Minority Education in Georgia: Is It Delivering What Is Expected?

This article explores the issue of minority education in the nation of Georgia, and this research aims to identify the reasons for minority educational problems. The results of school exit exams, literacy research studies, and the 2009 Program for International Student Assessment were used to highlight the differences in educational achievements of minority and majority students. Content analysis and empirical analysis of focus group discussions form the methodological basis for this study. The research identifies two important factors that influence the quality of general education in minority schools: (a) national curriculum and school textbooks and (b) teacher certification and professional development. Based on these results, the article provides suggestions for the improvement of teacher qualification, school curriculum, and textbooks for non-Georgian schools in Georgia. The author will argue that without fundamental, long-term, and sophisticated national curriculum and textbooks, as well as professional development reforms for teachers, integration of society will remain a problem in Georgia.     

School voucher funding system of post-Soviet Georgia: From lack of funding to lack of deliverables

This research explores the school funding system in post-Soviet Georgia. The research aimed to answer the following research questions:

(1) Does the voucher system promote cost effectiveness, and does increased funding improve the academic achievements of schools?

(2) To what extent does the school voucher funding system promote freedom of school choice?

(3) How effective is the school funding system in promoting the privatization of general education?

(3) The content analysis research method was used in the study. The study revealed important problems in the general education funding system of post-Soviet Georgia in terms of cost effectiveness, school choice, and the development of the private school sector. The authors argue that the absence of linkages between funding and educational reform is the main challenge facing the education system. The introduction of a differentiated, need-based, top-up funding model for private schools could improve opportunities for school choice and promote the establishment of free schools.