Parents Fed Up with Education Reforms

Maka Malakmadze, Batumi

"In fact, we have reduced the value of school certificates and school subjects,” said president Saakashvili during his meeting with teachers and pupils of the Batumi Public School N 3 on January 12. The president angrily spoke about the shortcomings in the education system for a long time as if the reform was implemented by aliens and “government of roses” was not responsible for discrediting the importance of school education.

Mikheil Saakashvili said the implemented reforms were not good for pupils. In parallel to criticizing, the president spoke about new initiatives. After 2011 pupils will have to take 10 exams to finish the school. Minimal amount of the received points shall be 15.

As a tradition, journalists were not allowed to the meeting except correspondents of the national TV-channels.

Mikheil Saakashvili called the person to be ignorant who had initiated so-called seasonal tuition. He criticized the abolishment of final exams at public schools: “Level of education fell in Georgia. Recently we saw the results of international survey and the education quality is very law in Georgia. Unfortunately, level of education of our children, that means our future and future perspective are in poorest condition… in fact, we have reduced the value of school certificate and subjects. First of all, we shifted to three-term education process which is stupid decision of an ignorant person. We have to tell the people who had initiated this system that they are ignorant. They have damaged our education system greatly. Another point is that children do not need to learn main school subjects to enter high school. In fact, we received law quality specialists; children can learn skills and then enter high school. We should restore the prestige of public school and main subjects.”

The initiatives of “ignorant people”, based on which school program was shifted into three-term program and which lowered the quality of secondary education, were once approved by the president. Parents still complaint about it.

Marina Bolkvadze, parent: “I am fed up with their experiments. It deals with the education of our children. They are not speaking about dolls to change the system every year. We are lost with such a lot of changes. We had perfect system before this government came into office.”

Nino Mshvidobadze, parent: “Children cannot use each other’s text-books. Some of them learn by pilot program, others learn by different program. Last year, children learnt from different text-books; this year either president or minister will decide that text-book is not good and will change both the book and the method. How long can it last? Has our president realized only now that his reforms were wrong?”

Giorgi Beridze, parent: “Initially they work under this system, and then they move to another one. Parents are fed up with their experiments on our children. What was wrong about the system we had before the revolution? Is not our president going to return to the same system now? Why did he abolish it then? Parents were not allowed to attend the meeting; if I were there I would have asked him this question.”

Teachers and pupils who attended the meeting were glad. The Human Rights Center interviewed some of them.

Nargiz Babishvili, teacher: “Every issue was urgent and important. I wanted to approach and hug the president when he spoke about the attendance of pupils at school and text books. Most of all I liked when he said teachers and schools shall be secured.”

Makvala Verulidze, teacher: “I liked president’s statement and his attention to main subjects which shall be introduced from the next school-year.”

Nargiz Jincharadze, teacher: “The point is that families should be able to use old text-books. Time was necessary for similar decision and this amendment was really timely.”

Rezo Chanturia, pupil: “I think similar amendments in education system will promote development of our country. The president, as a rule, keeps all his promises. I want to thank him personally for announcing computer programs to be priority of our education.”

The meeting between the president and teachers and pupils at Batumi Public School N 3 lasted almost one hour. State security controlled the entire territory of the school. Journalists were allowed to attend the meeting.