“The changes presented in the National Concept for General Education Reform do not serve modern, critical and competitive education; they serve a closed, conservative and controlled system,” stated Tata Khvedeliani, a member of the Political Council of the Gakharia for Georgia party.

According to her, the party will await the specific legislative initiatives presented to Parliament and will oppose each of them.

“First and foremost, I want to respond to yesterday’s development. We learned that the Georgian Dream government has issued a decree approving the National Concept for the general education system reform. As with the legislative reforms introduced in the higher education sector, a clear and consistent objective is evident, which is the silencing of dissenting opinions in the public sphere, increased subjugation to party control, and the restriction of academic freedom, rather than addressing the genuine challenges facing the education system.

The approved concept does not address the challenges that exist in our country. Its real purpose is to isolate the country’s next generation from a European future and to further distance Georgia’s citizens from European and Western educational spaces. The changes presented in the concept do not serve modern, critical and competitive education; they serve a closed, conservative and controlled system.

We will await the specific legislative initiatives presented to Georgia’s Parliament and will oppose each of them. We have also begun consultations with education sector experts, teachers and parents. Anyone who wishes is welcome to join us,” Khvedeliani stated.

For context, the Government of Georgia has approved the National Concept for the general education system reform.