Public evaluation of the vocational education reform
25.04.2018
Within
the scope of the "Reformer" project, a public evaluation of
vocational education reform was held, which was attended by the First Deputy
Minister of Education and Science of Georgia - Ketevan Natriashvili.
According to the survey, 83.3% of the 2013-2014 Action Plan of the
Reform is fulfilled. A detailed plan of action is being prepared for the years
2018-2020. It has been revealed that vocational education institutions are
represented in all regions of Georgia, of which 65% are private owned, whereas
35% remain public. However, the total number of admitted students remains
stagnant. Nevertheless, the new draft law on vocational education envisions
this problem and creates the opportunity for scale upsurge – a high rate of
competition in 2018 (7000 applicants for 3000 positions). In 2017, engineering
was the most demanding vocation at public vocational schools, whereas,
healthcare remains the most popular option at private schools. According to the
survey of the Ministry of Economy, 5.9% of the interviewed organizations
expressed willingness to cooperate with vocational institutions.
The ISET research institute has prepared a study on vocational education, and
there is a great need of technical and financial resources to further advance
the platform. The challenge is to increase the scale, for which attraction of
students in vocational education is of paramount importance.