The Parliament of Georgia has supported, in its first reading under an expedited procedure, amendments to the Law on General Education aimed at widening employment opportunities in schools, with 75 votes in favor.
Deputy Minister of Education, Science and Youth, Tamar Makharashvili, said the changes introduce new definitions, including teacher candidate, substitute special teacher, program teacher and program special teacher.
Under the draft law, vocational education graduates in Information and Communication Technologies will also be eligible to work in schools, expanding the current recruitment base.
Makharashvili explained that while the existing law requires a bachelor’s degree in a subject or subject group under the National Curriculum, it does not clearly state that the degree must match the subject to be taught. The amendment clarifies and tightens this requirement.
Under the changes, any person with at least a bachelor’s degree will be able to enter the teacher candidate program, but those whose qualification does not match the intended subject will need to prove subject competency first.
The amendments also allow the replacement of temporarily absent special teachers and introduce the possibility for individuals with recognized subject-teacher status and a passed special teacher exam to work as special teachers.
“Should the amendment be adopted, the law will introduce new teaching positions, such as program teacher and program special teacher,” said Deputy Minister Makharashvili. “These positions will be established on the basis of specific targeted programs for a defined period of time, and, where necessary, holders of these positions may be transferred to another school,” Makharashvili added.
