The News in Brief
Tuesday, April 9
CAT exams cancelled on a legislative level
With the new education reform introduced at the beginning of 2019, the school exams were to be abolished. The so-called CAT exam model was established in the 2010-2011 school year and up until now remained controversial. The CAT exam was solely based on theoretical knowledge. With the ministry trying to promote critical thinking, Mr. Batiashvili mentioned that the schools should be oriented on the outcome, not the exam results.
According to the ministry, the elimination of school exams will reduce the demand for private tutors. In reality, the high need for tutors in schoolchildren is a result of the low quality of teaching at schools. Therefore, eradicating the exams is not a solution to the widespread problem.
Majority of the public agrees that the school exams were solely based on the factual knowledge and didn’t take into account students’ skills and critical thinking abilities, therefore they welcomed the positive change.
According to the Chairman of the Education Committee, Mariam Jashi, the exams are officially canceled at the legislative level. The second bill was passed on the draft law on the cancellation of exams.
During the third hearing, the law was not passed. After the hearing, deputy Levan Koberidze asked the Chairman to redo the hearing, because the parliamentarians didn’t know which draft law they were voting for due to the noisy environment in the building.
Yesterday, at the extraordinary session of April 8, the Parliament of Georgia voted for the second time for the bill on examination reform with the third reading and the CAT exams have officially become a thing of the past.
(By Levan Abramishvili)
Group money extortion from tourists in Batumi, 5 people detained
As a result of intensive operative-investigative activities and on the basis of a judge's ruling, the officers of Batumi Police Department and MIA Adjara Police Department have arrested 5 people accused of group money extortion. One of them, D.D, was born in 1989, the other one, O.S, in 1990. Also, three of the detainees: R.B born in 1984, Z.O born in 1988 and I.K born in 1994, have already been convicted for committing various crimes.
As the investigation established, at the two clubs located in Batumi, the detainees regularly demanded foreign citizens to pay for non-existent menu fees and by threatening their lives and wellbeing. The defendants have obtained 2100 euros, 5123 GEL, and 10 800 Turkish liras in total.
The investigation is in progress based on the fact of extortion by a group under Article 181 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, sub-paragraph "a".
The committed crime envisages from 4 to 7 years of imprisonment.
(By Ana Magradze)
With the new education reform introduced at the beginning of 2019, the school exams were to be abolished. The so-called CAT exam model was established in the 2010-2011 school year and up until now remained controversial. The CAT exam was solely based on theoretical knowledge. With the ministry trying to promote critical thinking, Mr. Batiashvili mentioned that the schools should be oriented on the outcome, not the exam results.
According to the ministry, the elimination of school exams will reduce the demand for private tutors. In reality, the high need for tutors in schoolchildren is a result of the low quality of teaching at schools. Therefore, eradicating the exams is not a solution to the widespread problem.
Majority of the public agrees that the school exams were solely based on the factual knowledge and didn’t take into account students’ skills and critical thinking abilities, therefore they welcomed the positive change.
According to the Chairman of the Education Committee, Mariam Jashi, the exams are officially canceled at the legislative level. The second bill was passed on the draft law on the cancellation of exams.
During the third hearing, the law was not passed. After the hearing, deputy Levan Koberidze asked the Chairman to redo the hearing, because the parliamentarians didn’t know which draft law they were voting for due to the noisy environment in the building.
Yesterday, at the extraordinary session of April 8, the Parliament of Georgia voted for the second time for the bill on examination reform with the third reading and the CAT exams have officially become a thing of the past.
(By Levan Abramishvili)
Group money extortion from tourists in Batumi, 5 people detained
As a result of intensive operative-investigative activities and on the basis of a judge's ruling, the officers of Batumi Police Department and MIA Adjara Police Department have arrested 5 people accused of group money extortion. One of them, D.D, was born in 1989, the other one, O.S, in 1990. Also, three of the detainees: R.B born in 1984, Z.O born in 1988 and I.K born in 1994, have already been convicted for committing various crimes.
As the investigation established, at the two clubs located in Batumi, the detainees regularly demanded foreign citizens to pay for non-existent menu fees and by threatening their lives and wellbeing. The defendants have obtained 2100 euros, 5123 GEL, and 10 800 Turkish liras in total.
The investigation is in progress based on the fact of extortion by a group under Article 181 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, sub-paragraph "a".
The committed crime envisages from 4 to 7 years of imprisonment.
(By Ana Magradze)