Minister met with Azeri and Armenian 12-th graders

A program for supporting ethnic minorities in receiving a higher education continues. This initiative was proposed by the President of Georgia.

Quotas are defined specially for Azeri and Armenian entrants for the 2012 national unified exams; they are asked to take a general ability test in their own languages (Azeri and Armenian), on the basis of which the students are enrolled at preparatory programs. Furthermore, Azeri and Armenian students will take a year long intensive course in Georgian Language; afterwards, they will be enrolled at the universities of their choice.

Today, Minister of Education and Science of Georgia, Dimitri Shashkini met Azeri and Armenian 12th graders at Tbilisi State University and discussed with them the details of the program.

The program was fully launched last year and up to 300 entrants benefited from it; in comparison, only three students participated in the program in 2010. The students receive state funding according to the score of the general ability test, and these state grants are retained while students pursue their respective academic programs as well.

The program of supporting the ethnic minority entrants in receiving a higher education is one of the priority programs of the Ministry. Representatives of the Ministry regularly organized meetings in ethnic minority regions in order to promote this program.

Receiving a higher education in native language proves to be an effective mean of building a career for the ethnic minority population. More students are taking an interest to study the state language and then take the unified exams in Georgian language.
(MES)