Owing to the decision of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Georgia to prevent the spread of the new corona virus, the educational institutions, including vocational colleges, have prolonged holidays in line with the recommendations of the Prime Minister's Interagency Council and the Ministry of Health. Despite the prolonged holidays, in order to avoid limitations to the access to vocational education, the Ministry has developed special recommendations and plans that have been discussed with representatives of vocational institutions.
According to the Ministry's recommendation, the administration of vocational colleges has already shifted to a part-time working arrangement.
It should be noted that there is no academic year and semesters in vocational education; Each program has a different duration and a corresponding curriculum. Accordingly, the recess was only delayed by one month of study, and luckily it does not jeopardize students' learning outcomes.
Applicants for vocational courses will start enrolling one month later than planned in early May, and correspondingly the studies will begin in September.
For flexible authorization of new courses, the National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement has developed a mechanism to electronically conduct the authorization process.
The Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport took note of the situation and urged state-funded colleges to grant extra-paid leave to vocational teachers involved in the implementation of temporarily suspended programs.