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). Photo: PM's press office
Tweet 
Share
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).
Giorgi Amilakhvari, the Minister of Education and Science of Georgia, on Tuesday said the country was becoming a member of the Global School Meals Coalition, an initiative aiming to ensure meals for school students across the world by 2030.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Tuesday presented the Government’s General Education Reform for the country, with plans for updating national education goals to strengthen “national identity” and promote formation of “healthy values” among students.
The United States Agency for International Development and the Georgian Education Ministry have launched a $14 million US Government-funded programme to strengthen Georgia’s education sector and increase education quality and equality in schools, the Agency said on Thursday.
Georgian Education Minister Giorgi Amilakhvari on Tuesday said all vocational education programmes across the country would be updated and revised to offer a “completely new concept” with mandatory modules for general education.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Tuesday highlighted the Government's efforts in supporting the professional education at a presentation of a new vision for the sector, citing the “tripled” budget for the field and $74.77mln spent on it over the past 10 years.
Georgian Finance Minister Lasha Khutsishvili on Wednesday presented the final version of the draft state budget for 2024 to the Parliament and said the document reflected programmes that “fully respond” to the “main tasks” of the country.
Kakha Kaladze, the Mayor of Tbilisi, on Wednesday said the Georgian capital had “never had” a budget like the 2024 financial plan that involves spending ₾1.96 billion ($731mln) for needs of the city.
Georgian Education Minister Giorgi Amilakhvari, accompanied by his delegation, and Elchin Babayev, Rector of Baku State University, along with the University’s academic council and faculty, on Thursday discussed the cooperation between the universities of the two nations.