Mrs. Maka Bibileishvili, Executive Director of the Civic Education Teachers’ Forum of Georgia

Content:

1. Background Information

2. Definition of Citizenship Education

3. Ecosystem of Non-formal Citizenship Education

4. Legal Environment

5. Stakeholders

6. Challenges

1. Background Information

The modern Georgian society is still affected by the heavy historical heritage of the 20th century: the communist regime, the struggle for independence, gaining independence, civil strife, complete economic collapse, the strengthening of the criminal world, etc. [1].

Every socio-political-economic upheaval in the country obviously affected the education system and caused its qualitative transformation. Accordingly, three main signs are distinguished on the timeline of severe fluctuations:

1991 – gaining independence;

2003 – Rose Revolution;

2012 – Change of government and political team through parliamentary elections.

Following its independence, the nation faced many difficulties. The Georgian economy experienced an immediate decline [2]. The challenging financial circumstances faced by Georgia during its independence had a detrimental impact on the standard and accessibility of education, ultimately contributing to its decline. A coherent framework for managing the educational system, providing funding, organising the curriculum, and assuring quality assurance did not exist [3].

The Georgia Constitution was ratified and put into effect in 1995. The universal right to education, including the freedom to select one’s own path, and the requirement of primary education were both outlined in the constitution [4].

The Law on Education [5], which was enacted by the Georgian Parliament in July 1997, sought to modernise the system, align it with Western educational norms, and fortify state and national ideology. The World Bank, the European Union, and the US Agency for International Development have offered the most support in the area of education reform. Georgia was admitted to the Council of Europe in 1999.

The falsification of the 2003 parliamentary elections led to public protests and the Rose Revolution, after which fundamental reforms were implemented in all areas.

General education graduate’s development of civic competencies is clearly defined by the 2004 approval of the “National Goals of General Education” [6], which include the following: promoting democracy and civil society; comprehending and upholding human rights and the mechanisms that protect them; developing the skills required for democracy and active citizenship; forming civic awareness; and understanding and safeguarding the concepts of sustainable development and living in a changing world. During this time, the 2006–2007 school year saw the introduction of the subject “civic education” in classrooms.

During the last period of the administration of the government that came through the Rose Revolution, political pressure intensified, and after the parliamentary elections of 2012, there were changes in all strategic directions, including in the field of general education [7-8].

Negotiations on the Association Agreement with the European Union, signed in 2014, have been completed. Its objectives are progressive economic integration and political ties to the European Union. The field of education is also included in other clauses of the agreement [9].

Along with many other changes, the approach to civic education was altered during this time. Previously available only in IX-X classes, it is now required in general education school classes III–XII, as well as optional topics. The list of national goals was also revised, enhanced, and expanded in 2024 to include information on the needs of young people today.

On December 14, 2023, Georgia was granted the status of a candidate for EU membership. For full membership, a country must fulfil 12 recommendations. In response, before the 2024 parliamentary elections (October 26, 2024), the situation changed. In May, against the great protest of the civil society, despite the recommendations of the European structures, the government adopted the law on the transparency of foreign influence [10]. The law concerns aspects of the free functioning of non-governmental organisations and media and significantly hinders the country’s democracy, civil society activities, European integration processes, which in turn affects the general education system and, specifically, the role and place of civic education.

2. Definition of Citizenship Education (e.g. does an official definition exist?)

Today in Georgia, teaching democratic citizenship is a common task of general educational institutions. In this regard, the discipline “civic education/citizenship” is particularly important, which is one of the mandatory subjects in the general secondary and higher education cycles in the formal education system [11].

Civic education aims to promote the formation of an informed, active and responsible citizen. For this 

• help to perceive oneself as a full-fledged member of society;

• to form a caring attitude towards one’s country;

• to teach forms of civil participation; 

• to realise that he can and manages to make positive changes in his country (community / municipality / state);

• develop necessary skills (cooperation, conflict management, entrepreneurial and financial) and values / attitudes (respect for human rights, dissent, tolerance) for citizens;

• to help in mastering the principles of rule of law and democracy;

• To form a culture of participation in public and political life.

3. Ecosystem of Non-Formal Citizenship Education

Promotion of the development of citizenship competencies in Georgia is mainly carried out by non-governmental organisations and financed by international donor organisations. Government agencies also play a role in facilitating the implementation of local citizenship education initiatives.

In general, the non-formal citizenship education ecosystem includes a wide range of stakeholders with different capacities, sizes, histories and  operational cultures. It should be noted that coordination and cooperation between stakeholders is insufficient, which becomes visible when several different organisations work in the same community on the same issue, using different tools, without knowing about each other’s activities.

