Tbilisi: The Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia has changed the deadlines for registration of first-graders and enrollment of the school documents for the 2023-2024 academic year.
By the joint decision of the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia and the Committee of Education of the Parliament, changes were made to the “Law on General Education” regarding the age of beginning primary education in general educational institutions of Georgia.
In light of these changes, children who are six years old from September 16 to November 1 shall be added to the first grade for the academic year 2023-2024.
As a result, according to order N 543304 of May 15, 2023, of the Minister of Education and Science of Georgia, the deadlines for registration of first-graders and submitting documents required for school enrollment are defined as follows:
The current II stage has been extended – registration for the second stage will be possible until May 19, 2023, and children will be registered in schools whose:
A) Brother and sister are also studying at the desired school;
b) Parent/guardian/caregiver is a desired public school employee;
c) At the same time, two or more children from the family enter the first class.
The second phase of enrollment in public schools is carried out based on the submission of documentation required by a parent/legal representative. Registration will be provided by a public school.
On 22-23 May 2023, there will be additional registration for children with special educational needs who could not register in schools within the initial deadlines for the first stage of registration.
Parents of children who are going to be registered in the first stage should apply to the desired public school. The school administration will register the child in the Education Management Information System (EMIS).
To confirm a special educational need, a parent completes a referral form at the school, after which the multidisciplinary team assesses the child and their educational need.
In case a special educational need is confirmed, the school will ensure that the student’s enrollment is based on relevant documentation.
The period for submitting documents for children enrolled in stage one is from May 24 to June 2, 2023.
A pupil with special educational needs may be considered a child with the following:
a) physical impairment;
b) intellectual developmental impairment;
c) learning ability impairment;
d) sensory development (hearing and/or vision disorder);
e) Speech developmental and emotional disorder;
f) Need for long-term hospitalization
g) difficulties in learning that’s why they are Unable to meet national curriculum requirements;
h) Autism spectrum.
Children, who have not been confirmed with special educational needs, will be able to register at the next stages.
Stage III – General registration will begin on June 8 and will continue until June 23.
Registration will be done on the official website of the Information System of Education Registration.
The necessary documentation for electronically registered pupils will be submitted from June 26 to July 12. If documentation is not submitted within the stipulated time, registration will be automatically cancelled.
IV stage – from July 17 to July 28, will be implemented in schools. Students who have not registered in stages I, II and III or wish to change their registration will be registered in the remaining seats or in the previous stages.
Registration of the pupil at the fourth stage will be provided by a public school based on the required documentation submitted by a parent/legal representative.
Documents required to enroll in the first grade:
Statement of the student’s legal representative, which must contain information about the generation of the legal representative’s residence and phone number and must meet other requirements stipulated by Article 78 of the General Administrative Code of Georgia, a copy of a legal representative’s ID card and a copy of the document confirming residence in Georgia.
In case of submitting documents in a foreign language, they must include the translation in the Georgian language established by Georgian legislation).
A copy of the pupil’s birth certificate or ID document and a copy of the document confirming residence in Georgia (if such exists). In case of submitting documents in a foreign language, they must include the translation in the Georgian language established by Georgian legislation).
The Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia urges parents to familiarize themselves carefully with the terms and conditions of registration in order to enroll their child to school in a timely and uninterrupted manner.