Georgian national examination system reforms to come into force in 2020

The school board in Svaneti, Community of village Mulakhi. Photo by Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge

Agenda.ge, 28 Jan 2019 - 16:03, Tbilisi,Georgia

The Ministry of Education and National Assessment and Examination Centre (NAEC) has presented new reforms regarding the Unified National Examinations today.

Exams will be conducted in three compulsory subjects instead of four from 2020.

Georgian language and literature and foreign language exams will be mandatory for all entrants.

The third compulsory subject will be determined according to the programmes of higher educational institutions, the ministry reports.

Students studying Science will take maths, while humanities students will take history.

Entrants will still be able to choose both technical and humanitarian programmes.

Passing the general skills exam will no longer be compulsory. Universities have the right to add a selective examination relevant to the program, including a general skills exam.

Moreover, from 2020 universities have the privilege to determine the minimum passing grades themselves.

Taking into account that universities offer a limited number of places, this change will not have an influence on quality. The reform serves to strengthen autonomy of the university”, added Gorgodze.

In addition, from 2020 graduate exams will be abolished. In particular, in 2019, 11th graders will be exempt from graduation exams, but these exams will be retained for twelfth graders.

The ministry and National Examination Centre claim the changes serve to strengthen the school’s role in the education system.