PM announces $15 mln in debts to be written off for 30,000 students

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Friday announced the Government’s decision to write off ₾40 million ($15.22mln) in tuition debt for about 30,000 students whose status had been suspended due to non-payment.

In comments for the start of the new academic year, Garibashvili said the decision would lead to the status being reinstated and enable the students to continue their studies, adding “[t]he education of our students is very important for all of us”.

The PM instructed the ministers of Education and Finance to “establish communication and resolve the mentioned issue immediately”. 

He also noted renovation and construction of schools had started across Georgia as part of the Government programme aiming to renovate 800 schools over four years.

I would like to point out that our main motivation, the main goal, is for our youth [...] to study in schools and kindergartens corresponding to European, modern standards [...] We have also started the construction and renovation of more than 1,000 kindergartens, which is also a project worth more than a billion lari”, Garibashvili said. 

A total of 2,085 public schools opened their doors to students for the new academic year throughout the country today, with the Ministry of Education announcing over 55,000 first-graders had enrolled in schools. The number includes about 48,000 joining public schools and around 7,000 attending private schools.