“Optimus!” Euphemism for Cutting Nursery Schools and Human Resources

Saba Tsitsikashvili, Gori

Gori Municipality Board now intends to reduce the level of funding for Gori based nursery-schools starting in 2009. Several nursery schools will be consolidated and the building will be emptied of their contents.  Local authority calls the initiative “Optimization” and explains to the directors of the nursery schools that word “Optimus” means improvement.

Directors of the Gori based nursery schools have already become accustomed to gathering in the meeting hall of the Municipality Board. They started attending meetings two years ago when former local government fired all directors and announced competition for the newly vacant positions of the previous directors. Mikheil Kareli, former regional governor, then appointed new directors at almost all nursery school based on the principle of “close relations and ties.”

Later, in September of 2007, Lado Gegelashvili, the new regional governor, found “black list” in the drawer of Mikheil Kareli. The list provided the names of people who were close to authority and these people were appointed as directors of the nursery schools through violation. Lado Gegelashvili assessed the list as a classic example of endemic corruption and proceeded tro correct the wrong and reappoint the former directors who had been wrongly fired by Kareli.

Afterwards, Gori Municipality Board started discussion the optimization process of nursery schools. Several kindergartens were unified in Gori which resulted into personnel reduction and emptied buildings. The Human Rights Center’s Shida Kartli office was informed that local authority considers the on-going situation as being something as optimization, at least it used this term to describe the process.

However, the directors of the nursery schools observe secret goals of the local officials behind the optimization process. More exactly, they fear about personnel reduction and emptying the buildings in advantageous places in Gori. Personnel of kindergartens assess the process as “repressions” in contradiction to government’s variant of “optimization”.

On July 10 directors of Gori based nursery schools gathered in the hall and spoke about the problems in their respective structure. The directors met with Fridon Afriamashvili, the head of the Financial Department of the Municipality Board and Ana Jebisashvili, chief specialist of the Culture, Sport and Education Department.

Lali Baiadze, director of the Gori Nursery School # 1 pointed out that the subsidies allocated form the budget were enough for salaries and suggested those in attendance to start think of fund-raising to resolve nutrition problem faced by nursery schools.

Nursery School # 2 needs to repair the roof; when it is strong wind, the roof blows off and when it rains, water leaks into the building. Besides that, there are nursery schools which have problems of access roads to their building and it is impossible to reach them when it rains and in time of high winds.

The director of the Nursery School # 3 complained about water system and finally it turned out that almost every kindergarten have similar problems.

The directors of the rest of nursery schools complained about large electricity bills they have to pay. According to the resolution of the Energo-Pro Georgia the directors have to buy and install meters and afterwards will also pay the bills from their school budgets.

Soon, Fridon Afriamashvili joined the meeting who returned from the Ministry of Finances. He rebuked the directors for their accountants who distributed the subsidies only for the salaries of teachers.

Fridon Afriamashvili:” It was not necessary to spend the allocated money for salaries. You know that you could use that some for some other household expenses too. Thus, I think that you have considered from the very beginning to divide the provided subsidies fairly and more effectively.”

Afriamashvili’s statement caused serious discontent among the audience. Dali Edilashvili, the chairperson of the Trade Union’s Gori office, particularly supported the teachers of kindergartens, and she considers that it is unfair that teachers have to take their summer holidays without pay.

By the way, several directors were concerned by the fact that the teachers should receive salaries in summer when they do not work.

Dali Edilashvili protested such an attitude towards teachers. She demanded the directors not to make the teachers to take their unpaid holidays.

Another topic for earsplitting discussion was the length of summer holidays. According to the recommendation of the Municipality Board, kindergartens teachers should take holidays of 24 working days.

“Why should not teacher have longer holiday in summer? Everybody knows how precious this period is for the teacher of kindergartens. After a long stressful work finally they can have a rest for not less than 24 days. I wonder, why you grant teachers with the shortest holiday while according to the law they should actually be provided at least 36 days,” explained the chairperson of the Trade Union.

At the same meeting they found out that the Municipality Board has worked out the plan of funding for each kindergarten in the district. However, Fridon Afriamashvili refused to share this information with teachers. She did admit that under project that fewer funds are envisaged.

The directors, having departed the meeting then started thinking of those teachers who might be reduced in his/her kindergarten.

Nino Tatiashvili, chief specialist of the Gori Municipality Board, told the directors of the kindergartens that they are not threatened with “optimization” process. However, she explained that the word has positive meaning in certain applications.

“Word “optimus” means generosity; so we want to do good for you,” Nino Tatiashvili calmed the depressed teachers.