PM announces increase in pension, salaries, state social aid funding

Georgian prime minister Irakli Garibashvili on Friday announced an increase in pensions, salaries for school personnel and state funding for health and social programmes, while also announcing the construction of a residential block with 7,000 flats for internally displaced families and renovation of 500 public schools would begin “soon”. 

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Speaking during the cabinet meeting, the head of the government once again named education among “top priorities” and said starting January all school personnel - teachers of public and vocational secondary educational institutions as well as resource officers - would see an increase in their salaries, supplements and hourly pay, with the change also affecting kindergarten staff and “all public servants”. 

Education is my government’s key priority. Salaries and allowances for public school teachers and resource officers will increase. The salaries of public school administrative personnel will increase by 10 percent, just like for all public servants”, the PM said.

Garibashvili also noted the renovation of 500 public schools - as part of a large-scale project which covers the construction and renovation of 800 schools across the country - would begin in January, with 300 million allocated from the budget. 

Pension will increase for people living in mountainous regions of Georgia. Tusheti on the picture. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.

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Budget funding of health and social programmes will increase by ₾770 million ($270 mln) starting in January, he revealed, in addition to announcing pensions for citizens aged 70 and over would reach ₾440 ($154) in mountainous settlements and ₾365 ($128) elsewhere. 

The government head noted pensions for highland residents under 70 would go up to ₾355 ($128), while for those in other regions it would rise to almost ₾300 ($105). 

We have also decided to increase monthly social aid for severely disabled persons by ₾65 ($23), while other persons with disabilities will also receive increased budget support”, Garibashvili said. 

The PM noted his government had tripled children's social packages from the monthly ₾50 ($18) to ₾150 ($53), and said “we have plans to ensure a further increase, and we will announce this later”. 

Speaking about IDPs, Garibashvili said ₾250 million ($88 mln) had been allocated for the construction of the new block of flats for internally displaced families.