On November 12, President Saakashvili visited public school 51 to meet with school rectors and teachers. During the meeting the president mainly discussed the latest developments in Georgia stressing that unlike the year of 1991 this time the government, the parliament and other government agencies were consolidated, which is key to maintaining order and stability.

"Betrayers always existed and would exist in the future. The main thing is how people would react to them. We all witnessed that the parliament demonstrated absolute consolidation and did not dissolve as it happened in 1991. [...]Initially, the government is obliged to ensure every citizen's safety, suppress every unsanctioned activity and violence and do not allow anyone to return Georgia to where it was in its early years [...]. We can't retreat [...]. No one, including the president, should place his ambitions above his own country. That's why elections will be held on January 5 and the Georgian people should decide who will be their future president," Mikheil Saakashvili said.

During the meeting the president especially highlighted the important role that teachers play and claimed that regardless of very difficult conditions they deserve credits for maintaining the level of secondary education in schools. However he also noted that despite the fact that lots of work has been done, teachers' conditions have not improved and must immediately get better.

"I have already ordered that the minimum teacher salary should increase to GEL 200 all over Georgia. We also made a decision to increase financing the repair works at schools for several per cents and triple teachers' financial assistance. Repair works are not essential, because we can't do anything only with walls, the key is human resources," stated Mikheil Saakashvili, stressing that even this salary is not relevant to the teachers' labor, however as he said, this is only the beginning and the process will definitely continue.

The president also discussed the issue of hospitals and said that everyone must afford to undergo treatment in them. Seeing a doctor requires quite a big sum of money. According to the president hereinafter every teacher will have state medical insurance like the policemen, soldiers and military people. Teacher should know that there does exist a state insurance to protect their health". The president promised the teachers that the government would continue equipping schools with necessary visual aids and school items.

Later on the president also touched upon the issue of enhancing teachers' professionalism. "My major aim is, as I have said it many times and I would repeat it once again, to have Georgia based on the literate society. I want Georgia to be an exemplary country, home of knowledgeable, qualified and literate people," president Saakashvili said.

The issue of conflict was also discussed at the meeting. As the president said during the elections period many will try to use the existing situation in Georgia for achieving their aims and for the benefit of their interests. However, the Georgian president did not recommend anyone to do so.

"Yesterday Moscow Mayor Iuri Luzhkov claimed that Russia must acknowledge the independence of Abkhazia and this issue was the subject of discussion today among the Russian politicians. I should say that yesterday a train stopped in Ochamchire that was loaded by T-72 battle tanks and multiple rocket launchers. Russia did not do this for the last several years. This morning, dozens of busses full with Chechen soldiers entered Abkhazia from Russia, they crossed the Psou border and got deployed in Ochamchire and Gali. I would say this for the first time: last year during the Minsk summit Putin confessed that Russia would do the same thing with Abkhazia as it happened with Cyprus [...]. I would like to tell Russians and other people as well: you could not manage to divide Georgia and you will never do it. You managed to imitate that Georgia is divided and weakened and you did really caused international damage to us, but in reality this territory will never be divide.

The Georgian government, Georgia's law-enforcements and security agencies are fully mobilized to ensure that you will never take Abkhazia and South Ossetia from us.

It does not matter how many soldiers you deploy or how many weapon you introduce, we have far too many means.

I call on everyone not to use pre-election period in Georgia for any kind of provocation. Georgia will never lack motivation or efficiency to give due response to the provocation [...] If during this period Luzhkov and everyone like him had the illusion that their centuries-old dream will come true and would absorb 230 km of the Black Sea shore, just as Peter I did with the Baltic Sea, are grossly mistaken. Sokhumi is my home, everyone should remember it very well and until I get back this home together with more than 400 000 citizens I would never put up with this and tolerate it. No one will put up with this and tolerate it in Georgia either. But, if someone on the other side turns out to be impatient, will run into Georgia's infuriated defenders. Everyone should remember this very well. This is one of the issues that bothers me so much.

After welcoming comments President Saakashvili answered teachers' questions and discussed the ongoing reform in the education system, science, the Georgian army as well as other pressing issues.

The emphasis was made on school children from the families below the poverty line. President Saakashvili instructed the school rectors to prepare for him the list of such children, and the education minister to provide them with textbooks and school materials.

Rector of public school 24 Gia Murghulia presented the president with the first two volumes of worlds selected stories. As he said the worlds selected stories will be published in five volumes and he deems this fact important because the idea to publish these volumes was born in his school.

By the end of the discussion the Georgian president underscored that similar meeting should happen frequently as it is much more convenient to solve problematic issues and seek the ways of how to implement new ideas jointly.

press Office
of the President of Georgia