Title: The Guards Will Enter the Schools

Subtitle: The Volunteer Teachers Will Live in the Families of Our Citizens.

Author: Izo Rikadze

The Ministry of Education and Science is getting ready for the second wave of democratic reforms. If Nodia and Gvaramia were not trying to become free from the heritage of Lomaia (the furniture and the repair was left from the first, post revolutionary Minister) Dimitri Shashkini   wants to change a lot. We began our dialogue with the Minister about this theme;

- It seems, you are going to make great changes. . .

- Of course, we are going to change many things. The Ministry has developed the two-year strategic plan. Creating the five-year plan is also underway. We want the Parliament and the Public Board to discuss the strategic plan.

- I read in the press, you lost your weight since you have been appointed as the Minister of Education and Science. Is the educational system more difficult than the Corrections and Legal Assistance?

- The educational system is much broader. So, we need more time to arrange everything. More than 600.000 schoolchildren study at schools, around 2400 schools exist in Georgia , there are 80.000 teachers and 30.000 personals  at schools. Also 65 accredited and 100 licensed universities exist. Around 100 students study at 42 State Vocational Education and Training Centers. These statistics shows the difficulties, we face in this system.

- Georgian teachers thought, they would be retired after arriving 1000 volunteer teachers from Canada. Different evaluations were spread in the social network. Is this the truth?

- The program of volunteer teachers successfully works in Czech Republic, Chile and Japan. This program also existed at Peace Corps, but the number of teachers’ recruitment is limited there. That’s why we have launched our program. The volunteer teachers will teach the Georgian schoolchildren together with the Georgian teachers. The teachers, as well as the children will receive the experience from the native English speakers. The education is not the privilege of the elite, it is the opportunity for everyone. The volunteers will not receive the salary. This people arrive here for the idea. Though, they will be paid for the daily trips by the support of our international partners. Many pensioner teachers live in Canada. They still have energy to teach the children. The candidates of Doctor of the Language Institute, also MA graduates, who have the special methodology of language teaching, will arrive to Georgia.  

- The safe school still presents the problem. The schoolchildren bring the side-arms at schools. Parents are not sure, their child will return at home undamaged.

- The order will be arranged at schools by all means. Many activities are being held to make the schools safe. The Ministry of Education and Science, together with the Office of the Prosecutor implements the project of the Juvenile Crime Prevention. The students listen to the lectures of the lawyers.  We are going to establish the card system at schools, to eradicate the “financial contribution”.  Banks will give the schoolchildren these cards free of charge. Parents will transfer money on the cards. They will have the   opportunity to do this from the mobile phones. Parents are not insured, their children spend money for alcohol, narcotics or tobacco. The card system will definitely solve this problem. Additionally, we plan other innovation: if parents wish, they will receive messages on their mobile phones, when their children enter or leave the school by passing the cards in the special equipment.  The Guards, two men and one woman will enter 10 schools from April, 15.

- Couldn’t you explain, is the Guard a policeman?

- The Guards, who will enter the 10 pilot schools, are passing the special course currently in the framework of the American project. The Guards have no right to punish the children; they are subordinated to the Ministry of Education and Science. They will be equipped with special uniform and the transmitter. The mission of the Guards is the prevention of the conflicts as well as maintenance the discipline at schools. Special rooms will be established at schools. The Guards will sit there and observe the situation through the cameras that will be set up throughout the whole school. The responsibility of the Guards is to evaluate the conflict. They can inform the principles  and ask for reaction if they wish. If the Guard thinks, the principle ignores the situation, he/she can inform the Ministry of Education and Science about the fact. When the situation needs the parents to be informed, they will contact them and ask to pass the measures.  The Guard also has the right to call the police, if he/she cannot control the situation. The Guards will be protected under the law, so I would suggest everyone not to abuse them. The procedure of exclusion will be also restored.  It happened, when the 12^th graders caught the first grader in the toilet, nailed the child up in the hand and then left alone. This was in the 21^st century in Tbilisi. The child still has the broken leg. The 11^th graders threw her up and then did not catch. Once, the schoolchild came at school with the firearm. A week ago, the police caught the schoolchild, who wore a firearm in the pocket. Fortunately, he couldn’t use the arm.

- The 12^th graders are worrying about the 10 exams. Many questions are asked about the entrance and high school diploma exams. They cannot understand, will these exams been held together or separately? 

- The explanation letters are already sent to the schools. The future students will pass 4 exams in the   following subjects in July: the General Ability Tests, Georgian Language and Literature, foreign language and the fourth subject, they will choose on their own, when they fill the test of “G” level. From the current year, the students will not receive the grand according to the general ability tests results. The allocation of grants will depend on the results of all subjects. The higher educational institute decides the grade scores for each subject independently.  We made a research at schools and discovered, the schoolchildren of the higher classes do not go to school. They only study the 3 subjects, they have to pass in entrance exams. In means, the school cannot implement its primary goal -  to give the schoolchildren general education. So we have decided to establish 10 exams in compulsory subjects for crossing the minimal competency level in order to receive the diploma. In July, 2011, the graduating and entrance exams will be carried out in parallel at the examination centers. The students will find out the “a” and “b” variants of the tests. The “a” means crossing the minimal competency level. The student will have to fill the “b” variant in the appropriate subject he/she passes in the higher educational institute entrance exam. Additionally, the schoolchildren pass not 10, but 8 exams, because Georgian Language and Literature really is one subject. The General Ability as the subject, that is not taught at schools. The student passes the General Ability Test only if he/she wishes to continue studying at the higher educational institute.  It is important, the all schools will begin to prepare schoolchildren for crossing the minimal competency level. We decided to establish extra lessons to remind the materials of the former classes, because some subjects are not taught at graduate classes.