PM says Education, Science Ministry budget set at $940 mln in 300% increase from 2012

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Tuesday said the 2024 budget for the Ministry of Education and Science would reach ₾2.508 billion ($0.94bln), registering a 300 percent increase compared to the ₾626 million ($234.49mln) allocated to the body in 2012 under the previous Government.

We have a 300 percent increase in the budget of [the Ministry]. This says everything about who is paying real attention to education - our future generation - and who was deliberately destroying the education system”, Garibashvili said.

Presenting the General Education Reform to the public, the PM also highlighted the Government’s efforts in improving the school infrastructure across the country and noted a “large-scale” programme launched last year under his instructions was aiming to renovate and build schools across the country. 

We have started the renovation and construction of up to 1,000 new schools, and at least ₾1 billion ($0.37bln) will be spent within the project. All schools in Georgia will be renovated or built according to European standards by 2027”, he pledged.

Last year, we already contracted hundreds of schools, [while] this year active works are already underway, and in 2024, it is also planned to renovate and build [...] up to 250 new schools”, Garibashvili said.

The Prime Minister also announced a ₾500 ($187.29) average rise in teacher salaries, adding the figure would be ₾600-800 ($224-300) in some cases, bringing monthly salaries up to ₾1,700-1,800 ($637-674).

“If we are talking about the prestige of this profession, it cannot be that teachers’ salaries are low”, he stressed in comments on the initiative, and contrasted the ₾330 ($123.61) figure he said had marked the average teacher salary in 2012 with the current ₾1,200 ($449.49).