Deputy Minister: Law does not define tutors, so restrictions don’t apply

The relationship between private tutors and parents is beyond our competence. This cannot be considered a form of pedagogical activity, and therefore, restrictions in this regard cannot be applied to them, said the Deputy Minister of Education of Georgia, Zviad Gabisonia.

According to Gabisonia, Georgian educational legislation does not contain a legal definition of a tutor.

“As part of the Law On the Fight Against Corruption, certain fields have been identified where additional activities are permitted. Among them, scientific and pedagogical activities are recognized within the education sector. With the employer’s consent, teachers and representatives of academic and scientific circles have the right to engage in additional scientific or pedagogical work.

As for the exceptions, much misinformation has been spread regarding teachers and the so-called private tutoring institute. We would like to clarify that Georgian educational legislation does not define the term tutor. Therefore, it is impossible to discuss specific forms of combinations or agreements since no such definition exists in the law.

Accordingly, if an agreement is made between two individuals for the provision of services or the sharing of educational knowledge, this falls outside the scope of education legislation and cannot be interpreted as a form of combined activity.

Additionally, we would like to note that there are training centers that prepare students for the Unified National Exams, as well as foreign language courses. If such institutions are registered and have written service or employment contracts, the requirements of the law apply. In these cases, written consent from the employer is required,” said Zviad Gabisonia.