On 14 April the meeting was held at Akhaltsikhe Legal Consultation Centre among the officials of the Regional Department of Education and the teachers of Akhaltsikhe schools. The main issue of the meeting was the problems existing at Akhaltsikhe schools, particularly: unpaid salaries, salary debts of previous years, incorrect distribution of budget funds among the schools, aimless utilization of funds for repair-work, breach in distribution of fuel funds for winter, incorrectness in paying the salaries to the teachers of Georgian language in non-Georgian schools and debts in this sphere, obtaining funds for teacher training courses from various foundation and from local budget, lack of ordinary staff  and the other problems of regional schools.

The meeting was attended by:

The teachers of Akhaltsikhe Secondary School #1: Ia Zedginidze, Lia Kenchoshvili, Nana Kruashvili, Asmat Kapanadze

The teachers of Akhaltsikhe Secondary School #2: Donara Sagateliani, Nana Gudadze

The teachers of Akhaltsikhe Secondary School #3: Nato Kapanadze, Melano Tamazashvili, Irma Gvishiani, Nino Kopadze  

The teachers of Akhaltsikhe Secondary School #5: Marine Sulakvelidze, Klara Kupreishvili,

The teachers of Akhaltsikhe Secondary School #6: Irma Khitarishvili, Gia Gachechiladze, Zhana Doinjishvili

The Head of Akhaltsikhe Regional Department of Education Mr. Gogi Ivanidze, an accountant Lia Kachkachishvili, the chief specialists of school district Bela Avalishvili and Ketevan Naskidashvili

Representatives of Legal Consultation Centre Giorgi Andguladze, Aleksender kalaijev, Gocha Nebadze

As G. Ivanidze, the Head of Regional Department stated salary debt is the problem of the whole region. The situation is better in Borjomi, worse in Akhalaklaki. Debt in Akhaltsikhe is more than one million lari. Unpaid salary for December 2003 will be paid within a month and a half.

The problem of providing the schools with fuel for heating arose again. The funds are distributed to schools to buy fuel but the funds in most cases do not reach the addresser or only a part of it. As Mr. Ivanidze declared money for wood is distributed really; money for town schools were distributed at central counting-house of Department of Education and money for village schools was distributed at village Sakrebulos. “As for repair-work at schools and the funds for it, money will be transferred directly to schools and Tutors Council will monitor it”, declared Gogi Ivanidze. He thinks schools should be autonomic.

During the meeting the teachers asked the officials of Regional Department of Education about the salary of the teachers working in non-Georgian schools. The accountant of the Department of education said that the teacher in non-Georgian schools is paid 100 lari and utility expenses. For the teacher working at the places the amount is 50 lari. As for the grants not given in February and March she said that the amount received was less and they tried provide the teachers working in Javakheti at first. At the meeting the teachers mentioned that they received 11 lari as a grant. When they complained about it the Department of Education increased it to 22 lari. Gogi Ivanidze explained that everything depended on financing. When amount of transfer is high we increase the grant as well. He thinks it is necessary to spread the information within the teachers about it. It is important to prepare all the documentations so that teachers will have no doubt. Several issues were highlighted during the meeting to be solved immediately:

1. Employees at the Department of Education said that they have not received salaries for twelve months as well as expenses for business trips in spite the fact that our region is very big.
2. The teacher training courses are not free, teachers have to pay for these courses but they have no money for it. They ask the District Gamgeoba to distribute money and to pay for it.
3. Teachers declared that the quality of teaching the Georgian language even in Georgian schools is poor. The groups should be divided for Georgian, Russian and English lessons for the first form but for the lack of finances it is impossible. There are about 40 students in every class and it lowers the quality of teaching.
4. The typical staffs are not defined in schools. It is not defined the number of cleaners relevant to number of classes and students. So in most cases the students have to gather money for the cleaner themselves.
5. Health Certificate for the teachers is not free and they have to present it. The teacher pay 18 lari for it and it is rather high if we take into consideration their low salaries. They ask from the State to pay for it.
6. The teacher’s salaries are back paid for water and garbage utilisation and it is not legal according to the legislation.

For the above mentioned problems the teachers attending the meeting asked the representatives of Legal Consultation Centre to find out the exact price of Health Certificate and get them acknowledged whether it is legal for teachers to pay for it. They have also asked to hold the meeting on 20 April 2004 and to invite Gamgebeli of Akhaltsikhe District, the Head of the Department of Finance and the accountant of the Department of Education at the meeting.