Education Minister defends swift closure of Tbilisi Public School No. 21: We received the safety assessment on 17 September and acted immediately

“The official safety assessment regarding Tbilisi Public School No. 21 reached the Ministry on 17 September, prompting an immediate and unavoidable decision to suspend operations,” Minister of Education, Science and Youth Givi Mikanadze announced today.

The Minister confirmed that a comprehensive engineering audit of state school buildings nationwide is now underway. Mikanadze stressed that the Ministry will act without delay once structural risk assessments arrive.

“We fully recognise that school infrastructure remains a critical challenge. That is precisely why we initiated a nationwide structural audit of state schools to identify compromised facilities. This is the result of years of accumulated maintenance backlogs, a systemic issue that can no longer be put off.

The infrastructure deficit in state schools must be resolved once and for all. We are treating this matter with utmost urgency and will take immediate, concrete action. According to the expert report on Tbilisi Public School No. 21, the building’s current state makes continuing academic activities inside an unacceptable safety hazard.

To guarantee the safety of pupils and staff, we decided to temporarily relocate classes to an alternative educational venue. Studies will not be halted; pupils will be provided with a safe, alternative learning environment. We will update parents and staff with full details regarding class arrangements as soon as possible.

At the same time, all necessary technical work will begin to address the structural issues at Public School No. 21. We are maintaining close, daily coordination with the Ministry of Infrastructure. Decisions regarding the building’s long-term future will be guided entirely by specialist technical evaluations,” Mikanadze stated.

The Minister’s statement comes as parents and pupils of Tbilisi Public School No. 21 staged a protest outside the premises. Demonstrators expressed outrage after receiving a last-minute text message notifying them that the facility was structurally compromised, forcing an immediate halt to on-site teaching and reassignment of pupils to other schools across the city.