Issue no: 1123 • FEBRUARY 8 - 11, 2019 • PUBLISHED TWICE WEEKLY PRICE: GEL 2.50 In this week’s issue... Kaladze’s Weekly Priorities: Public Transport, Support for Children with Autism NEWS PAGE 3 Georgian FM Holds High-Rank Meetings in Washington POLITICS PAGE 4 Freedom House 2019: Georgia is “Partly Free” FOCUS ON THE OPERA Don Carlo returns to Georgia with a star cast PAGE 11 POLITICS PAGE 5 Expansion of Georgia’s Complex Education Reform Black Sea Ports: Modus Vivendi for Georgia BUSINESS PAGE 7 to Be Launched in Georgia Anastasia Pirveli: Georgia’s BY THEA MORRISON Transgender Star ikheil Batiashvili, Minister of Edu- cation, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia, held a summarizing presentation of the Education System Complex Reform. MThe reform implies a number of changes to the education system and includes changes in the pre- school, secondary, vocational, higher education and science areas, with Georgian experts and edu- cation subject-matter specialists actively engaged in the reform design and development process. SOCIETY PAGE 9 International organizations the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), “Matters of the Dark & Asian Development Bank (ADB) and almost all donor agencies and international partners of Geor- Irresistible,” a Disturbing gia also participated in forming the upcoming strategy. Exhibition at the MOMA Continued on page 2 Image source: mes.gov.ge CULTURE PAGE 11 GEORGIA TODAY 2 NEWS FEBRUARY 8 - 11, 2019 PM Bakhtadze Meets with EBRD Managing Director nomic growth. BY KETEVAN KVARATSKHELIYA The conversation also touched upon upcoming projects targeted by the EBRD for investment and the interest of the he Prime Minister of Geor- Bank in implementing a number of ini- gia Mamuka Bakhtadze held tiatives in the public sector. PM Bakhtadze a meeting with Managing focused on the importance of projects Director of the European launched by the EBRD for Georgia’s Bank for Reconstruction development and transformation of the Tand Development (EBRD), Matteo country into a regional hub and economic Patrone, on February, 6, where the latter center. stated that the EBRD increasingly trusts The Georgian offi cial also expressed the Government of Georgia and its eco- his gratitude to Bruno Balvanera, the nomic policy. predecessor of Matteo Patrone, who At the meeting, the parties discussed contributed to putting together an impor- the joint projects implemented with tant investment portfolio for Georgia EBRD and the role of the Bank as one over the years. Patrone was appointed of the strongest supporters of Georgia EBRD Managing Director in Eastern Image source: Government of Georgia in the country’s development and eco- Europe and Caucasus in October 2018. Boeing Purchases Aircraft Parts Made in Georgia Elbit Cyclone is an Israeli company BY AMY JONES that partnered with the Partnership Fund to open the factory in Tbilisi in 2018. It is the fi rst high-tech factory of its kind Georgian factory produc- in the South Caucasus region. ing aircraft parts has man- Together with the Partnership Fund, ufactured its fi rst items to Elbit Cyclone formed a joint venture be purchased by Boeing. company - Aerostructure Technologies The state-owned share- Cyclone in Georgia. Together they Aholding company Partnership Fund invested $93 million in the project. announced the news: “The fi rst docu- Currently, the company employs 120 ment on the procurement of high-tech people and plans to expand its staff to products manufactured to international 300. standards was signed at the aircraft-parts Aircraft parts manufactured in the fac- factory. The Director of Elbit Cyclone tory will be sold to Airbus, Bombardier, and Aerostructure Technologies Cyclone and various other passenger plane com- (ATC) director signed the agreement.” panies. Photo source: Partnership Fund Complex Education Reform to Be Launched in Georgia Continued from page 1 tifi cation and salary policy is to be devel- tion: moving from a uniform approach to Tbilisi and in the regions, and the renova- oped and approved. differentiated approaches and the devel- tion of 265 public schools, will be completed. Within the framework of the education In the fi eld of general education, a New opment of the principals as strong leaders. “Eight special schools will be renewed reform, the School Readiness Program School Model has been created based The New School Model was success- and the construction of 35 new schools will be provided for all children of Geor- on literacy, which is focused on critical fully implemented in Public School 150 will be launched. We want to build a city gia for 2021-2023. thinking and fast adaptation to the envi- of Tbilisi and by 2024, the model will be of education and science which will unite In addition, new educational programs ronment, based on the general skills of introduced in all schools throughout the different educational spaces,” he noted. We want to build and resources will be introduced based the