The Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia hosted an event dedicated to the Georgian Language Day.

Within the scope of the event, the Minister of Education and Science of Georgia - Giorgi Amilakhvari, State Minister for Reconciliation and Civil Equality - Tea Akhvlediani and Chairman of the State Language Department - Giorgi Alibegashvili addressed the attending audience. 

During his speech, Giorgi Amilakhvari focused on the importance of the State Language Day. 

Giorgi Amilakhvari: "For each of us, the Georgian language is an integral part of our identity, and it plays the most important role in preserving our national identity. History remembers many examples of this - one of the most important days in our recent history is April 14, 1978, when the population of Georgia organized a mass demonstration and stood up against the decision of the Soviet Union to cancel the Georgian language as the state language in Georgia. As a result of the unanimity and joint efforts of our compatriots, for the first time in the history of the Soviet Union, the communist regime was forced to comply. As you know, the declaration of April 14 as Georgian Language Day is connected to this very proud and important event. 

It is a great honour for me personally, that the linguists who witnessed the events of April 14, 1978, in conjunction with making significant contributions and breakthroughs to the scientific research of the Georgian language, are present here today. 

Today, our main goal is to preserve the achievements of our compatriots and promote the improvement of teaching of the state language. The Ministry will continue to actively work in this direction." 

Moreover, in her speech, Tea Akhvlediani focused on the importance of knowing the state language in the culturally and linguistically diverse society of Georgia. 

Tea Akhvlediani: "Georgian language, distinguished by its diversity, strength and uniqueness, as our greatest wealth and a solid foundation of our national identity, will strengthen the consolidation of our multicultural, ethnically and linguistically diverse society. The Georgian langiage allows us to communicate with each other, cooperate, share culture and traditions. That is why the government of Georgia, within the framework of the state policy of civil equality and integration, gives the highest priority to raising the level of knowledge of the Georgian language in the non-Georgian speaking community of our country. 

Having said this, it should be emphasized that the Georgian language continues to be deliberately restricted in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions of Georgia, which is a manifestation of the policies carried out by the occupation regime for many years. Despite the fact that the government of Georgia, within the policy of reconciliation and engagement, offers preferential programs to young people living in occupied regions to achieve quality higher education, there are outstanding your people who prepare independently, find strength and courage in themselves to face high competition, and successfully pass the national exams in the Georgian language.” 

Within the framework of the event dedicated to the Day of the Georgian Language, the Minister of Education and Science of Georgia and the Chairman of the State Language Department awarded three meritorious scientists - Mzekala Shanidze, Damana Melikishvili and Zhuzhuna Peikrishvili - for their special contribution to the teaching and research of the Georgian language. 

Within the framework of the event, the State Minister for Reconciliation and Civil Equality, Tea Akhvlediani, and the Minister of Education and Science of Georgia, Giorgi Amilakhvari, awarded scholarships named after Dimitri Gulia and Kosta Khetagurov to students living in the occupied regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali, who showed the best results in the unified national exams of 2022-2023.

The ministers also awarded symbolic gifts to the four graduates representing the ethnic minority who, after successfully completing the Georgian language training program (1+4), continued their studies in the Georgian language bachelor's program and are currently teaching in non-Georgian schools in Kvemo Kartli and Samtskhe-Javakheti regions.

Gifts were also given to the graduates of Azerbaijani and Armenian language schools, who earned high marks and were enrolled in higher educational institutions based on the successful completion of three mandatory subjects determined by the unified national exams, and are also financed by a state training grant within the framework of the social program of the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia.

As part of the event dedicated to the Day of the Georgian Language, the presentation of the third bulletin of the norms of the Georgian literary language was also held. In addition, the beneficiaries of the volunteer program of the State Language Department presented their projects to the public, for which the chairman of the language department awarded them with special prizes.

At the event, guests also had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the publications of the State Language Department. In addition, the beneficiaries of the "Non-Georgian Language Schools Support Program" of the National Center for Professional Development of Teachers presented a calligraphy master class and handmade books on the topic of the mother tongue.