Gov’t adopts mandatory standards and regulations on pre-school education

The Government of Georgia has adopted national mandatory standards and technical regulations on pre-school education.

The standards and technical regulations include:

• Professional Standards for Caregiver Pedagogues;
• State Standards of Early and Preschool Education;
• Technical Regulations on Organization of Nutrition/Meals and Establishing Nutritional Value Norms for Institutions;
• Technical Regulations on the Rules of Observing Sanitary and Hygiene Norms at Institutions;

 The elaboration of the national standards was the requirement of the Law on Early and Preschool Education that was developed with the support of UNICEF and adopted by the parliament last year.

 We do hope that the Government will soon approve the Technical Regulations for Buildings, Infrastructure, and Material and Technical Resources of Institutions as well as the Rule for Authorization of kindergartens that will ensure realization of the Law on Early and Preschool Education,” UNICEF wrote.

 UNICEF stated that by the end of 2018 each kindergarten, state as well as private, will have to undergo authorization as per the new mandatory standards and they provided technical support to relevant ministries to elaborate draft standards and technical regulations.

 The standards will promote the establishment of a child-centred educational process that supports child development in response to child’s interests and needs, creation of safe and child-friendly environment; improvement of water, sanitary and hygiene conditions; provision of adequate nutrition for children,” UNICEF says.

 Municipalities are responsible for ensuring the implementation of the standards in preschools and they should allocate a budget for 2018 and the following years.