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Population of Ossetian Village Blames Government for Inattentiveness

April 16, 2007

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There is fifteen kilometers between the village and the district center. The villagers have to walk that distance for two years already. Teachers come from the neighboring villages who work at the public school in Kitaani. The population of the village has petitioned to the government. The Ministry of Education sent a special bus to transport teachers and pupils but that bus is still a ‘prisoner’ in the yard of the school watchman.

The village Kitaani is the only village in the Gurjaani district that is inhabited with Ossetian people and it joins the Community of the village of Chumlakhi. Many people have left the village because of unbearable situation. The number of migrants increased since they had transportation problems.
“Most of villagers moved to Vladikavkaz. Those who remained here are very poor. Normal life is not for us. There was only one bus that connected us with Gurjaani and it does not run anymore because passengers are not enough to transport. The driver said “We cannot reimburse the expense of the fuel either and we cannot work for that itinerary anymore.” We have to reach the village of Chumlakhi on foot for the second year already. There is more than seven kilometers until that village. We, adults can somehow manage to walk that distance but what about our children? They cannot afford so many things. Very few people have a car in the village. If somebody takes a child to a doctor, we also accompany them. People are competing with each other to get into the car,” said Natia Natsvlishvili, a resident of Kitaani.

Residents of the village of Kitaani have many other problems too; however, they are so much worried about the lack of transportation that they do not want to complain about any other problems. “You know, being able to transport is too urgent for us. At least we need to go shopping twice a week or to go to the chemist’s. There is no bus and if you call for a taxi you should pay 15-20 lari for service. The road is in poor conditions and taxi drivers do not want to break their cars for little money. Nobody can pay such great money. Thus we are isolated from the district center,” said Tamar Gabruashvili.

The population said that they have petitioned to the government several times in vain. “Ossetian people reside only in this village in the Gurjaani district and we expected the authority to be attentive to us. We have demanded to send a bus to the village to run between Kitaani and Gurjaani. However we still have to walk the distance. They promised us to help at the Administrative Board. But one year has passed since that time and nobody has got interested in the problem. The Ministry of Education has abolished the school too and it has joined the school of Chumlakhi. However, children still go to Kitaani School. Teachers arrive at the village school from neighbor villages. In order to get to the school they need 2 hours. The bus, the Ministry of Education has sent for children and teachers, is imprisoned,” Giorgi Tedeshvili could not help his anger.

The bus does not serve the school pupils and teachers. Dali Kitesashvili, director of the school explained that they cannot buy fuel for the bus. “Schools of Chumlakhi and Kitaani should have been joined but it failed. Thus lessons are going on in both schools. Consequently we allocate nearly 1500 lari from Chumlakhi school budget to Kitaani basic school to pay teachers’ salaries. Thus we do not afford to buy fuel. Besides that very soon elections on school directors will be held and we have postponed the discussion of the question until September,” said Kitesashvili.

Dali Mindiashvili, the ehad of the Gurjaani Educational Resource-Center, defined that since the school received a bus it should use it too. Minidiashvili said that the bus was sent to Kitaani School to serve pupils and teachers.

Gurjaani Municipality Governor Ramaz Kerechashvili said that the board has information about the villagers problem. The Administrative Board is trying to resolve it. “We know the problem and we try to resolve it. We hope it will soon be arranged,” said the governor.
 
There are six forms in the Kitaani School. The number of pupils is twenty and fourteen teachers are teaching them. Only watchman and a dust woman are local villagers from the whole school personnel. If the problem is unresolved, the villagers threaten to hold protest demonstration.

Gela Mtivlishvili, Kakheti

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