96384
                                                                                                            April 9, 2012
Fostering Better Learning in Georgia
Inga Paichadze, Communications Officer in the World Bank
Georgia Office, offers this story.
                                                                  Photo Gallery
The staircase into the old schoolhouse in Jugaani was
missing steps. Inside the building were cracked ceilings,
peeling walls and rickety desks. The building was structurally
unsound and too dangerous for classes to continue. A
replacement was needed urgently. In 2010, a new school
filled with modern supplies opened in Jugaani, giving students
no excuse not to learn.

Twelfth-grader Anuki Dznelashvili has been to both the old
and the new Jugaani schools. "The school we used to go to         Related Links
was dilapidated, almost in ruins. The new, nice environment
gave us motivation and a chance to study better. We have          The World Bank in Georgia
separate classrooms for every discipline and have a               Georgia-Education System Realignment
computer class as well, where we can browse the internet          and Strengthening Program Project
and search for various materials."                                Georgia Country Program Snapshot

Jugaani is not an exception. Other schools were so                Ministry of Education and Science
hazardous students had to be moved out and taught in ad           National Center for Educational Quality
hoc buildings. Many Georgian schools were so dilapidated          Enhancement
that fixing them would have cost more than replacing them.

                        Thanks to a $15 million program supported by the World Bank, seven schools
                        were built replacing ones that were structurally unsound. As part of the same
                        project, 31 schools were rehabilitated or newly constructed with the
                        government’s financial support.

                       "The new, favorable school environment disposes positively both students and
                       teachers and motivates them further. Fully equipped computer classes, study
                       rooms for physics, chemistry, biology, a library, a conference room, a gym,
Anuki Dznelashvili     comfortable toilets and ample classes give the opportunity to the students to
                       widely explore their opportunities," says Jugaani’s deputy director and physics
teacher, Manana Kikilashvili.

In some cases, two old schools in the same neighborhood are consolidated into one modern building.

                        Education has long been prized by Georgians. An estimated 94 percent of
                        eligible children are enrolled in primary school and the country has almost
                        universal literacy among adults. The country has 52 accredited institutions of
                        higher learning and a large number of school graduates complete higher
                        education.

                       Over the past few years, Georgia has implemented a range of reforms to
                       improve education. New buildings whose architecture departs from Soviet styles
Manana Kikilashvili    and which aim to become "schools of the future" are part of that push.
                       Equipping them for rapidly evolving needs of 21st century students reflect the
same forward looking mindset. These schools are meant to become focal points for networking, sharing
resources and ideas, and fostering innovation in their regions.

They include classrooms tailored for interactive teaching and learning, libraries, well equipped gyms and
recreation zones for meetings, group work and discussions, improved access for children and adults
with disabilities, and other provisions to ensure inclusive education. Curricula are more innovative and
teachers are trained in new methods of teaching and assessing students’ performance, thanks to the
project.

Newly reconstructed schools are becoming assets to their communities, easily identifiable as 21st
century centers of learning. They offer resources and space to support learning and access to new
technologies for the greater community, including adults, youth and civil society organizations.