Salome Achba
After Dimitry Shashkin moved from the position of the Minister of Probation and Penitentiary to the position of the Minister of Education and Science, the society had controversial reaction. Nowadays, due to the decisions and reforms of this person, most part of the society thinks that he still acts as a minister of probation and penitentiary and rules the education system with police methods - he thinks schools are detention settings, teachers are prison personnel and pupils are prisoners. In parallel to the establishment of the bailiff institute in public schools, Dimitry Shashkin was given a nickname – chief bailiff.
Many strange changes were introduced to the education system since Shashkin occupied the position of the minister: In September 2010 the rectors of four universities resigned; in November school pupils started protest rallies against eight diploma exams and it resulted into dismissal of 8 school directors. The bailiff program was the noisiest reform of the education system; according to this reform uniformed people – bailiffs are entitled to prevent and eradicate violence in schools.
Rectors of Universities Are Appointed by the Minister
Soon after Dimitry Shashkin occupied the position of the education minister the rectors of Gori, Tbilisi, Telavi and Kutaisi universities filed resignation letters.
“Voluntary” resignation of rectors started on August 6, 2010 with the rector of the Gori State University Zaza Tsotniashvili. The rector of the Tbilisi State University Gia Khubua followed him on August 13. The rector of the Telavi State University Giorgi Gotsiridze was the third on the list and he left his position on September 8; four days later – on September 12 the rector of the Kutaisi State University Giorgi Oniani joined them.
The concrete information about the reason why the rectors of four universities resigned is not reported. It is also suspicious that the four rectors almost simultaneously felt tired because of their tough work and applied for the resignation. The most interesting and strange is that the rectors left their positions several months before the election of a new rectors and academician councils.
It was reported that rectors were called to the ministry and ordered to write resignation letters. Before the TSU rector Gia Khubua resigned, the government-controlled national TV-Companies launched black PR against Khubua. They recalled disappearance of several books from the TSU library several years ago. However, the rector had informed the prosecutor’s office about the incident on time and requested punishment of the offenders. The TSU rector was blamed in the increase of professor-lecturers while it could work in his favor.
So, why did not Shashkin like the activities of the rectors? The experts connect this fact with the revision of the former minister’s reforms. The president Saakashvili was convinced that Aleksandre Lomaia’s reforms were bad. More precisely – appointment of school directors by lotto, introduction of the integrated education, abolishment of the diploma exams at public schools; etc were bad. So, Shashkin was ordered to restore the past experience in public schools. The university rectors occupied their positions when Aleksandre Lomaia was minister. Consequently, Shashkin fought not only against Lomaia’s reforms but against his people too.
The obvious controversy between the Liberty Institute and Shashkin proves this fact. Reportedly, the Liberty Institute always supported Lomaia’s reforms. The former rector of the Telavi State University Giorgi Gotsiridze was Kakheti regional coordinator of the Liberty Institute before going to the university.
The Law on High Education was adopted in 2005 when Kakha Lomaia was the minister. It introduced institutional autonomy in the education system. First of all, it meant election of rectors by the academician council which had to be elected in advance. The ministry did not have right to appoint-dismiss university rectors. However, Shashkin’s fight against rectors demonstrated that the Georgian universities are still under influence of political institutions and are far from independence.
Dismissal of Directors with Old Methods
After Shashkin occupied the position of the minister, the school pupils started protest rallies throughout Georgia for the first time. In November of 2010, the 12th graders started protest rally in front of the parliament. They protested 8 diploma exams and alleged that they were training for the National Exams to enter universities and could not receive corresponding education at schools in order to pass diploma exams. They particularly complained about nature studies.
“Well, do you think Shashkin has so weak nerves that he will allow backward pupils to launch revolution?” the president of Georgia ironically responded to the protest of pupils.
Reportedly, the participants of the protest rally organized by “backward pupils” were threatened. A pupil of the 12th grade at Tbilisi Public School # 19 Revaz Revazishvili said after rallies police officers were waiting for him at home who took him to the police station # 4 in the Queen Tamar Avenue and threatened him. More precisely, the police officers warned him against participating in the rallies; or otherwise they would take him to the Samtredia based boarding school for backward pupils.
Soon, directors of eight public schools resigned. The Minister Shashkin explained the fact by old reason – the directors resigned voluntarily and the ministry did not interfere in it. However, initially it was reported that the directors were summoned to the ministry and ordered to write resignation letters.
Lomaia’s policy was declined in this particular case too – the school directors were to be appointed and dismissed by the board of trustees only. Apparently, the independence of public schools changed into the dictatorship of the ministry.
Introduction of Bailiffs in Schools
Not very small part of the society thinks that the former minister of penitentiary and probation could not forget his old role and rules the educational institutions like police system. It is proved by implementation of bailiff program in schools; as a result Shashkin has a new nickname – Chief Bailiff.
