The First Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Georgia, Ekaterine Dgebuadze, UNICEF Representative in Georgia - Ghasan Khalili, and the Ambassador of Estonia - Reina Kaliurand, together with the Ambassador of Norway - Helen Andresen paid a joint working visit to Adjara.

Within the framework of the visit, the guests held working meetings with the Chairman of the Government of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara - Tornike Rizhvadze, the Minister of Education, Culture and Sports of Adjara - Maia Khajishvili and the Acting Mayor of Batumi - Archil Chikovani. The guests paid special attention to the joint project of promoting distance learning, in the framework of which primary school teachers and administration representatives from 30 public schools in different regions of Georgia, including Adjara, will get acquainted with the Estonian model of remote learning.

Ekaterine Dgebuadze, together with the Minister of Education of Adjara, the UNICEF representative and the ambassadors, also visited the public school in the village of Makhuntseti, Keda Municipality, which is newly selected for the project. The guests inspected the infrastructure and got acquainted with the learning process in person. In addition, UNICEF donated toys, books and other educational resources to Makhuntseti Public School.

The guests also met with representatives of schools involved in the distance learning support project at Batumi State University. During the event, the First Deputy Minister addressed the audience, thanked UNICEF and the Ambassadors for their long-term fruitful partnership, and stressed the importance of international cooperation in supporting schools during the pandemic.

The joint project of the Ministry of Education and Science, the United Nations Children's Fund and the Government of Estonia to promote distance learning includes 100 general education institutions throughout Georgia and aims to improve the quality of education and the promotion of personal and professional development. The project, which started in September 2020 will last for 2 years, and is fully funded by the Estonian government.

In addition, in order to strengthen the quality and inclusiveness of the education system, the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia, the Government of Norway and the United Nations Children's Fund will launch a joint three-year program to help children aged between 3 to 18, including people with disabilities and minorities.