Nana Pazhava, Zugdidi
Nurses of kindergartens in the Zugdidi region petitioned the Georgian president, the Minister of Education and Science two years ago. All three requests were related to introduction of amendments to the Georgian Organic Law about Local Government. The Zugdidi branch of the Independent Trade Union of Education and Scientific Activists continues to demand the authority kindergartens to be assigned again to the Georgian Ministry of Education.
Zugdidi Kindergarten # 15 opened before World War II, and the nursery school first operated in a wooden house. Later, Soviet government constructed an ordinary two-storied nursery school. This school was one of the first twenty-four-hour facilities to be found anywhere in all of Georgia. During the Georgian Civil War of 1991 an armed formation “Mkhedrioni” occupied the nursery school. IDP families from Abkhazia have been living there for many years. Not that many things changed in the life of the kindergarten since the Soviet regime… today, only two out of former six groups of kindergarten age children are being taught.
Nurses and parents do not complain about the level of nutrition but many other problems are evident. The children do not have bedrooms and they have to sleep on tables. Also, there are not toys for them to play with. There are not even visual aids that can be used in demonstrating various things to the children. Children bring brushes, paints and even papers from home, as there are no school supplies … and there is also no sick room or clinic for the children.
Lali Lataria, a nurse started working at the kindergarten # 15 twenty-five years ago. She was twenty-three at that time and she took over for an old nurse, Maro Tskhadaia who was the grandmother of Kakha Lomaia, the former Minister of Education and Science.
Lali Lataria, a kindergarten nurse: “Much has done for kindergartens under the current government but much is still undone. Much more attention is needed in growing and enriching the souls of the children in order to get them ready to attend school. Not to mention material-technical problems, there is no clear teaching methodology…salaries of the staff are so low that they do not even cover the minimum cost of living.
Zoia Kvaratskhelia, another nurse: “Our jobs and efforts do not differ that much from the work of teachers in public schools. However, we do not receive any allowances, vouchers or medical insurance policies. We work hard and we are involved in preparing the children to attend school.”
Nurses and representatives of the Trade Union connect the current problems in the nursery school with how local government supervises the educational system based on the Article 16 of the Georgian Organic Law about local self-government. According to article, self-government has exclusive right to set up the nursery and non-traditional establishments as non-profit legal entities and draft their statutes. That’s why Centers for Nursery Schools were established eight months ago throughout Georgia, and these are now supervised by district municipalities.
The nurses and Trade Unions consider that “this legislative norm has completely separated nursery schools from the rest of the educational system.” The petition to the Georgian President, Mikheil Saakashvili and the Minister of Education and Science states: “In accordance to the Article 10 of the Law about Education “Nurses of pre-school establishment work for the purpose of preparing children for regular school; to help in developing the pupil’s mentality, emotional well-being, learn patience, develop physical health, spiritual well-being, and to teach the kindergarten pupils how to respect the opinion and property of others, and to assist to strengthen the child’s health.” Moreover, in accordance to the International Labor Organization and UNESCO’s Recommendations regarding the “Status of Teacher” pre-school establishments are institutions of the educational system and as a result those employed at such places are teachers.
Based on the above-mentioned factors we demand:
1. Pre-school establishments must be returned to the supervision of the educational system;
2. Pre-school establishments must be granted the status of educational-tuition based establishment;
3. Nurses of pre-school establishments must be granted the status of a teacher and all those allowances and advantages that are granted to the teachers of public schools by Georgian and International legislation be afforded them as well.
Representatives of the Zugdidi branch of the Independent Trade Union of Education and Scientific Workers state that many people have already signed the petition. However, a certain percentage of nurses did not agree to sign it because they are afraid of being fired for taking a position.
Karlo Melia, the chairperson of the Zugdidi Branch of the Trade Union: “More than one million GEL was apportioned from the local budget this year but it will not resolve the problem. However, he said that many improvements were made for nursery schools. However, not even minimal conditions were established at several kindergartens. IDPs live in 11 out of total 16 kindergartens located in Zugdidi.
But qualified nurses are still lacking, as the current nurses were trained with the same methods that were adopted twenty years ago. Various NGOs, initiative groups have prepared some programs. We can already notice some progress but it has not happened at a governmental level. Nurses receive a salary of 177 GEL; just over a quarter, 47 GEL of this gross amount is withheld as income taxes. As a result, we consider that our demands are fair and they must be satisfied.”
Luiza Nachkebia, the head of the Union of Nursery Schools states the complaints of the Trade Union and nurses are groundless and told that most of them even did not know what they were singing and what kind of status they are actually talking about.
Luiza Nachkebia: “pre-school establishments are not separated from the educational system. It was assigned to the self-governmental bodies based on a governmental resolution. The Ministry of Education and Science still supervises them when it comes to complaints. The allegation that they have been cut off from the educational system is false. They are spearheading the educational process and we are involved in planning and carrying out professional training sessions and seminars. We have provided the pre-schools with refrigerators and other equipment. Now we have also started to distribute stoves for cooking to the kindergartens.”
Zugdidi Branch of the Independent Trade Union provides alarming statistics. Only 55 % of the children of the age from 3 to 6 are attending 44 nursery schools that exist in the district. This figure will create many problems for the children who are speaking the Megrelian Dialect without access to the Georgian language.
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