Addressing educational needs

A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia, the Government of Estonia, UNICEF and Foundation INNOVE to launch a three year partnership aiming to transform pre-school and general education in Georgia.

The Estonian Ministry of Education and Foundation INNOVE, in partnership with UNICEF Georgia, will support the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia in applying approved national curricula in the primary grades in selected schools and in introducing full-fledged (BA and MA level) programmes in the state universities of Georgia for pre-service training of preschool and general education teachers. This cooperation will consist of technical support, capacity development and experience sharing.

To further benefit from the experience of the Estonian education system - which proved to be exemplary in the opinion of the EU and other countries - Foundation INNOVE will bring curriculum experts and academics from Estonian universities to provide support to the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia and national universities.

The partnership also includes a study tour of Georgia school directors and teachers from the selected schools to Estonia to learn about Estonian practices and policies related to the school curricula, monitoring and quality control.

Other areas of cooperation will cover support in social and education policies and strategies to attract bright students into the teaching profession; mechanisms for effective teacher support including formative assessment; the creation of a conducive teaching and learning environment; and helping low-performing students.

The new partnership will contribute to Georgia’s ongoing process of alignment with the relevant European Union standards and best practices as per the EU - Georgia Association Agreement. The program is supported by Development Cooperation Fund of Estonia.

Education is the field that is the foundation of the development of any country.

Unfortunately, Georgia’s education system requires systemic reform that must take place in all the directions, starting from preschool education to higher and vocational education.

Those who actively support better education in Georgia do a valuable job, as they assist state development in the long term perspective.

Georgia vitally needs to share the best educational experiences and fit them to Georgian educational needs, as the sector is currently suffering from a period of stagnation.