THE IMPACT OF RUSSIAN INVASION ON GEORGIAN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

Facts and figures

Educational institutions destroyed or damaged by

military actions: 55

Schools used as IDP shelters: 165 (in Tbilisi); 6 (other)

Kindergartens used as IDP shelters: 169 (Tbilisi); 26

(other)

HE institutions used as IDP shelters: 9

VET centers used as IDP shelters: 7 (in Tbilisi); 8

(other)

Youth summer camps used as IDP shelters: 4

Number of displaced children: 28,190 (Under 17)

Number of displaced teachers: 9500

Number of schools in Gori and Georgian villages of

South Ossetia: 108

Number of Ossetian schools in Georgia: 3 (2 in

Lagodekhi, 1 in Kvareli)

Estimates

30,000 IDPs cannot return to their homes in the near future as their residential areas are still occupied by Russian troops:

Out of these children: 9,000

Number of educational institutions where IDPs will remain for one year: 230

Infrastructure damage

Within conflict zones

3 schools in village Eredvi are burnt down and the extent of damage in one is unknown.

Avnevi public school is burnt down. Damage to other schools in village Avnevi cannot be estimated.

One school is partially damaged and a sports playground is damaged in Upper Abkhazia.

The extent of damage to four public schools located in village Kurta cannot be estimated due to the lack of access for Georgian officials to the region. However personal reports of the residents of the village suggest that they have been ruined.

Outside conflict zones

23 schools in Gori district have been damaged

School No 7 in Gori needs full rehabilitation.

The school in village Nikozi is half-destroyed.

Gori University has been heavily damaged.

Three public schools and one VET center in Kaspi district are lightly damaged.

Nine public schools are damaged and robbed in Kareli district and two schools are burnt down.

Two public schools are lightly damaged in Senaki and two VET centers are partially destroyed.

Two public schools and one VET center are lightly damaged in Zugdidi.

One Youth summer camp in Ganmukhuri has been looted and after burned entirely

Infrastructure damage

Before After

Nikozi public secondary school before and after the Russian invasion

Infrastructure damage

A school in Gori after the Russian invasion

Infrastructure damage

Gori State University after Russian shelling

Infrastructure damage: IDP shelters

110,048 IDPs were sheltered in 698 different locations in Tbilisi. 90% of the shelters are educational institutions

IDPs are occupying 165 schools in Tbilisi 16 of which will not be able to start academic year before October the earliest

School furniture (desks, chairs, black and white boards) have been damaged as IDPs have been using them as beds; toilets, being used by excessive number of people need urgent repair, else they may become centres for spreading epidemic diseases.

Outside Tbilisi, 21,840 people remain in 89 locations, out of which 53 are educational and research institutions.

IDPs will remain in all kindergartens in Tbilisi and Gori (169 in Tbilisi and 45 in Gori) which will presumably cause further damages to their infrastructure.

Impact on students

Casualties and wounded

19 children under 18 years of age are currently wounded and placed in hospitals.

One child of the age 15 was killed near Gori.

Displaced children

122,345 IDPs have been registered during the Russian-Georgia war. Part of the IDPs have returned to their homes in Gori and nearby villages. 64,397 IDPs still remain throughout the country by September 4, 2008. Total number of displaced children was estimated at 28,028 by September 1 (23,170 under 12 and 4858 between 12 and 17). 2,112 out of these children do not have parents or guardians.

Many of these children face the risk of dropping out of school or academic failure. Most of the displaced children suffer from psychic and neurotic disorders. According to meical experts, the post traumatic disorders will show up within 1 – 2 months and they will be affecting not only IDP or victim society, but the whole population.

Impact on students and teachers

School students:

The normal course of the academic year hindered

16 schools in Tbilisi and 47 schools of different regions (mainly Gori, Kaspi, Kareli regions) will not start the academic year nearest months

17000 of students studying in these schools will have to move to schools located nearby.

Pre-school students:

IDPs will remain in 169 kindergartens in Tbilisi and 17 in Gori.

Pre-school education cancelled in Tbilisi and Gori for one year

over 30,000 children attending those kindergartens

labour prospects and conditions of their parents

Teachers

9,500 displaced school teachers

School teachers in Tbilisi and Gori will also face the problem of boosted class sizes.

Around 3,000 kindergarten teachers in Tbilisi and Gori are left without jobs

Other impact on education Budget constraints

MoES budget cut by GEL 18 million

Termination of education reform support programs for 2009 might reverse the results of comprehensive education sector reform implemented since 2004.

Special schools

1,179 IDPs are placed in 15 special education institutions for children with limited educational abilities and centres for homeless children.

3 orphanages are located in the areas which were under direct military threat:

Akhalgori Orphanage – 80 children are threatened by Ossetian troops and their lives are still under the danger. Children cannot leave the institution at this stage.

Zugdidi Orphanage – 120 Children went through the bombings and even secure now cannot overcome the posttraumatic stress disorder (enuresis, trembling syndrome, etc.).

Senaki Orphanage – 70 severally disabled kids went through the bombings and are still in shock.

Other constraints

publishing of textbooks for schools has been stopped

the process of privatization of VET centers is stopped

training of newly-elected school directors and administrators (schools in Georgia are now autonomous self-governing units), teacher training cancelled

Immediate challenges facing educational institutions of Georgia

Educational institutions all over the country have to take extraordinary efforts to ensure that regular educational process is not further interrupted and hindered. Administrative staff, teachers and the staff of educational resource centers around the country will have to:

carry out their ordinary routine activities

improve the current services through introducing innovations and active involvement in reform processes

address special needs of IDP children/students

address needs of children/students with psychological or other post-traumatic disorders

ensure secure environment in affected regions (with regards to explosives, cluster bombs, other devices, arms)

deal with problems created by increased student to teacher ratio

have less access to funding from state budget

Thousands of children and young people in Georgia are deprived of basic rights including safety and education

they hope