The ecosystem of non-formal citizenship education in Georgia is created by the following actors:

• International non-governmental organisations that have representation in at least one local community in Georgia.

• National and local non-governmental organisations, including youth organisations, as well as organisations that work mainly with young people.

• State organisations, first of all, the Youth Agency of the State of Georgia (Ministry of Education, Science and Youth) and public schools.

• European youth funds and financing programs.

• International donors, including international development agencies (USA, EU, embassies and others).

• Local initiative groups that voluntarily carry out citizenship education activities in local communities.

• Business organizations that implement citizenship education projects within the framework of corporate social responsibility

The country has adopted the concept of the youth policy of Georgia for the years 2020-2030 [12], which defines citizenship education in the conditions of non-formal education. The concept was developed by the Sports and Youth Affairs Committee of the Parliament of Georgia with the financial and technical support of UN agencies (UNFPA, UNICEF, UNDP, UNIDO, ILO). Based on the concept, the “State Youth Strategy 2023-2026” and action plan [13], whose implementation is monitored by the Youth Agency [14], have been approved.

USAID’s Civic Education Program has the greatest expertise in promoting civic education and the formation of active citizens [15].

Professional associations function throughout the country: Civic Education Teachers’ Forum (CETF) [16] and Civic Education Lecturers’ Association (CELA) [17].

Since 2011, the organisation PH-International, with the support of USAID, has been implementing civic education promotion programs in schools [18]. The current program is designed for the years 2022-2027.

The Georgian office of the Council of Europe carries out initiatives aimed at upholding the Council of Europe’s standards for the defence of human rights, the rule of law, and the development of democracy [19].

Adult education centres of DVV International [20] have been operating within the country since 2006, offering civic and cultural education and public activities to the population.

Non-governmental organisations [21], which strive to strengthen democratic processes, implement projects in the direction of civic education. Projects include trainings, competitions, camps, round tables, olympiads, workshops, exchange programs and they are intended for people of different age groups and professions.

There are examples of close cooperation between local governments, business companies and schools and universities. They jointly implement social, infrastructural or educational projects.

4. Legal Environment(legislative and policy)

The Ministry of Education, Science, and Youth is responsible for implementing unified state policy in education. It develops policies for advancing pre-school, primary, secondary, vocational, and higher education, as well as all areas of science. Additionally, it plays a role in implementing key aspects of the state language policy. [22].

Currently, there are 2086 public and 210 private schools operating in Georgia [23]. Teaching in the general education school is conducted in Georgian, however, the following non-Georgian language schools also operate in the country: Azerbaijani – 118, Armenian – 130, Ukrainian – 3, German private – 1, Russian – 46 (including 7 private), English private – 6 schools.

The education system consists of 4 subsystems: 1. Early and preschool upbringing and education; 2. general education; 3. professional education; 4. Higher education.

General education is divided into; Primary I-VI, basic VII-IX and secondary X-XII levels.

The main teaching resource in schools is the textbooks recommended by the Ministry, however, schools have the right to use additional educational resources.

The teaching of citizenship in the general education schools of Georgia starts from the 2006/2007 school year under the name “Civic Education”, which was founded by one of the main documents created in the process of reforming the general education system, the “National Curriculum” [24]. This document, in its turn, was the answer to the condition contained in the normative document “National goals of general education” (2004) [25].

According to the national curriculum, civic education is mandatory at all three levels of general education. The educational process is built on the principle of continuity and takes into account the age characteristics of the student. The subject curriculum is based on 4 main concepts: society, democracy, civic participation and sustainable development.

Subjects “I and Society” in grades III-VI serve as the foundation for civic education instruction, which is then continued in grades V–VI as part of the integrated “Our Georgia” subject.

At the most basic level, civic education is taught under the name “Citizenship” in grades VII-IX, within which the student will get to know the society in which he lives; Explores the socio-political processes taking place at the local, state and global levels. While studying the subject, the student is involved in civic activities, which allows him to apply the acquired knowledge in practice.

The subject can be taught by a teacher who has been granted the status of at least a senior teacher of civil education (according to the current legislation, there are three categories of teachers of a general educational institution: senior, leading and mentor teacher). There are two types of assessment in the subject – determinative and formative.

Intermediate level:

At the secondary level, in classes X and XII, the citizenship course expands and deepens the knowledge acquired within the framework of citizenship at the basic level. The compulsory topics of the level are: global citizenship, legal culture, entrepreneurship and business, politics and political culture, politics and political culture, Georgia and globalisation, global economy and Georgia.

“Projects in civic education” is a compulsory subject at the mentioned level, within the framework of which students implement projects. Work on each project is carried out during 1 semester, in total students should prepare 5 projects.

