Minister of Education and Science of Georgia Dimitri Shashkini held a working meeting with the journalists. The goal of the meeting was to inform the media representatives about the activities implemented to foster national minorities’ integration into a civil society and enhance a learning of the state language.

To facilitate an integration of the national minorities into a society, the Ministry implements a policy that envisages providing an access to education for national minorities, preservation of cultural and linguistic identity of the national minorities and popularizing a state language.

Particular attention is drawn to elaboration and implementation of the programs/projects that are focused on improving a learning of the Georgian as a Second Language for non- Georgian citizens. In this regard, the following activities are being implemented:  “Georgian Language Houses have been established; 4 of them are already operating in Samtskhe- Javakheti and Kvemo Kartli regions. In 2011, additionally, 8 “Georgian Language Houses” will be opened to give opportunity to the school principals, teachers, public servants and all interested person to learn Georgian language.  

On the initiative of the President of Georgia, Z. Zhvania School of Public Administration was founded that delivers special educational programs for minorities that work as public servants. In 2006-2008, 133 Azeri and 124 Armenian students undertook an intensive course in Georgian language.

Multilingual Education is being introduced at 40 pilot non- Georgian schools. Along with the native language, the schoolchildren acquire the knowledge of the language that is of a vital importance for their life.

Apart from the ongoing programs, new projects will be also implemented: based on the open competition, teachers will be selected and get engaged in the learning process along with the local teachers at non- Georgian schools. PhD students from different universities will be placed at non- Georgian schools, bilingual preschool education centers will be formed, school exchange and twinning programs will start operating and different competitions as well as summer schools will be organized.