New programme offers free education to students from Georgia’s occupied regions

At the first stage 100 applicants to be trained at the training centres.

Agenda.ge, 30 Nov 2018 - 11:21, Tbilisi,Georgia

Georgia is launching a new educational programme for young people living in its breakaway regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia), announces the Office of the State Minister of Georgia for Reconciliation and Civic Equality.

The pilot version of the program will be launched from February 2019 within the new peace initiative ‘A Step to a Better Future’ and the full course will come into force from September of the same year.

At the first stage 100 applicants to be trained at the training centres that will be opened at the Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University and at Shota Meskhia State Teaching University of Zugdidi.

The studies will be free of charge, moreover the applicants will receive the stipend of 150 GEL.

In addition to being fully funded, the living conditions for young people will be also provided.

Campus at Tbilisi State University, where students from Georgia's occupied regions will live.

The presentation of the program was held at the Tbilisi State University and was attended by students from Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region.

The State Minister for Reconciliation and Civic Equality Ketevan Tsikhelashvili, who presented the programme, said that these students are studying “in a very difficult situation”.

They are getting school education in very difficult conditions. In Gali and Akhalgori this process is hindered because it is not possible to get education in native language... They are really heroes. At the same time they show a very good results. We want them to be more successful in the future and we would like to contribute to this.

That's why the State will offer them completely free and without exam preparatory center. In this center they will be able to prepare for a variety of desirable subjects and then enter university in the simplified manner. This programme works not only for ethnic Georgians but also for Ossetians and Abkhazians, because courses are going on in different languages”, said Tsikhelashvili.