School year begins in Georgia
By Mariam Chanishvili
Friday, September 16
The new academic year of 2016-17 started in Georgia on September 15. This year, there are reportedly 53,000 first graders in the country.
The President of Georgia, Giorgi Margvelashvili, visited the Kutaisi Classical Gymnasium and personally wished success to the first graders. The President looked around the gallery in the gymnasium museum where pictures of well-known alumni are displayed.
The Prime Minister of Georgia, Giorgi Kvirikashvili, also made a statement and congratulated schoolchildren nationwide.
“Congratulations to everyone – pupils, teachers, students and parents. I would especially like to congratulate the first graders and freshmen. A new and important stage of their lives has begun. I wish them success and good luck,” stated Kvirikashvili.
He noted that Georgia’s future depends on the knowledge and dedication of the country’s children, and that teachers are responsible for their development.
“Training the next generation - this is one of the most honorable things to do. I wish them courage and success,” he added.
This year, new laptops were gifted to first-year students and their teachers, while top scoring Grade 10 students also received personal computers, announced the Ministry of Education.
In addition, a total of 22,467,38 new books, notebooks and tests were printed and given to all pupils .
The Minister of Education and Science of Georgia, Aleksandre Jejelava, said that 30% of textbooks are new and 70% old, but in good condition.
However, some of the schools started the academic year a bit later due to construction work, according to Aleksandre Jejelava.
