Winner of Georgia's first National Teacher Award selling violets to provide students with internet access
Apkhazava urged teachers of other municipalities to find ways to help the families which cannot afford internet access for their children. Photo: ambebi.ge.
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Georgian civil education teacher Lado (Vladimer) Apkhazava from Chibati village, Guria region, the winner of Georgia's first National Teacher Prize and one of the 10 finalists for the Global Teacher Prize, has begun selling potted flowers to help students in Lanchkhuti municipality receive internet access to attend online studies amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Parents are in a difficult situation, they do not have the opportunity to provide their children with 19 GEL unlimited internet for even a month... In short, they are faced with a choice - to purchase internet packages so that their children can attend classes or not to have food shortages. Some chose food. This is in some cases also due to the fact that the family has several children. The lessons overlap, they do not have the proper amount of equipment and they have given up on online lessons altogether,” he said.
Lado Apkhazava's violets. Photo: on.ge.
I bought violet flowers, I also bought a large amount of land and pots in Batumi. It took me a week to put the seeds in the pots. I was very happy that three weeks later the little ‘sprouts’ came out...I also taught this method to the students. They were also happy. Yes, we were growing violets, but we did not yet have a good idea of exactly what would come out, but as a result we got and sold 516 happy pots,” said Apkhazava.
Apkhazava said that with the money received from the violets, they transferred internet money to 512 students. Apkhazava also bought mobile phones for students who did not have them in order to allow them to attend online classes.
Whatever money we had left, we went to the store and bought products for orphans,” said Apkhazava.
Apkhazava noted that after the story of violets was spread on social media, citizens who wished to help them access the internet transferred money to students, as well as people living abroad. He urged teachers of other municipalities to find ways to help the families which cannot afford internet access for their children.