In grades X-XII, students are offered elective subjects of civic education: “Economy and State”, “Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship”, “State and Law”, “Media Literacy”, “Sustainable Development”, etc. 

Civic education is a synthesis of formal and informal education. Various teaching methods are used, such as: discussions, simulation games, forum theatres, debates, projects, case and dilemma teaching, etc.

The signing of the Association Agreement with the European Union on June 27, 2014 imposed certain obligations on the field of education. According to the association agreement, such an educational system should be created, which will be oriented towards the strengthening of the youth and civil society.

Higher educational institutions

Higher education institutions do not have bachelor’s and master’s courses in civic education. They implement the so-called teacher training programs of 60 credits [26] [27] for the preparation of civic education teachers. Currently, 20 state and private universities are implementing the mentioned program.

36 private and higher education institutions operate the elective course “Democracy and Citizenship”. The purpose of the course is to help students prepare for the citizenship of a democratic state and to be able to contribute to the introduction of democratic principles. The course was developed by the organisation CELA within the framework of the project to strengthen the electoral processes in Georgia, with the financial support of USAID. Its implementation is voluntary for educational institutions.

Professional education and training

Civic education is a compulsory subject in public and private vocational education and training institutions. The standard on which the Civic Education module is based is in turn based on the “Key Competences for Lifelong Learning” adopted by the Council of the European Union in 2018. Self-governing structures operate in schools and higher education institutions, whose activities are prescribed by law. Young people are given the opportunity to apply the knowledge gained in civic education in practice and get involved in the management processes of schools.

5. Stakeholders (in formal and non-formal citizenship education)

Students of public and private schools, professional and higher institutions receive civic education throughout the country. They have the opportunity to take mandatory theoretical and practical courses, to implement educational and social projects. Both in schools and in higher education, students are involved in self-government activities and participate in the decision-making process. Students have the opportunity to create initiative groups, clubs and in this way fulfil their civic responsibility, take care of solving problems and lead advocacy processes.

Civic education is included in the national entrance exams for higher education in some faculties. The examination program is determined by the National Center for Assessment and Examinations [28].

The status of a civic education teacher is awarded in the following way: the aspiring teacher passes a subject competency test and then chooses one of two options.

1. Will pass the 60-credit teacher training program implemented by state and private higher education institutions. or/

2. Starts working as a teacher in search of a school, is given a program, after the completion of which the National Center for Professional Development of Teachers grants the status of a senior teacher.

Since 2011, civil education teacher exams have been conducted by a public entity, the National Center for Evaluation and Examinations [29]. The civic education exam tests the knowledge required for teaching the subject defined by the exam program.

According to the Law on General Education, general education teachers are obliged to take care of the personal development and civic awareness of students. The state structure – “National Center for Professional Development of Teachers” takes care of the professional development of teachers with various programs and resources [30].

In addition to government institutions, non-governmental organisations play an important role in raising the civic awareness of young people and advocacy processes. The role of these organisations in the professional growth of teachers is also great.

6. Challenges

Today, many successful steps have been taken to improve the teaching of civic education. Nevertheless, civic education still faces significant challenges. Most of the school administration and school community perceive civic education as a secondary subject. They do not realise the importance of the subject and the free, responsible, active citizen in the process of democratisation of the country.

An important problem is the qualification of teachers and the distribution of hourly workload. In many cases, subject hours are distributed to fill the workload of teachers and their competence is not taken into account. Also, the transformation of teachers’ values ​​is an important problem. The subject is often taught by a teacher who is alien to democratic values. The Soviet legacy is still visible in the minds of teachers and hinders the quality teaching of the subject. In addition, graduates of the above-mentioned programs find it difficult to find employment, because the registry has a non-uniform approach to teachers of retirement age. This, in turn, causes the professional disappointment of the graduates and the desire to find employment in another field.

The attitude of higher education institutions towards the teaching of the subject is also a challenge. The teaching of the course “Democratic Citizenship” is the result of the efforts of the non-governmental organisation “Association of Civic Education Lecturers” and not the established approach of the state.

It is an achievement that since 2024, “Youth Work” has been added to the “National Qualifications Framework and Classifier of Study Areas”, which is an important step for the recognition of youth workers as a profession. However, their employment opportunities are still a problem.

Pupils and student self-governments should be actively involved in the management processes of educational institutions. On the contrary, we face the facts when young people are not aware of the meaning and functions of these structural units and cannot use the powers granted by the law.

Challenges in citizenship education are largely driven by a lack of evidence. Research is needed to determine the civic awareness of youth and adults so that governmental and non-governmental organisations can implement appropriate response programs.