students. country. In the fi eld of higher education, the on the principles of inclusive and civil The model also envisages providing It was announced by the Education goal is to integrate into the international a city of education. A new model of teacher cer- schools with autonomy and decentraliza- Ministry that School Graduation Exams education space and instigate quality will be abolished from 2020. Other major improvement. Moreover, the Develop- education and changes will be enacted in the education ment Strategy implies the transformation system from the same year. Prior to that, of Georgia into a regional hub for inter- science in 2019, 11th graders will be exempted national business, tourism, transport and from graduation exams, but these exams education. process information and quickly respond will be retained for 12th grade students. Vocational Education and Life-Long to problems, and apply logical thinking. It was stated that National Examina- Learning is one of the priority areas of The methodology of the education sec- tions will be conducted in three com- the presented reform. The Minister said tor reform and new approaches envisage pulsory subjects instead of four from the government is introducing a system a system that zooms in to an individual 2020. Georgian Language and Literature which will help individuals of any age child, adolescent, youth and teacher,” he and foreign language exams will remain to adapt to the fast changing world, stated. mandatory for all university entrants. acquire new professional skills, and enjoy PM Bakhtadze thanked all sides involved Entrants will still be able to choose from self-realization and development. in the reform development process and technical and humanitarian programs, In terms of science, the reform implies expressed confi dence that the reform but the third compulsory subject will be integration into the international scien- will be successful. determined according to the demands tifi c space and increased funding for “We will have competitive generations of the higher educational institutions science. equipped with advanced knowledge who the entrants wish to join. The overall aim is to develop Georgia’s will make their due contribution to the Passing a General Skills exam will no human capital, generating competitive democratic and economic transforma- longer be compulsory, but universities professionals equipped with advanced tion of Georgia. That is how we will will have the right to add a selective knowledge and skills, oriented towards overcome poverty, reach welfare and examination relevant to their own pro- long-term development. join a group of advanced, developed gram, including a General Skills exam. “The modern world, new technologies countries by succeeding in the creation Batiashvili stated that in 2019, the con- and fast pace of changes requires humans of a unifi ed, strong and European state,” struction of nine new public schools in to have new, diverse skills, the ability to he added. GEORGIA TODAY FEBRUARY 8 - 11, 2019 NEWS 3 Kaladze’s Weekly Priorities: Public Transport, Support for Children with Autism these families and children as much as BY SAMANTHA GUTHRIE possible.” The Mayor then touched on the envi- ronment. “We are doing a lot of work to ach week, the municipal gov- improve the ecological situation in the ernment of Tbilisi holds a capital; we are carrying out various pro- meeting at City Hall. Preced- jects. I would like to inform residents ing this week’s meetings, about infected pine trees. Last year, we Mayor Kakha Kaladze brought in international experts who Eremarked on several topics of interest. conducted research and studied the cur- Kaladze opened the meeting by dis- rent situation. The results showed that cussing public infrastructure. Two new we have a very diffi cult situation in the subway cars were added to the Tbilisi city and if we do not take concrete steps Metro, one on each line, with plans to today, we may face an ecological catas- add two more in the near future. City trophe. Accordingly, the EcoService Hall plans to renovate all the old cars Group has already made sanitary cuts. that are still operational. Metro ridership In total, thousands of diseased pine trees has increased by 25% year-on-year. will be cut down and replaced with new Kaladze attributed this uptick to the trees,” said Kaladze. The majority of the improved quality of cars and shorter trees infected with the contagious dis- wait times between trains. Previous wait ease, he said, are on private land. time was an average of four minutes. It Finally, Kaladze discussed the impor- has now been reduced to three minutes, tance of tourism development for Tbilisi. and the goal is to shorten it to just two “I had a talk with the Prime Minister and a half minutes during peak hours. Image source: Tbilisi City Hall about how we should position Tbilisi Kaladze also announced the opening their cars the newly-required white, and imately 599,000 GEL ($225,000).