“The expert assessment concerning Tbilisi Public School No. 21 was officially submitted to the Ministry on September 17, and we immediately made the only possible decision — we cannot put the lives and health of our students and teachers at risk,” Minister of Education, Science and Youth Givi Mikanadze said.

According to the minister, a comprehensive assessment of the condition of public school buildings has begun. As Givi Mikanadze noted, the Ministry of Education, Science and Youth responds immediately whenever it receives a relevant assessment.

“We fully understand that school infrastructure is one of the major challenges, which is why we have begun a comprehensive assessment of the condition of public school buildings and the identification of unsafe buildings. These are schools that have accumulated repair needs over the years, and this is an issue that cannot be postponed any longer.

The infrastructure problem in public schools must be resolved once and for all. We are paying particular attention to this issue and will take immediate and concrete action in this direction.

According to the expert assessment of the building of Tbilisi Public School No. 21, given its current condition, continuing the educational process there is unacceptable from a safety standpoint.

To ensure the safety of students and school staff, we have decided that the educational process will temporarily continue in an alternative educational space. Classes will not be suspended, and students will be provided with an alternative and safe learning environment.

Parents and school staff will receive specific information regarding the organization of the educational process as soon as possible.

At the same time, all necessary procedures will begin to address the infrastructure problems of Tbilisi Public School No. 21. We are in daily and intensive communication and coordination with the Ministry of Infrastructure of Georgia. Decisions regarding the measures to be implemented at the building will be made on the basis of the assessments and technical evaluations of the relevant specialists,” Mikanadze said.

For context, a parents’ protest was held outside Tbilisi Public School No. 21, where classes were suspended from September 18 due to the building’s unsafe condition. The protest followed a notification sent to parents stating that the educational process would be suspended because of the building’s condition. According to one parent who spoke to Interpressnews, it was still unclear at the time how classes would continue. The parent said the school principal had proposed switching to remote learning.