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Compiled by Keti Baramidze
Thursday, March 25
Security guards will establish order in schools

Rezonansi writes that from September schools will be patrolled by security guards. Minister of Education and Science Dmitry Shashkin confirms that this will prevent crimes taking place at schools.

Non-government structures mainly approve of this new practice but teachers are reluctant to go along with it. They avoid contact with the media and don’t openly express their opinions on this matter, but it is known that they think schools should be protected by other methods.

The Ministry of Education and Science has announced that pupils' behaviour at schools will be controlled by specially trained security guards. They will be present at the schools and prevent children committing the crimes which have become so frequent nowadays. "People who assert that the security guard system isn’t good are mistaken. This isn’t the Ministry of Education being obstinate, parents want their children to be kept safe," says Shashkin in an interview with Rezonansi.

President of the Science and Teachers Independent Trade Union Manana Ghurchumalidze has said that security guard systems should be established at schools by all means, especially when they are widely used in foreign countries. "When I was in America I did not see guards at schools but today they are everywhere. This isn’t something unusual or new and I’m sure this system will be successful," says Ghurchumalidze. Academic Zurab Vakhania also considers that in the present situation security guard systems should be established at schools. However, the form these take and the way they are set up are also important, he said.



Has Russia’s acceptance into the World Trade Organisation been decided?

Rezonansi reports that analyst Demur Giorkhelidze says that Russia’s acceptance into the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has almost been agreed. He adds that Georgia shouldn’t show obstinacy about this but try to gain as much from this situation as possible, as it is profitable for us if Russia is obliged to obey the rest of the world's rules.

"At the meeting between Dmitry Medvedev and Hillary Clinton Russia joining WTO one of the most important issues discussed. As far as I’m concerned this matter is already settled and now only the technical details are being discussed. As the leading countries of the world have nothing against accepting Russia into this organisation we shouldn’t show any resistance either. The reasonable step of us giving consent will be a sign that we are happy to begin conversations with the Russians. Georgia certainly has the right to oppose this decision but if we do we won’t get any positive result," says Giorkhelidze.

Parliament Speaker Davit Bakradze asserts that Georgia’s position on Russia joining WTO has not changed. The Christian Democrats suggest that the Georgian Government is holding secret negotiations with Russia but analyst Soso Tsiskarishvili believes that WTO isn’t an acute issue even in Russia itself. For Georgia, despite its negative attitude, it entirely depends on the Government’s political talent what steps are taken in this case.

Fellow analyst Gia Khukhashvili says that he is against making this theme political to such a great extent as in the present situation we won’t be able to restore our territorial integrity anyway. "Certainly, Russia’s enrollment in WTO is a means we should use to get an adequate price for our cooperation. First we fight against Russia and then we broker the document of our capitulation. Due to partner demand we may sign it again and get nothing in return. It would be better if we came to a certain agreement ourselves but of course consensus shouldn’t mean capitulation," considers Khukhashvili.