfolio submission;
• The issue of portfolio evaluators;
• Ways to systematically support the teachers. 

All issues were processed within the format of the General Education Working Committee and the following decisions were made: 

Deadlines: 

Since the teacher's portfolio is a tool reflecting the individual, practical activity of the teacher, which vitally important to showcase the real picture, and it is impossible to evaluate the teacher's professional activity only through the exam, by the decision of the Ministry, the deadline for submitting the portfolio was extended until June 1. This period will be a contributing factor for teachers to present their portfolios on time and with quality. 

Simplifying the portfolio: 

In the process of uploading and submitting the portfolio, teachers cited presenting evidence, employing processes, writing reflections and producing various documentation as one of the challenges. Accordingly, we reviewed the requirements and agreed on the most optimal version. 

In particular: 

The obligation of written reflection of the teacher's practical activity was removed. The teacher will present the presentation of their activity orally in front of the qualified assessment group during the interview. Naturally, during the oral interview, the teacher will have the opportunity to discuss with the evaluation group how important it was to implement a particular activity, what connection this activity had with the learning process, and will receive appropriate feedback. 

The obligation to submit proof of all competences for each direction has been removed. The teacher has the opportunity to upload the evidence corresponding to only one competence of the directions in their portfolio. The interview process with the assessment team will take this into account and the authenticity of this evidence will be further discussed if necessary.

Evaluation group: 

An important issue is the administration of the portfolio assessment. An evaluation team consisting of several experts will pre-examine the projects and activities uploaded by the teacher, conduct a survey of other members of the school community and interview the applicant teacher. The portfolio evaluation team will be inclusive to ensure transparency of the process, high degree of objectivity of evaluation and high credibility of the community. 

Supporting measures: 

The Ministry will fully support the teachers in this process. In addition to centralized trainings and webinars, the teacher will have the opportunity to receive individual counselling on a specific issue from the National Center for Professional Development of Teachers through the official email, Facebook page, and hotline. Therefore, there is no need for teachers to turn to any other organization or external party for help or additional services, as full support will be provided by us.

I would also like to point out that, despite the extension of the portfolio submission deadline, teachers will be able to benefit from the increased status supplement from the 2023-2024 academic year. 

With the mentioned model, the system goes through the process for the first time, therefore, it is important to observe the whole cycle in order to make the right decisions. Here, as I promised you, parallel to this ongoing process, I will continue continuous meetings and communication with teachers and all representatives of the field. Therefore, in the near future, by observing the teachers' feedback and the process, we will make appropriate decisions that will take into account the interests of the teachers first, establish justice in the teachers' corps, to ensure the creation of equal conditions for all without exceptions. "

Please follow the link to view the decree in full.