Minister of Education and Science of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili introduced new Minister Tamar Sanikidze to the public. Minister of Education and Science of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili introduced new Minister Tamar Sanikidze to the public. Tamar Sanikidze, former First Deputy Minister of Education is a co-author of all new projects implemented by the Ministry. Giorgi Margveashvili has briefly summarized the period of serving as Minister of Education and Science and introduced already accomplished and planned projects to the journalists:

Depolitization of the System;

• Increased salaries for teachers (increase in salaries by 26%-60%, i.e. 60-205 GEL from 2013)
• From September 1, salaries of school management and administrative-technical personnel – up to 15 000 people shall increase by 40-45%
• School buses (up to 16000 pupils of 330 public schools throughout Georgia are provided with buses)
• Free textbooks (for the first time this year, all pupils of public schools shall receive textbooks free of charge)
• Vocational Education Development Strategy for the years 2013-2020 has been developed
• New model of funding vocational education (State shall finance 15 000 vocational students)
• A number of important changes have been initiated in Law of Georgia on Vocational Education
• Programs for vocational education quality improvement are in progress
• Implementation of professional education orientation component in schools is planned to begin along with strengthening of the same component in vocational education institutions
• Vocational teachers’ salaries have increased or equalized.
• Works on standards in underway and short term courses will be substituted with long-term vocational programs
• Strategy for Involvement of Private Sector in Vocational Education has been developed
• 6 million GEL was invested in the regions of Georgia in order to develop education institutions of agricultural profile, the project is carried out with UNDP
• Increased funding for students (amount of funds for students have increased in the budget of 2013.  State shall finance students on 17 specialities of leading directions) 

Funding of the following directions has doubled:

• Annual amount of state grants based on the results of National Exams 2013 (grant financing shall cover all faculties)
• Grant program for socially unprotected students
• PhD program was funded for the first time this year

Construction/rehabilitation of schools – 8 new schools will be built in different regions of Georgia and 600 public schools will be rehabilitated with the financial support of the Ministry.

• Government of Georgia and Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).  5 – year compact has been approved for Georgia. The allocated money will be used for general, vocational and higher education. American University in Georgia will be founded within the framework of the Compact.
• Reform of Higher Education Institutions has been carried out. Change in state university status within the reform will ensure protection of  state property as well as increase in salaries for professors.
• Dimitri Uznadze Institute has been established in connection to 70-year anniversary of Psychology Institute

This is an incomplete list of already implemented and future projects.