Georgia launches new Primary Education Project

The Government of Georgia has implemented ambitious reforms to transform its education system and modernize the learning environment in Georgia.

The reforms aim to develop the country’s education system from a teacher-centered model to a student-centered one that enabled Georgian children to develop their full potential.

In a special ceremony, the Ministry of Education and Science presented its five-year Georgia Primary Education (G-PriEd) project to the public, including representatives from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Georgia, World Bank, and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

The project, which is being piloted in 122 local schools, started in September 2011 and will end on September 2016.

The pilot project saw 1200 Georgian language teachers, Georgian as a second language and math teachers being trained to learn more effective teaching and assessment strategies.

The $8.7 million USD project (15.4 million GEL) is being funded by US Agency for International Development (USAID).

The Ministry said by implementing to the project, more than 40,000 students would receive improved instruction in reading and math. Furthermore, 3,200 teachers would be trained in international best practices, 300 schools would benefit from G-PriEd interventions and teachers and students from ethnic minority schools would receive training and materials in their languages.

Overall, the G-PriEd project aimed to recognize the collective responsibility of the Education Ministry, teachers, school administrators, parents and the wider community to improve literacy in Georgian primary schools.

The project was designed to provide comprehensive assistance to teachers and students in the primary education sector to improve reading and math competencies of Georgian and ethnic minority students.

The Ministry said this would be achieved through supporting instructional improvements, testing and improving standards, use of technology, training teachers and development of subject experts in reading and math in schools as well as in the education departments of Georgia's Universities.

G-PriEd activities included teacher training, enhancing transparency and accountability in the classroom and encouraging parental and community engagement in education.