World Bank report: Georgia needs more investment in human capital to assure well-being of future generations
The human capital index score of Georgia for 2020 is higher than the average for upper middle-income countries worldwide and above its 2010 value of 0.54, but it is lower than the average for the Europe and Central Asia region. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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The overall human capital index score of Georgia is 0.57, which means that a child born in Georgia is expected to grow up to be only 57 percent as productive as they could be if they enjoyed a complete education and full health, says the latest update of the World Bank’s Human Capital Index (HCI), which measures pre-pandemic human capital outcomes around the world.
The human capital index score of Georgia for 2020 is higher than the average for upper middle-income countries worldwide and above its 2010 value of 0.54, but it is lower than the average for the Europe and Central Asia region. Increasing the quality of education reflected in international test scores will help Georgia to catch up with the regional average, says the World Bank.
As an early adopter of the Human Capital Project, Georgia is committed to improving the well-being of its future generations... Fortunately, we have an existing project to improve educational outcomes in Georgia, and we are currently engaging with the government to improve long-term health and social protection outcomes as well, providing a strong foundation to deliver tangible improvements over the coming years", said World Bank Regional Director for the South Caucasus Sebastian Molineus.
In Georgia, the World Bank supports two projects that are critical for human capital development:
- The Innovation, Inclusion and Quality project - aimed at increasing access to preschool education, higher quality education, and improved learning environments
- The Log-in Georgia project, which sets out to bring fast and affordable broadband internet connection to nearly 500,000 people living in rural and hard-to-reach areas, making available such services as e-learning and telemedicine, both of which have proven to be invaluable during the COVID-19 pandemic
This year’s report includes a decade-long analysis of human capital development from 2010 to 2020 in 103 countries. Albania, Azerbaijan, and Russia are among the top 10 global improvers in progress made on health and education.
Georgia has reported 179 new cases of the coronavirus earlier today, marking a slight decrease in the number compared to yesterday’s 196 new infections. Georgia has had 2,937 cases of the coronavirus since February 26, 2020. 1,422 of the 2,937 patients have recovered, while 19 others have died.As of today 1,496 individuals remain infected with COVID-19 in the country.
The government of Georgia's financial assistance significantly has contributed to poverty alleviation, says a microsimulation model report on the pandemic’s effect on the population and child poverty presented by UNICEF and the Georgian government today.
As Georgia begins to ease lockdown, reopening of schools needs to be prioritised, says UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund) Georgia in an official statement. The statement reads that the longer children stay out of school, the more exposed they are to various risks.
A total of 29,800 children in Georgia do not have proper conditions to even wash their hands with soap and water at home, says UNICEF, which added that children living in families where there is a lack of proper conditions and sanitary facilities are especially vulnerable to the rapid spread of the coronavirus.
Kutaisi City Hall and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) have signed a memorandum of cooperation, by which Kutaisi will join the Child-Friendly Cities Initiative.
Child abuse cases have decreased in Georgia by almost 30 per cent, with 1,146 cases reported in January and August 2020.The figure stood at 1,624 in the same period of last year, IPN writes, citing the Agency for State Care and Assistance for the Victims of Human Trafficking. The majority of the cases of child abuse included psycholgical viollence, neglect and coercion.
Georgia has ranked 63rd among 191 countries in the United Nations' Human Development Index 2021-2022, maintaining its place on the list of the countries with a “high level of human development”.
A human capital programme designed to unlock Georgia’s growth potential through investments in health, education and social protection has been launched in the country, the World Bank announced on Tuesday.
Georgia will receive €100 million from the French Development Agency to co-finance its human capital development programme as part of the agreement signed on Tuesday between the AFD, the ministry of finance of Georgia and the French embassy.