Russian Invasion of Georgia

Impact on Georgia’s education

September 10, 2008

The Russian invasion and subsequent military actions has had serious direct and indirect consequences on Georgia’s education system.

The short-term impact is already visible. The start of the academic year 2008-09 has had to be postponed in many areas, and many schools and other educational institutions have been damaged or looted, especially in the zones within or close to South Ossetia. The widespread use of landmines and cluster bombs by the Russian army means that many buildings are unsafe and need to be carefully demined first.

Hundreds of schools, from kindergartens to higher education institutions, were turned overnight into emergency accommodation for displaced civilians. Thousands of students and their teachers have been displaced. Many children suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety crises, and depression. Differently-abled children and those from socially deprived backgrounds are particularly exposed to hardship.

In the longer term, additional problems are likely to arise. Around the world, displaced children are at higher risk of academic failure—the ratio of those who drop out of school is much higher among displaced populations.

The Ministry of Education and Science has already terminated or suspended a number of education and research programmes. If other programmes have be to suspended or terminated as well, the entire future of Georgia’s aggressive education reform programme is at risk.

Facts and figures. 3

Estimates. 3

I. Infrastructure damage. 3

Damage from direct military action. 3

Within conflict zones. 3

Outside conflict zones. 4

IDP shelters. 4

In Tbilisi 4

Outside Tbilisi 4

II. Impact on students. 5

Casualties and wounded. 5

Displaced children. 5

Other children. 5

III. Impact on human resources in education.. 5

IV. Other impact on education.. 6

Budget constraints. 6

Special schools. 6

Other constraints. 6

V. Immediate challenges facing schools. 7

Facts and figures

Estimates

I. Infrastructure damage

Educational infrastructure was heavily damaged by direct military action in the conflict zone as well as outside it. Schools have been shelled, burnt down, looted, school furniture and educational materials have been damaged including school laboratories, libraries, and computer equipment. Furthermore, educational institutions where IDPs have been placed also need substantial renovation works.  

Damage from direct military action

Within conflict zones

Educational institutions located in Shida Kartli region and Georgian villages of South Ossetia were the most severely damaged. They have been shelled, burnt down, looted and damaged from gun shootings.

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

·         Avnevi public school is burnt down. Damage to other schools in the village of Avnevi cannot be estimated. Avnevi Public School is a participating institution in the UNESCO Assosiated Schools Project Network (ASPnet) since summer 2007.

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

Outside conflict zones

Many educational institutions have been damaged outside the immediate conflict zones. They have become subject to bombings, burning, looting, shootings, and damage of furniture.

·         23 schools in Gori district have been damaged (including damage of doors, windows and roofs). 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 (including damage of doors, windows and roofs) and robbed (computers, furniture) 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 subsequently burned entirely

IDP shelters

In Tbilisi

110,048 IDPs from South Ossetia and Upper Abkhazeti were placed in 698 different locations in Tbilisi by the end of August. Most of these shelters (90%) are schools (public as well as private), kindergartens, VET centers, special schools for the children with disabilities, research institutions, higher education institutions, and student dormitories.

Currently IDPs are occupying 165 schools in Tbilisi 70% of which will not be able to start academic year before October at the earliest. Arrangements for transferring IDPs from schools to other buildings (mostly kindergartens) are underway. However schools are in need of renovation works: schools furniture (desks, chairs, and black and white boards) have been damaged as IDPs have been using them as beds; and toilets, being used by an excessive number of people need urgent repair, may become centers for spreading epidemic diseases.  

Outside Tbilisi

IDPs have been placed in various locations in almost all regions and districts of Georgia. Most of them are concentrated in Rustavi and Kutaisi. Currently 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 damage to their infrastructure.         

II. 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. Some of the IDPs have returned to their homes in Gori and nearby villages. 64,397 IDPs still remain throughout the country as of 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). Of the 28,028 displaced children, 2,112 out of these children do not have parents or guardians.[1]

Many of these children face the risk of dropping out of schools, or academic failure. Most of the displaced children suffer from psychic and neurotic disorders. According to medical 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.     

Other children

The normal course of the academic year of 2008-09 has already been hindered affecting all the children around the country. 16 schools in Tbilisi and 47 schools in different regions (mainly Gori, Kaspi, Kareli regions) will not start the academic year in the coming months, due to different problems resulting from direct and/or indirect impact of Russian aggression.  Thus around 17000 of students studying in these schools will have to move to schools located nearby.

III. Impact on human resources in education

Currently 9,500 displaced school teachers are registered around the country. They are placed in various IDP shelters: schools, kindergartens, IDP camps. School teachers in Tbilisi and Gori will also face the problem of overcrowding.

About 3,000 kindergarten teachers in Tbilisi and Gori are left without jobs (although local administrations responsible for financing pre-school education took the obligation to repay their salaries for one year).   

IV. Other impact on education

Budget constraints

Due to the unexpected course of events in early August the Government of Georgia had to mobilize funds for more urgent needs such as assistance for IDPs and restoration of damaged military and civilian infrastructure. Under such unforeseen conditions public spending pattern of the country has substantially changed and is expected to change more. GEL 18 million (approximately 20% of the budget allocated for programs and projects) has been cut from the budget of the Ministry of Education and Science causing the termination and interruption of a number of programs.

Particularly critical was the interruption of the programs supporting the students living in conflict zones: preparatory classes for admission examinations, and grants covering tuition fees at universities.

The prospects of the programs planned for the next year – including the programs of key importance on minority integration, inclusive education projects, school partnership projects, community mobilization programs, prisoner education programs, pre-school education programs, extra-curricular activities projects, so-called “street children” programs, etc. – are not yet clear. Termination of some of these programs might reverse the results of comprehensive education sector reforms implemented since 2004.  

Special schools

Currently 1,179 IDPs are placed in 15 special education institutions for children with limited educational abilities and centers for homeless children. Educational process in these centers and schools faces the risk of being interrupted. Children with limited educational abilities need special care and individualized teaching approaches which they may not be able to receive under these conditions.

Three orphanages are located in the areas that were under direct military threat:

·         Axalgori 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 lived through the bombings and now cannot overcome the subsequent posttraumatic stress disorder (enuresis, trembling syndrome, etc.).

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

Other constraints

Due to the state of war declared in the country on August 8, 2008 commercial and economic transactions have been interrupted. This has affected educational activities as well: publishing of textbooks for schools has been stopped; the process of privatization of VET centers has stopped.

A number of preparatory activities planned in August right before the start of the academic year have been cancelled, including: training of newly-elected school directors and administrators (schools in Georgia are now autonomous self-governing units), and teacher training.

V. Immediate challenges facing educational Institutions of Georgia

Right now 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:  

[1] These are IDPs living and registered in compact residential areas. Many of them are living in private residences with relatives and friends.