Tamar Sanikidze sums up activities of 2013
A
meeting was held at the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia. Minister
of Education Tamar Sanikidze talked about accomplished projects and future
plans and summarized the activities carried out by the Ministry during 2013.
President of Georgia, members of the Government, representatives of
international and donor organizations and journalists attended the
meeting.
The goal of our team was to make the existing resources more effective and socially focused. Budgetary means had to be distributed in a way to make each family and persons employed in the system feel the changes, support of the government and real development” – noted Tamar Sanikidze.
The Ministry has started a number of new projects in 2013. They are:
- Investment worth of 140 million USD in the education system within the framework of MCC Second Compact;
- Construction of 9 new public schools;
- Rehabilitation of approximately 600 schools, installation of heating systems in more than 80 schools; the process is currently under way;
- Salary increase by 26-60% for teachers and by 40-45% for administrative-technical personnel;
- Up to 500 000 pupils received 5 900 000 free textbooks;
- School transportation (46 520 pupils of 913 schools are provided with school bus services);
- Internet is available in all public schools of Georgia;
- Children’s protection, mediation and psychology service has been set up;
- “Professional orientation and career-planning course”;
- Inclusive education promotion strategy, new programs and projects for children with special educational needs have been implemented;
- Professional standards of libraries, librarians, school principals and teachers;
- Transparent and fair enrollment rules and full financing of studies in state-based vocational education centers. 9000 persons enrolled in fall semester have full scholarships;
- Inclusive vocational education. 51 persons with special educational needs are enrolled on vocational programs and more than 300 teachers passed relevant trainings;
- Vocational education strategy 2013-2020;
- Strategy for private sector involvement in vocational education;
- Access to vocational education based on the geographic location. Up to 26 vocational education institutions will be founded during 2014.
- Infrastructural development of vocational institutions
- Salary raise for vocational teachers;
- 3 529 students were enrolled on priority field directions of 17 faculties. 9 981 students were financed by the State.
- 1411 students were financed within the social program (in 2012 this number constituted 798);
- Financing of socially unprotected students enrolled based on the results of Unified National Examinations 2011-2012.
- Social program for Master and PhD students has started for the first time this year (65 Master and 137 PhD students).
- 2717 students are receiving State stipends in 2013;
- Summer and Winter Schools;
- 3,707,048 GEL was spent within the Program “Tsodnis Kari”. This amount exceeds the amount spent in 2012 by one million GEL. In 2013, 97 students were financed in total.