The bailiff program was implemented in every school from the first term of the new school year in 2010. Three uniformed people try to keep order and prevent violence in every public school. This innovation caused serious discontent in the part of society. In fact, the functions of the bailiffs were “exaggerated” and exceeded the prevention and eradication of violence in schools. They started to control teachers together with pupils. For example, there were cases when bailiffs controlled who was late for lessons and whether teachers wrote “absent” in the registries for the absent pupils. It caused negative reaction of the teachers because they think it is interference in their functions and discredits them before pupils.
Experts think the bailiffs have same authorities and responsibilities as the personnel of the penitentiary system and guards of any state institution. For example, a bailiff can use force and “special tools” against pupils if it is necessary. Despite that, the bailiffs do not subordinate to the MIA but to the Ministry of Education.
The representatives of the Ministry of Education clarified that the program of bailiffs aims to eradicate and prevent violence in public schools. The bailiff has authority to control pupils only in the territory of school. If an adult is controlled within the school territory and will not have chance to quarrel and oppose their pals there, she/he will “resolve” the problem outside the school. So, if the adults had conflicts within the school territory before, now the scene of conflict might move somewhere outside the school. What is the aim of the government then? – to eradicate violence within the school territory or to eradicate it completely? If the violence still exists, it makes no difference whether it is done within or outside the school?
Psychologist Nugzar Baindurashvili thinks that the function of psychology should increase in schools first of all and psychologists should work on the prevention of violence instead “uniformed people.”
“Unfortunately, the level of education and consciousness of the Georgian society is so low that they are skeptical about psychologists and prefer similar problems be resolved by “uniformed people,” said Nugzar Baindurashvili.
Above all, the bailiff program cost very expensive. If we consider the total number of bailiffs and their salaries, 7 million GEL will be spent only on the bailiffs in the Tbilisi public schools – that is huge sum for the ministry of education with not a very rich budget.
The former deputy minister of education Simon Janashia thinks that implementation of the bailiff program is not necessary in every school.
“The state should implement this program only in the schools where the problem cannot be resolved with the effort of the school personnel alone. Additional staff should be hired with state funds and according to corresponding instructions. The personnel should not be considered to be the main tool for the eradication of the problem but as an expert who will support the school in problem resolution. Security expert should not be a police officer, a security guard or an executor. His/her activities should be temporary and success should be measured by the readiness of the school to reduce violence. Based on these principles, bailiffs might have important, long-term, stable and economically reasonable effect for the safety of pupils,” wrote Simon Janashia in his article for the magazine Liberal.
Vocabulary of Prison Supervisor
Minister Shashkin is famous with his rude expressions and statements. He can use similar tone with police officers but it sounds strange with regard to teachers and scientist.
“I will drink your blood, I am telling you the truth,” –Dimitry Shashkin told the school directors at one of the meetings. He introduced his new decision to the directors which aimed to transfer funds for the reconstruction of sport grounds in public schools director to school administrations.
“The ministry will transfer the money to the school and the school will carry out activities. I will drink your blood, I am telling you the truth! You will be responsible for this concrete issue; you will look for, you will carry out, you will resolve every problem. I know many of you will not like it but many will like it. I prefer the school directors were responsible for it but do not forget – I will drink your blood! I will measure each centimeter,” Shashkin was raging at the meeting.
After public schools, it was time for private schools. The minister promised the population to control 20 million GEL which was allocated from the ministry’s budget for private schools per year. “I have found time for private schools after I finished some other business. I wonder about the education level in these schools. We spend 20 million GEL on those schools per year and I will get those 20 million GEL from their throats now!” he used tone and vocabulary of prison supervisor again.
“The directors of these schools deserved imprisonment and I was mistaken not to do it,” the minister said with regard to the directors of the boarding schools.
It is strange why the former penitentiary and currently education minister should decide who shall be imprisoned or not. If a citizen thinks that somebody breached a law, she/he should appeal to the court which has authority to find a person guilty and arrest him/her.
Minister Shashkin does not avoid usage of foul language when speaking with the society. “I know that many of you are disappointed with my visit in Public School # 173 but I will go everywhere where similar situation is,” said minister to the journalists when the pupils of the Public School # 173 protested dismissal of their director. The minister arrived at the school together with a unit of state security guards like he wanted to subdue a riot in prison.
Nevertheless, the results of the survey funded by the World Bank sounded a bit paradoxical. The survey aimed to find out the feeling and expectation of the Georgian population about the reforms implemented in the education system of Georgia. According to the survey, the situation in the education system has been significantly improved for the last one year; parents and pupils are grateful to the bailiffs.
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