Parliament of Georgia

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Parliament approved the draft Law on General Education

Plenary 10 Jun 2026
Parliament approved the draft Law on General Education

The Parliament of Georgia considered, under an expedited procedure and in its III reading, the draft Law on General Education and approved it by 83 votes.

Under the amendments, individuals holding vocational qualifications in information and communication technologies will also be eligible to obtain the right to teach, provided that they pass the relevant examination and complete either a 60-credit teacher education programme or a teacher candidate programme. Under the current legislation, teaching rights based on vocational education are granted only to persons with vocational qualifications in the fields of sports, music, and arts.

Another amendment concerns the teacher candidate programme. Specifically, individuals whose higher education qualifications do not correspond to a subject included in the National Curriculum will also be eligible to enroll in the programme. As a prerequisite for admission, they will be required to pass the relevant subject examination.

Likewise, individuals who already possess a higher education qualification corresponding to one National Curriculum subject but wish to enter the teacher candidate programme in a different subject area will also be required to pass the examination in the relevant subject.

The amendments further regulate the employment of substitute special teachers. A person replacing a temporarily absent teacher or special teacher may be employed if they meet the statutory requirements established for special teachers. Alternatively, the position may be filled by a person who has at least two years of experience working as a special teacher in a school and either: holds teaching rights based on a higher education qualification; possesses a bachelor's degree in psychology; or possesses an academic degree in occupational therapy.

If a vacancy announced by a school for a special teacher cannot be filled through a competitive selection process, such individuals may also be employed as special teachers. In such cases, employment may continue until the end of the relevant academic year, after which the school will be required to announce a new competition for the position.

The amendments also grant the right to work as a special teacher to individuals who have obtained subject-teaching rights through any of the methods permitted by Georgian legislation and who have additionally passed the special teacher certification examination.