"Student outflow stands at 30-40% from the affordable private schools”, - said Elza Badashvili, head of Georgian Association of School Leaders, adding that arrears in the tuition fees have been accumulated, which significantly reduces school revenues.
"Private schools have a lot of problems. We do not have new accurate statistics yet, but based on inside information student outflow stands at 30-40%. In addition, there are parents who do not want to take their children to public schools and debts are accumulated, these are low and middle income families”, - Elza Badashvili declares.
According to her, the Association does not see an approach from the state to maintain affordable private schools, including in the regions.
“I mean voucher financing. If your child enters a private school his/her voucher is GEL 300, while in the case of a public school - GEL 600 or even GEL 900. We think it is discriminatory. If it is a voucher, the student can use it in any school. The approach must be same with the teachers.
114 out of 223 private schools are registered in Tbilisi, while the rest (50%) – throughout Georgia, and if their number is reduced again in the regions, it will obviously have a bad result," - said Badashvili.
According to the Association, there are currently 223 private schools in Georgia, with 60,000 students and 7,200 teachers.
