Back to school: 50,300 young students enjoy first day

Almost 50,000 six-year-olds are attending their first day of school today. Photo by the PM's Press Office.
Agenda.ge, 15 Sep 2017 - 11:35, Tbilisi,Georgia

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 2017-18 academic school year in Georgia. After about three months of summer holidays, thousands of students have returned to lessons at Georgian public and private schools, of which 50,300 are first graders.

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.

President of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili also congratulated students and teachers on a new academic year.

I wholeheartedly congratulate you on the beginning of a new school year. The process of acquiring knowledge, new experiences and friends starts from today, which is especially important for those who have entered schools and universities for the first time,” said Margvelashvili.
I believe that each of you will begin the process of transmission and acquisition of knowledge with energy and enthusiasm. This is crucial for the development of our society. We will build a strong country by making use of the intellect and potential of each and every citizen of Georgia,” he added.

Georgia’s Minister of Internal Affairs Giorgi Mgebrishvili escorted young Zura – the son of policeman Zurab Zoidze who was killed on duty in 2009 – to school today in Black Sea resort town of Batumi. The Minster presented the young girl with several gifts. It’s tradition in Georgia for the Minister 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.

By today every first grade student at a Georgian public school had received a full book set (comprised of new and old books) and laptops (Acer TravelMate B117 Notebook PC) for free from the state.

This year 53,700 laptops were gifted to first-year students and their teachers.

As of today there are 2,085 public schools in Georgia.