30 % of Schools Remained Without Directors

On July 7 a new stage of the elections of directors started in public schools. According to the Ministry of Education and Science only 70% of candidates were elected by Board Councils. Elections were held through violation of rules in Kakheti Region. Candidates claimed that members of the Board Councils were suppressed by former directors.

Those candidates whom the Board Council did not support can take part in the repeated elections in September. Despite that, they are going to appeal against the results at the Ministry of Education and Science.

Nana Gabruashvili, candidate for the director of the Public School in the village of Vejini in the Gurjaani District appealed against the results at the Ministry. She claimed that the members of the council turned her down because they wanted former director Marina Jikidze to return to her position. Jikidze was being voted for the position of director at the public school in the village of Chandari.

“The selection in the village of Vejini was appointed at 3:00 PM. The members of the Board Council fixed that late time because they wanted to have information whether former director who was being voted in my native school had won or lost the elections. After Jikidze called her deputy and said that she had lost elections, they started voting at the school in Vejini. Members of the Council were very aggressive to me. They were shouting at me when asking questions and were arguing with me. None of them voted for me. Before elections, they did not let my supervisor and independent journalists into the election room. Moreover, chairman and several members of the Board Council threatened representatives of the central TV Companies and regional media sources with patrol police.

As for results, we can state loudly that members of the Board Council of the Public School in the village of Vejini cannot value the knowledge and experience of a candidate. They could not dislike my program which aimed at development of the school; I answered all their questions, etc. I demanded their explanation for having turned me down. The chairman of the council answered I could receive answers on my questions at the Ministry of Education,” said Nana Gabruashvili.

The candidate added that Jikidze categorically demanded the teachers to petition to the Ministry of Education to appoint Marina Jikidze as a director of their school again.

Tamar Sibashvili, teacher of the Art Studio at the Public School of the village of Vejini, blames Jikidze for having persecuted her and violating human rights. She was the only contestant for Jikidze from the Vejini Public School. “Since that day I decided to compete with Marina Jikidze and applied to take part in the competition for the school director, she threatened me to fire in September because she was going to be director again. I do not know who had promised her to appoint to her position again but she really kept her promise and fired me. Jikidze claimed that she decided to abolish Art Studio at school after having agreed the question with the Board Council. I inquired about the situation with two members of the council who did not confirm Jikidze’s statement and said that they did not know about abolishment,” said Sibashvili.

Jikidze categorically denies the accusations of Sibashvili and others. “There was no persecution and her complaints are groundless. Your arguements should be more convincing otherwise I will react on those fraudulent accusations…I do not threaten you… I decided to deprive the Studio from the space in the school. I made decision after we discussed it at the meeting with the Board Council,” said Jikidze. According to her, the reason for abolishing the studio is small space in the school. Teachers for the Art Studio said that in September, Vejini Public School starts one-shift work and in the afternoon the building will be empty.

Tamar Sibashvili applied to the Human Rights Center for help. Lia Khuroshvili, lawyer for the human rights organization said that Interim Director of the Vejini Public School retaliates against Sibashvili.

Elected candidates will take over their positions of school directors as soon as the Ministry of Education registers them.

Gela Mtivlishvili, Kakheti