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Gilauri welcomes reform of United National Exams

Rezonansi reports that Georgia’s Prime Minister, Nika Gilauri, has welcomed the radical changes being made to the United National Exams. The Exams begin in 2005, introduced as part of a reform package by then-Minister of Education and Science Kakha Lomaia.

At the initiative of the President, starting in school year 2012-2013 a new system of examinations will be introduced. Students will have to pass eight exams and a general ability test in order to qualify for university entrance.

Gilauri also commented on the wide use of tutors, noting that not every family has enough money to hire special exam tutors. He noted that under the new system, the use of tutors will be reduced.

This year, the national exams will be held as usual. They begin on June 28.



Free Democrats fight for financial aid for elderly couple

Eighty-three-year-old Giorgi and Liza Mtvarelashvili have been registered in the database of socially vulnerable people since 2006, Rezonansi writes. But according to the Free Democrats in Gurjaani, Telavi's social services agency decided to abolish financial aid for the family last Decemeber.

“When agency staff came to us... they told me that I have corn in the family, that is why I was not in the category of socially vulnerable people. Our pension is not even enough for medicine,” Mtvarelashvili said.



Tsiskasrishvili accuses UNM of criminal activity

Political analyst Soso Tsiskasrishvili has called President Mikheil Saakashvili's team "dangerous" to the public, noting that nothing has changed since US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit last week.

“As soon as the US Secretary of State left the country, the authorities immediately continued their illegal actions. We are rushing into a wild campaign, where the National Movement is going to kill any form of competition,” Tsiskasrishvili told Akhali Taoba.

The analyst claims that Saakashvili’s staff is frightened that, if the United National Movement loses the election, their "criminal activities" will be revealed. “Their position is everything or nothing,” he said.