Principal of Several Art Schools Threaten Teachers with Dismissal over Salary Arrears

Gela Mtivlishvili, Kakheti

Music School teachers in the village of Tibaani (Sighnaghi District) have not received any salary for the fourth month now and the arrears are steadily adding up.  Tamila Dzmanashvili, Sighnaghi Municipality Art and Sports School principal who is the head of Sighnaghi District music schools states that the Municipality is unable to pay to the Tibaani Music School teachers because they do not have available funds in the budget. This is not the only problem in Tibaani Musich School but other schools as well. Teachers and parents of large and impoverished families are unable to study without fees at  school in spite of governmental policy otherwise.  Tamila Dzmanashvili, head of Union of Art Schools threatened if the Tibaani Music School teachers complained to state bodies about not receiving their salaries and that she would have to dismiss them their employment at school.

The children from six villages of Sighnaghi district attend the Tibaani Music School. Even though the school building is far from perfection, the parents have not paid much attention to the shorcomings. The school is rather important for them and their children and they did not hestitate from havng their children attend this school even when the education fee was increased in January 2008.  They say that there is no other education institution with the exception of the Tibaani Music School where the children from Sighnaghi City remote villages are able to receive some additional education.

The Tibaani villagers inform that the National Movement Sighnaghi District Organization representatives as well as the local government have expressed their concern as to the villagers’ problems as far back as May of 2008. This keen interest had its roots: The Republic Party, Georgian oppositional party nominated Zaza Khatiashvili, a lawyer, born in Tibaani village for the Sighnaghi District single mandate MP in the Parliament of Georgia from the snap parliamentary elections of May 21, 2008. Those who call themselves Tibaanians state that the most of the villagers had been planning to vote for Zaza Khatiashvili. The representatives of ruling party made many promises to Tibaanians in order to win their sympathies and to convince them to vote in the election. One among the numerous promises was a promise to increase the salaries for Music School teachers upwards of 115 GEL and to create conditions to achieve an essential education at the Tibaani Musical School.

Several days prior to the election, teachers of Tibaani Music School received an order of Tamila Dzamanashvili dating May 1st, 2008. The document was on giving benefits to several pupils. “I order that the children from large families (with four or more children) and orphans shall not have to pay educational fees,” the copy of this order was distributed to almost every inhabitant living in the village.

Eter Gurashvili, a mother of 5 has been demanding for the second month that her elder child be accepted to Tibaani Music School based on Tamila Dzmanashvili’s order that is technically still in force, the order has neither been changed nor amendments have been introduced to the otherwise valid document. However, Gurashvili’s attempt has been useless thus far.

“I have even addressed the principal of Tibaani Music School as well as Tamila Dzmanashvili, her boss numerous times with the request that my child be allowed to study in the Music School free-of-charge. However, my request remains unanswered. I was told that they do not have enough money in the budget to fund the education of orphans and the children from large families,” states Eter Gurashvili.

Officially, the teachers of all Sighnaghi Municipality music schools have received salaries up to October but the teachers of Tibaani Music School have been waiting for their salaries for the last fourth month.

“The education fees are transferred to the bank account of Sighnaghi Municipality Art and Sports School. The children in our school have paid their fees and they have no debts for their education. However, we have not received salaries for the fourth month. This is not understandable as our salaries are very low and averages from 25-80 GEL,” states Eter Mosashvili, one of the teachers working at the Tibaani Musci School.

Most of Tibaani School teachers consider that Tamila Dzmanashvili is taking out some sort of revenge against the teachers. “Zaza Khatiashvili studied in our school and we know him rather well. There were rumors in pre-election period as well as after the elections that we voted for him on May 21st, 2008. Therefore we are considered as politically unreliable people and are being punished,” state the teachers.

Tamila Dzmanashvili, principal of the Sighnaghi Municipality Art and Sports School states that she does not persecute anyone their political beliefs.

“We were so overloaded with work that we did not have time for distributing salaries to the teachers from the Tibaani Music School. Besides we had some problems with allocating the money but I can assure you that they will receive the salaries in the nearest furute,” stated Dzmanashvili. In the meantime she expressed her discontent because we became interested in the problem teachers experienced and that they had spoken to us about their concerns. After having finished the conversation and leaving Sighnaghi Tamila Dzmanashvili met with Tibaani Music School teachers and threatened that she would dismiss those teachers who had expressed their outrage over  salary arrears and that not allowing orphans and the children from large families to study without paying.

“She then came to us and started screaming, why are you spreading the information about the problems? She verbally assaulted us and the parents who demanded that their children be able to study without fees. She told us in the end that she would give us the salary when it was the right time. She threatened that if we did not making noise up to that “right time” she would even dismiss us from our jobs,” said the teachers.

We called Dzmanashvili to confirm this information. However, she refused to make any comments. Zaza Zedelashvili, head of Sighnaghi District did not express any interest in the case as well. We were told that Tamila Dzmanashvili is patronized by Nugzar Abulashvili, Georgian Parliament MP and the head of National Movement Sighnaghi District Organization. It is noteworthy that Dzmanashvili has many photos of Abulashvili from various prospectives in her teacher chamber.

It is also noteworthy that the head of Sighnaghi Municipality Art and Sports School has not signed a labor contract with any of Tibaani Music School teachers thus far.

It appears that this story may be continued in the nearest future.