Winner of Georgia's first National Teacher Award selling violets to provide students with internet access
Apkhazava urged teachers of other municipalities to find ways to help the families which cannot afford internet access for their children. Photo: ambebi.ge.
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Georgian civil education teacher Lado (Vladimer) Apkhazava from Chibati village, Guria region, the winner of Georgia's first National Teacher Prize and one of the 10 finalists for the Global Teacher Prize, has begun selling potted flowers to help students in Lanchkhuti municipality receive internet access to attend online studies amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Parents are in a difficult situation, they do not have the opportunity to provide their children with 19 GEL unlimited internet for even a month... In short, they are faced with a choice - to purchase internet packages so that their children can attend classes or not to have food shortages. Some chose food. This is in some cases also due to the fact that the family has several children. The lessons overlap, they do not have the proper amount of equipment and they have given up on online lessons altogether,” he said.
Lado Apkhazava's violets. Photo: on.ge.
I bought violet flowers, I also bought a large amount of land and pots in Batumi. It took me a week to put the seeds in the pots. I was very happy that three weeks later the little ‘sprouts’ came out...I also taught this method to the students. They were also happy. Yes, we were growing violets, but we did not yet have a good idea of exactly what would come out, but as a result we got and sold 516 happy pots,” said Apkhazava.
Apkhazava said that with the money received from the violets, they transferred internet money to 512 students. Apkhazava also bought mobile phones for students who did not have them in order to allow them to attend online classes.
Whatever money we had left, we went to the store and bought products for orphans,” said Apkhazava.
Apkhazava noted that after the story of violets was spread on social media, citizens who wished to help them access the internet transferred money to students, as well as people living abroad. He urged teachers of other municipalities to find ways to help the families which cannot afford internet access for their children.
Georgian civil education teacher Lado (Vladimer) Apkhazava working in Chibati village, Guria region, has been named one of the 10 finalists for the Global Teacher Prize.
Georgia joined in the World Teachers' Day celebrations in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi yesterday. Giorgi Tchautchidze, a teacher from the Marneuli public school #2 in the Georgian region of Kvemo Kartli became the winner of the National Teacher Prize.
The winner of National Teacher’s prize 2017, Vladimer Aphkhazava, is among the 50 best teachers up for the Global Teacher’s Prize.
Teachers from all over the country have gathered today to celebrate the World Teachers' Day in the Georgian capital of Georgia. Congratulating the teachers with this special day on behalf of the Government of Georgia, Education Minister Alexandre Jejelava wished them health and success.
Eleven-year-old Aleksandre Tsotskolauri lives in the village of Khevischala in eastern Akhmeta municipality. Since the coronavirus pandemic has hit Georgia and schools have switched to remote studies, Aleksandre has to join his online classes from a hut far from his home, as it is the only place in the village where he can get an internet signal.
Khatuna Razmadze, a teacher from St. George’s International School, has won the National Teacher Award of Georgia. Razmadze, a teacher of mathematics was named among five best Georgian teachers and has been awarded 10,000 GEL.
Roland Shavadze, an English language teacher in the Mekeidzeebi village public school in western Georgia’s Khulo municipality, was named the teacher of the year in the country on Wednesday.
Nino Psuturi, a teacher from central Georgia’s Gori Public School No.8, has won the National Teacher Award of Georgia after being nominated among five educators from across the country.