Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, Nunu Mitskevichi participated in a panel discussion on "Supporting Access to Vocational and Higher Education for Ethnic Minorities" and addressed the project participants.

Nunu Mitskevichi noted that the Ministry, together with the Zurab Zhvania School of Public Administration, promotes the civic integration of ethnic minorities through special educational programs, which include vocational trainings and the study of the state language. In addition, there are various programs in the field of higher and vocational education to master the state language. These are as follows:  civic education, infrastructure, finance and procurement, law, management, nursing, food technology, construction, electricity, livestock, tourism, accounting, transport, agronomy. According to the Deputy Minister, a vocational college will be opened in Marneuli, and on the premises of Samtskhe-Javakheti University, where these integrated programs will become available for ethnic minorities from the beginning of the next academic year.

It is also important that representatives of ethnic minorities have the opportunity to receive higher education in Georgia in a simplified manner. Simplified system, also known as the 1 + 4 program envisages passing the general skills test in Armenian, Azerbaijani, Abkhazian, Ossetian languages ​​and the possibility of obtaining higher education in case of point accumulation. Young people have a unique opportunity to take a one-year course in Georgian language, and should they accumulate 60 credits, have the capability to continue their studies on any course of their preference. 

During the event, the results of an information campaign on access to vocational and higher education for ethnic minorities were presented, as well as awarding young people who participated in the campaign. Acting State Minister for Reconciliation and Civic Equality, Lia Gigauri and Deputy Head of the Office for Democracy, Governance and Social Development, Laura Berger, TSU Rector, Giorgi Sharvashidze and Education Specialist, Natia Gorgadze took part in the panel discussion.

The project was organized by the Office of the State Minister for Civic Equality within the framework of the Tolerance, Civic Awareness, and Integration Support Program.