Another important challenge is the government’s understanding of the responsibility of implementing non-formal citizenship education and supporting the process of non-formal education. It is important for the government to exercise its responsibility to ensure access to the right to education, including human rights education and education for democratic citizenship. This challenge is reflected in the 2020 parliamentary report of the Public Defender of Georgia, where it is noted that although the Government of Georgia states in its legislation that it is ready to promote access to civic education through non-formal education for its citizens, there are no evaluation indicators or measurement mechanisms.

The challenges of the pandemic period are highlighted, the country was unprepared for online education, which left a huge mark on the educational process of that period. State and local schools have not implemented remedial programs [31].

The biggest challenge for civil society is the law on the transparency of foreign influence, which significantly harms the activities of non-governmental organisations focused on the development of civic education, as well as all the beneficiaries of these organisations who receive services, educational resources, professional development opportunities or other types of assistance. Finally, against the background of the operation of the law, Georgia, as a country with the status of a candidate for the European Union, faces the threat of losing the opportunity to join the European Union, which will lead to a delay in the quality of general and higher education in the country.

7. References

[1] Act on Restoration of State Independence of Georgia https://matsne.gov.ge/ka/document/view/32362?publication=0

[2] Gillian Perkins. The Georgian Education System: Issues for Reform Management. Background Paper for Georgia Education Sector Strategy Note (1998).

[3] World Bank Projects Department in Georgia. Project evaluation document. Program for Transformation and Strengthening of Georgian Education System (2001).

[4] Constitution of Georgia https://matsne.gov.ge/ka/document/view/30346?publication=36

[5] Law of Georgia on Education https://matsne.gov.ge/ka/document/view/31756?publication=18

[6] National goals of general education https://matsne.gov.ge/ka/document/view/11098?publication=0

[7] Nino Macharashvili, “Giorgi Margvelashvili: No education can be free”, Tabula, December 10, 2012, http://www.tabula.ge/ge/story/63065-giorgi-margvelashvili-ufaso-aranairi-ganatleba -ar-sheidzleba-ikos.

[8] Resolution N400 of the Government of Georgia on the approval of the strategy of socio-economic development “Georgia 2020” and some related measures (Tbilisi: June 17, 2014); Principality of Georgia, freedom, rapid development, prosperity, government program: 2018-2020 (Tbilisi: 2018)

[9] Association Agreement between Georgia on the one hand and the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Union and their member states on the other hand https://matsne.gov.ge/ka/document/view/2496959?publication=0

[10] On transparency of foreign influence https://matsne.gov.ge/ka/document/view/6171895?publication=0

[11] Definition of citizenship National Curriculum 2018-24 https://mes.gov.ge/content.php?id=3929&lang=geo

[12] About the approval of the “Concept of the Youth Policy of Georgia for 2020-2030” https://matsne.gov.ge/ka/document/view/4936402?publication=0

[13] “State Youth Strategy 2023-2026  https://rb.gy/bs11np

[14] Youth Agency https://youthagency.gov.ge/

[15] USAID Civic Education Program   https://www.usaid.gov/ka/georgia/our-programs

[16] Civic Education Teachers’ Forum http://ctf.org.ge/

[17] Civic Education Lecturers Association http://cela.ge/ge/about

[18] https://civics.ge/

[19] Council of Europe projects in Georgia: https://www.coe.int/ka/web/tbilisi/completed-projects

[20] https://www.dvv-international.ge/ge/

[21] Portal of non-governmental organizations operating in Georgia https://csogeorgia.org/ge

[22] Ministry of Education, Science and Youth https://tinyurl.com/5a35x5wn

[23] Public and private schools operating in Georgia https://skolebi.emis.ge/

[24] National curriculum https://mes.gov.ge/content.php?id=3929&lang=geo

 [25] Decree 84 of the Government of Georgia on approval of “national goals of general education”, October 14, 2004 https://matsne.gov.ge/ka/document/view/11098?publication=0

[26]   https://mes.gov.ge/content.php?id=7058&lang=eng

[27] The order of the Director of the National Center for the Development of the Quality of Education N 69 11.02.2016 https://tinyurl.com/2dvv9f4e

[28] 2024 Unified National Examination Program in Civic Education https://shorturl.at/A01sm

[29] National Assessment and Examination Center https://www.naec.ge/#/ge/index

[30] National Center for Professional Development of Teachers http://tr.tpdc.ge/

[31] Estimating Pandemic Learning Losses https://tinyurl.com/2ff82jt5

References:

• Vocational Education in Georgia: Achievements and Prospects: http://www.cela.ge/ge/system/files/conference_paper.pdf
• Civic education and democracy in Georgia: challenges and ways of development https://tinyurl.com/3xjxjw7h
• History of school education 1990-2020 https://tinyurl.com/3yp4jveb