The Minister of Education and Science of Georgia, Mikheil Chkhenkeli, delivered a speech at the UNESCO-organized online Global Education Ministerial, the main purpose of which was to discuss the challenges in the field of education in the world and the ways to solve them in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis. The high-level forum participants shared with each other the steps and future plans taken by their countries in terms of education continuity and transformation, both in terms of pandemic management and in terms of ensuring inclusive, fair and quality education.

Mikheil Chkhenkeli addressed the audience and shared Georgia's experience in providing continuous education during the pandemic.

Mikheil Chkhenkeli thanked the organizers of the ministerial for the invitation and noted that despite the pandemic caused by COVID-19, which created a crisis of unprecedented scale around the world, it is important to protect one of the fundamental human rights - the right to education.

Mikheil Chkhenkeli: “A year and a half after the pandemic started, there are still challenges in the field of education. To overcome them, governments need to strengthen close cooperation and share their experiences. "It is through the joint efforts of the international community that progress can be made, and sustainable education developed."

Mikheil Chkhenkeli stated that Georgia has fully adapted its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to its national needs. Accordingly, the 2030 Global Agenda is part of Georgia 's domestic policy. At this stage, work is underway on a unified strategy for education and science for 2022-2032. The vision of the new policy for the long-term sustainable development of the country is based on the principles of quality, fairness and good governance.

The Minister also spoke about the activities carried out by the Ministry during the pandemic and noted that the Ministry has successfully managed to adapt to the new reality and move the education system online. Also, various diverse online resources and platforms were organized in an accelerated mode. The educational project "TV School" created in cooperation with the First Channel is especially noteworthy.

Moreover, the minister stated that at some point during the pandemic, the learning process in higher education continued in a hybrid form, with students returning to classrooms. Mikheil Chkhenkeli emphasized that the Ministry is doing everything possible to enable students to continue their education in the classrooms from the new school year, where they will find a safe learning environment.

The online Ministerial of Global Education 2021, organized by UNESCO, was attended by Ministers of Education from various countries, representatives of international organizations, education experts and other stakeholders.