Georgia  

Author(s)

• Margarita Kolcheva

Reviewer

Nadia Koltcheva, Department of Cognitive Science and Psychology, New Bulgarian University

Abstract

Pre-primary education in Georgia is not compulsory, however, it has a long history that focuses on care rather than education. This focus has been shifting in the last few years due to the reform that has been undertaken by the Georgian’s government and coordinated by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport (MoESCS). In 2017, the “Unified Strategy for Education and Science for 2017-2021” was developed, and in 2018, the “New School Model” was introduced. The main aim was to provide high quality education, and to expand on the scope of service, including additional skills and social competence. There is a special structure that the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) is responsible for, such as the licensing and monitoring of programmes that can operate in early child care facilities. Some programmes that have been implemented in Georgia are Georgia’s Pre-K Programme, and Georgia’s Childcare and Parent Services (CAPS) programme. There is a Quality Rated system that assesses program quality. Unfortunately, we were not able to get any more information about the Quality Rated system, or details regarding their curriculum. With the support of organisations like UNICEF and non-governmental organisations in the country (Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students (GEEARS), many initiatives and projects are for the improvement of quality of education, inclusiveness, children’s development and wellbeing. For example, one of the members of GEEARS is the Georgia Infant-Toddler Coalition. Their main objective is “to advance the health, social, intellectual, and emotional well-being of infants and toddlers across Georgia” (GEEARS, n.d.). They follow the holistic approach and recognize the variety of aspects that impact children’s proper development. There are also other successful programmes piloted in the country (“Learn by Playing”, UNICEF), as well as the implementation of teaching techniques for school aged children.

References

• Corso, M. (2018). Free, fun and relaxed – how schools in Georgia are making lessons child-friendly. UNICEF teams up with Governments of Estonia and Georgia to strengthen new teaching techniques, https://www.unicef.org/eca/stories/free-fun-and-relaxed-schools-georgia-child-friendly
• General Education. Quality education is critical for the development of both individuals and societies. (n.d.). UNICEF, https://www.unicef.org/georgia/general-education
• Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students. (n.d.). https://geears.org/action-alerts/
• Georgia’s Early Care & Education Landscape (2020), Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students
• The Georgia Infant-Toddler Coalition, (n.d.), https://geears.org/initiatives/georgia-infant-toddler-coalition/
• Li, R., Kitchen, H., George, B., Richardson, M. & Fordham, E. (2019). OECD Reviews of Evaluation and Assessment in Education: Georgia, ISSN: 22230955 (online) https://doi.org/10.1787/22230955.
• Snip, I. (2019). We learn by playing. Fifteen schools in Georgia are modelling a new digital learning programme: “Learn by Playing”, https://www.unicef.org/georgia/stories/we-learn-playing
• The Pyramid Model for Promoting Social Emotional Competence in Infants and Young Children (n.d.). National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations (NCPMI), From: https://challengingbehavior.cbcs.usf.edu/Pyramid/overview/index.html

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CO-082-Georgia.pdf