I welcome everyone in this truly astonishing center.

This is a center, the construction of which had been my personal initiative and goal.

I had also stated that studies would be conducted here under my auspices in the upcoming years.

About 80 percent of Georgian university graduates find high-income jobs in the first few months, and that is why there are huge competitions this year.

These technical centers will allow us to effectively deal with the problem of unemployment in Georgia in the next 2-3 years, as the main problem is the structural unemployment.

On the one hand, there is a demand on the market, while on the other we do not have sufficient human resources to satisfy the demand.

This, in general, is the issue of the educational system.  

You are the certified pedagogues who have gathered here today.

There are one thousand more pedagogues in Georgia who have taken the certification exam, and some will receive a 75 GEL salary raise, while some - 200 GEL. There are also those, 25 percent, who have 1000 GEL and more.

This is already a very significant step forward, as we want our children to get a better education; we also want our pedagogues to have better conditions.

I would like to acquaint you with the changes that we are introducing with respect to certification.

To begin with, these exams will be held at schools instead of the examination centers. I believe it is humiliating for teachers to have to go to the examinations centers.

The second change is that we are decreasing the exams duration, i.e. instead of 5 hour exams, we will have 2.5 hours exams at the most.

The third issue is that we are introducing other attestation and evaluation criteria of teachers. A person might have good scores in English, computers and in his/her own subject, but based on other criteria they may turn out to be lacking.

That is why what will also matter for the qualification of pedagogues is how many of their students have passed the unified national exams and what academic record they have.

Besides this, we need to introduce the criteria of their evaluation according to the passed lessons. This is a much more difficult task to do, but not an impossible one and we are now working on this.

Certainly, it will not be the decisive criterion, yet it will be one of the components to balance the results of the exams, and for a pedagogue to pass the certification. 

 This is what, in effect, is being done.

You know that we are also implementing a vast program in terms of school premises and their standards.

I believe that towards next year, basically, there will not be a single school left in Georgia, apart from a very rare exception, which will not be entirely renovated.

I mean, not only replacing the windows and doors or roofs, but their entire equipment. There should be not only computer classes, not only the renovated gyms at schools, but those of international standards.

We are spending lots of money this year and next year so that every school is refurbished to top condition.

You know that the new methodologies of studies are being introduced at schools. That is why there are also lots of things being done in the teachers training center as well, which is located here in Gldani. This center is being led by Gia Mamulashvili, who spares no effort to improve this system.

You are also aware that we have changed the unified national exams program. This program was a very easy one before.

The national examination center would hold exams once a year before, they would work for few months and they received 15 thousand GEL per month.

It was an achievement that there was no corruption during exams.  Yet, to prepare a university applicant we still needed a tutor.

 This still led to social inequality, because despite the fact that many would still get accepted to the universities even from poor families, children from relatively privileged families were better-off, as their parents had means to hire tutors.

The second thing - with relocation of exams to schools and changing these criteria, we are getting a totally different situation.

We will have exams several times a year - the students will have several opportunities per year to improve their score.

In turn, this center will always be open, and the next teacher’s exam will be held in January. Thus, those who could not pass exams this time need not worry - they will pass in January and get certificates too.

We could probably hold exams more often until we raise the level.

Our objective is not to trip someone, but to improve and raise the level in general.

Because of this, we will facilitate the work of teachers by all means.

You should not pay attention to the rhetoric - some threaten pedagogues with arrest and some with other means - this is not serious…

I said in Kharagauli yesterday that they want to release the criminals and arrest pedagogues…no one will even slightly harm any of them…

Our people love pedagogues, and of course, people appreciate that you care about raising and improving the level of your knowledge, skills and qualification and it is a constant process.

It is also a constant process when the graduates of higher institutions return to the schools, but what is decisive for us is the appreciation of the existing skills.

This is what I wanted to tell you.

Thank you for coming to this yet unfinished center, but we will open this building too in few days.

I would like to once again congratulate you for receiving the certificates and tell you that you are our hope.

Many will improve their qualification in the future, but those who have not made it yet need not worry - it is an irreversible process of improving yourself.

I need to always work on improving myself too; the same is true for a teacher, a minister, a pupil and students alike.

We have introduced a new system for those students too, who want to improve the state grants. For this, they will be able to retake the exam by the end of the year. We have changed the bureaucratic system, and if they do not get accepted to one higher institution, they will have the opportunity to apply to another.

Besides this, there are other means of getting the state grants, including service in the armed forces - one year for boys and girls. If they do not get high enough scores, then they have to do another community job.

The main thing is that we give everyone a chance to go beyond the barrier of study.

Those who will work harder on improving themselves will go further.

It is like this in all spheres and we all have to achieve this together.

I wish you luck in your careers.