The Deputy Education Minister, Valerian Gobronidze submitted the Bill on Education Quality Development and the Bill on Higher Education with the I reading at the plenary session.

The changes aim at the implementation of the cluster accreditation of the higher education programs. “Under the current regulations, the higher educational organization shall submit the accreditation application per program. The changes allow them to submit the educational programs clustered according to the context, objectives and outcomes”, - he stated emphasizing the advantages of the change: “the model of the cluster accreditation will allow the state, society, and education experts to make analysis of the development of the higher education sphere in the country; besides, the accreditation will facilitate the saving of the human and financial resources of the center”.

As he noted, the change derives from the objectives of the provision of quality of higher education, as well as its harmonization with the European standards.

MPs approved the Bills with 76 votes.

The reporter also introduced the Bill on Education Quality Development, annulling the accreditation mechanism for the general education programs.

As the reporter stated, currently, the general educational institutions hold the external assessment accreditation mechanism, which is voluntary but is not actively used – only three programs have been accredited on a voluntary basis during the last decade.

“Thus, it entailed the necessity to annul the external assessment mechanism – accreditation and its integration in the mechanism, such is authorization, the standards of which are as well modified, namely, the substandard is to be specified”, - he stated.

There are no two external assessment mechanisms of schools according to the international experience and integration of this function into one mechanism will comply with the best practice.

“It will create the flexible, context-oriented and modern authorization institution for education and ensure the assessment of all general educational programs not only at the institutional level but at the subject level as well, namely, it implies the assessment of the school curriculum quality. Schools will pass only authorization”, - he stated.

The Parliament discussed the Bills in this package – on General Education, and on Higher Education and approved the package.