Nearly 9,200 children between 6-16 years of age are out of school in Georgia

Nearly 9,200 children between 6-16 years old are out of school in Georgia, reports local media outlet Interpressnews (IPN).

The Georgian Ministry of Education told IPN that the final list of out-of-school children will be known after the registration of first graders and the ministry will start their integration process into schools before the start of the 2021-2022 school year.

Before 2020, there was no complete data on out-of-school children and there was no plan or mechanism to return them to an educational environment.

In September 2020, the Georgian government approved the State Program for Monitoring Out-of-school Children, which will enable exchanging data on children between 6-16 years old, identify educational needs of minors and enable them to receive general education”, the Ministry of Education told IPN.

The ministry also says that in some municipalities of Georgia there are minors with multiple health disorders who are also left out of school. 

The Georgian government together with social workers and field professionals is going to identify the educational needs of  children with multiple health disorders so that in the coming future they will be able to receive a general education without any hindrance.