Back to school: 53,540 young learners enjoy first day

School bells are ringing today for more than 50,000 first-year students who walked into classrooms for the first time to begin their learning journey.

Today is the first day of the 2016-17 academic school year in Georgia. After about three months’ summer holiday, 509,120 students have returned to lessons at Georgian public and private schools, of which 53,540 are first graders.

Some international schools started their semester several weeks ago, however 20 schools in Georgia remain closed today due to renovation works and will officially open in the coming days and weeks.

This morning Georgia’s Education Minister Aleksandre Jejelava joined first-year students at a Tbilisi school and congratulated them on their very first day of learning.

We are delighted that more first-year students have enrolled in schools this year. We are also happy to welcome the new academic year with improved infrastructure; with school books and laptops already given to [eligible] students on time,” said Jejelava.

I do hope we are starting the new academic year with lots of motivation and teachers will fulfill their duties with energy and enthusiasm,” he added.

By today every first grade student at a Georgian public school had received a full book set (comprised of new and old books), while first graders and students who completed Grade 10 last year with top scores received laptops (Lenovo ideapad 300S-11IB) for free from the state.

Georgia’s Minister of Internal Affairs Giorgi Mgebrishvili escorted young Tamar – the daughter of policeman Giorgi Beruashvili who was killed on duty last year – to school today in Borjomi. The Minster presented the young girl with several gifts including a watch with the inscription: "My father is a hero". It’s tradition in Georgia for the Minister or other top Ministry officials to escort the children of late police officers to school on the first day of the academic year. Photo by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

This year 55,300 laptops were gifted to first-year students and their teachers, while 2,470 top scoring Grade 10 students also received the portable computers, announced the Ministry of Education.

As for the books, 22,467,38 new books, notebooks and tests were printed for students to use this academic year.

Also today 165 kindergartens in Georgia opened their doors for the new academic year.