The President of Georgia met with the teachers, who have successfully passed certification exams around the country, at the Gldani Profession College. Mikheil Saakashvili familiarized them with implemented changes in the education sphere which will become functional during the new academic year. As the Head of State explained, the first news which concerns the teacher certification exams is that they will no longer take exams at centers; they will be able take them at schools and the exam duration will be 2.5 hours instead of 5 hours formerly. There are also changes in terms of criteria of assessing teacher qualifications. One of the top criteria for assessing teachers will be the grades of their students as well as their methods of giving lessons. As Mikheil Saakashvili noted, certified teachers will receive increased salaries beginning from the new academic year.

During the meeting, the President of Georgia focused attention on the importance of technical schools. According to him, these centers train qualified cadres who satisfy market demands, which fixes the problem of large scale unemployment in the country.

The Head of State touched on one more improvement, according to which, like teachers, the students will be able to take exams for attending higher education schools at their own high schools, and will have a chance to improve their scores several times per year.

Later today, Mikheil Saakashvili learned about the construction process of the Teacher’s House and a swimming pool and sports arena near the center. As the President noted, the important thing is that the new pool is affordable for people. The Head of State also expressed interest in the water supply and stated that the resident of the fifth and seventh micro blocs will have a 24 hour water supply beginning on September 25^th.

“We are creating several new parks around. Very soon none of the Tbilisi areas will be able to compete with Gldani. Such a comfortable infrastructure puts Gldanians at an advantage in terms of recreation, education, and employment. This college will satisfy the highest standards. The water problem will be solved here soon. This pool belongs to not only this area, but all of Gldani. The most important thing is for it to be affordable for people” – noted Mikheil Saakashvili.